Painting vinyl shutters a different color

My vinyl shutters were looking weathered.  First thing I did when I made the decision to paint my vinyl shutters instead of purchasing new ones was to Google info on how to do this.  I was hit with a barrage of info, most repeated the same advise, don't change the color of your shutters and to use an acrylic or urethane blends.  I decided to it anyway and document my results.

I wrote this post to document what steps I took.  I plan on updating this post sometime next year with the long term results of my ill advised decision.

First a bit about the environmental variables involved.

The shutters of my house get morning sun.  My house is in the Northeastern part of the US and has four seasons.  I painted my shutters in my garage and in 60 degree weather.

I am going from a colonial light blue
to a darker green color.

Materials needed:
-Pry-bar 
-Ladder
-Step ladder
-Sharpie
-Cleaning powder (Dirtex)
-Primer
-Exterior Paint
-Pain Brushes
-Caulk
-220 grit Sandpaper
-New Shutter-Loks (hardware fasteners)
-Elevated surface to paint on
-Place to store shutters to dry for 48 to 72 hrs before re-installing

Getting started:
I have a two story house and am not a fan of heights so removing the shutters is more sane than being on a ladder for hours.  I also wanted to take the shutters off the house because it was easier to paint and not worry about getting paint on the house.

I used a pry-bar to carefully go behind the shutters and pry them away from the house.  They weren't screwed in (they were attached using Shutter-Loks hardware fasteners.  Once these are removed the one way fins are no long viable to reattach to the house.  You can see they are all chewed up.  But don't throw them out just yet.  Later in the blog I describe another purpose for them.


NOTE: There could be hives behind those shutters, bees, hornets, etc.  I found lots of inactive hives.  Spraying down the shutters before you remove them might be a good idea as to not get stung on the ladder.

I took the sharpie with me and after each shutter was pried off I marked them with a number and letter.  1L, 2R, 3R, 1TopL, 1TopR etc.  This info tells me two things, one what way is up and two where the shutter came from.  Why does that matter you ask, it's important to place them back in the original position.  Shutters bend and warp but more importantly you ensure the fastener holes will line back up with the original holes.

After removing the shutters I sprayed each one down with the hose to get the larger dirt particles off the front and back.  Once inside I used a cleaner (Dirtex) with hot water to remove any dirt that the hose didn't get off (which was a lot).

The next day I sanded the shutters with 220 grit sandpaper and then wiped any dust off.

To get the old fasteners out I placed each shutter on my portable workbench and hit it with a hammer, but made sure both sides were supported as to not crack the shutter.

I used the old fastener hardware to elevate the shutters off the ground, by placing them in upside down.  This helped reduce the amount of paint being transferred to my garage floor and also didn't cause the paint to wick up any dirt on the garage floor.

When I was discussing best practices with the Lowes associate, I was told that Valspar bonding primer would stick to the vinyl without a problem and then I could pick any exterior paint to apply on top.  I had a slight grey color mixed into the primer but in hindsight I would now recommend getting a dark primer mix as it bleeds through the new color, even after two coats.

I let the shutters dry for an entire day before applying the new color.  Once coat at a time over two days.  Even after two days there were still spots that the primer was slightly showing through, but not enough to warrant another coat.

I went with a Valspar Duramax Satin finish.  I wanted the shutters to pop a little when the sun hit them.

The hardware fasteners were purchased from shuttercontractor.com.  I'm not endorsing them, but they were the cheapest price for what I needed.  I got the unpainted ones and opted not to use primer on them.  I didn't actually paint them with a brush, rather dipped them and shook off the excess.  I then carefully placed them in a piece of cardboard (cut a slit with a knife first).  Be patient, as you start to load them, they become more the row of already placed fasteners become wobbly.



Since it's November and the weather is colder, the paint was still sticky to the touch three days after the second coat.  I will be installing them over the weekend and am anxious to see how they endure the winter.

Make sure if you are ordering new fasteners they are the same size as the original ones, otherwise you might get stuck cutting the new ones or even drilling new deeper holes.

Lastly place a small amount of caulk in the holes where the fasteners will be places, prior to putting the shutters in place.  This will help insulate and weatherproof these holes.

NOTE: If I wanted to, it seems the paint would peal off in one large sheet if I tried.  The primer acts as more of a skin.  So be careful moving the painted shutters around on the floor, as they will scrape off the paint.

They look great if I do say so.