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Aluminum Siding Refinished, Not Replaced
If your aluminum siding leaves white chalk on your hand, it's not done — it just needs the factory finish redone properly. We refinish aluminum homes across Metro Detroit almost daily, with prep built around one rule: no coating goes over chalk.
Factory-quality aluminum refinishing for a fraction of residing.
Aluminum siding was sold as the maintenance-free option, and structurally it delivered — panels from the 60s and 70s are still straight and solid on thousands of homes around Metro Detroit. What gave out is the baked-on factory color: decades of sun break the finish down into a dull, chalky powder that no amount of washing brings back. Repainting is how you keep the good bones and lose the tired face.
The Michigan-specific catch is that our freeze-thaw winters and hard summer sun accelerate that chalking, and chalk is the enemy of adhesion — paint applied over it lets go in sheets. Aluminum refinishing succeeds or fails on decontamination: cutting the oxidation completely, priming any exposed metal, and applying thin coats that bond to clean substrate. That's the part of the job you're actually hiring.
What We're Up Against on Aluminum
Chalking oxidation
The degraded factory finish turns to powder that rubs off white. Any coating applied over it is bonded to dust, not metal — which is why washing and wipe-testing come before everything else.
Bare metal breakthrough
Scratches, hail dings, and worn edges expose raw aluminum that will oxidize under a new finish if it isn't primed. Every bare spot needs a rust-inhibitive primer before color.
Dents and oil-canning
Decades of ladders, basketballs, and hail leave ripples that a shiny finish will spotlight. Sheen selection is part of the craft on older aluminum.
Thin panels, unforgiving film
Aluminum shows application flaws that wood hides — heavy coats sag, and lap marks telegraph across smooth panels. Metal rewards thin, even, properly sequenced coats.
Pro tip from our crews
A low-lustre or matte finish is your friend on older aluminum — higher sheens telegraph every panel dent and oil-can ripple that 40 years of hail and ladders have left behind.
How We Do It Right
- 1Chalk test and assessmentWe start with a hand-wipe test to gauge oxidation, and check for bare-metal wear, damaged panels, and failed caulk at penetrations. That tells us how aggressive the wash needs to be and where priming will be required — all reflected in your free estimate.
- 2Oxidation-cutting washPower washing is free with every full paint job, but on aluminum it isn't just water — we use a cleaner that breaks down the chalked finish. Then we rinse and wipe-test again. If the rag still comes back white, we're not done washing, no matter what the schedule says.
- 3Surface prep and metal primingGlossy areas get scuffed for adhesion, and every scratch or ding that's worn to bare metal gets Ultra Spec Acrylic Metal Primer to keep oxidation from restarting under the new film.
- 4MaskingSpraying a whole elevation means protecting everything that isn't siding: windows, roofing, brick, fixtures, landscaping. Clean masking is slow, unglamorous, and the reason a sprayed house comes out looking factory-finished instead of oversprayed.
- 5Spray and back-rollWe spray thin, even coats of Ultra Spec EXT — our standard aluminum topcoat — and back-roll to work it onto the panel surface. Regal Select is the step-up for high-visibility elevations where you want richer sheen and top-tier color retention.
- 6Trim and detail workDownspouts, metal trim, and accents get finished with MultApply, a fast-dry acrylic enamel that levels smooth and keeps details crisp against the fresh siding. It's the difference between a painted house and a finished one.
What We Put On It
Every product below links to its full page — real technical specs from the manufacturer, not marketing copy.
Ultra Spec© EXTExcellent adhesion and weather resistance over properly prepped aluminum — our standard siding refinish topcoat.Specs & details →Ultra Spec© Acrylic Metal PrimerRust-inhibitive waterborne primer for any spot worn to bare metal.Specs & details →Regal Select© EXTPremium option when you want a richer sheen and top-tier color retention on high-visibility elevations.Specs & details →Coronado© MultApplyFast-drying acrylic enamel with strong adhesion — ideal for trim, downspouts, and matching metal accents.Specs & details →
What Drives the Cost
Degree of oxidation
Heavily chalked siding needs more aggressive washing and more priming before it will hold paint. The hand-wipe test at your estimate tells us — and you — what we're dealing with.
Home size and stories
Aluminum jobs scale with wall area and ladder height. A two-story colonial is simply more masking, spraying, and staging time than a ranch.
Trim, gutters, and accents
Every additional substrate — downspouts, metal trim, shutters, doors — adds detail hours. Many homeowners bundle them while the crew and equipment are on site.
Panel repairs
Dented or damaged panels can often be replaced before painting through our siding division. Isolated repairs are a modest line item; widespread damage may change the conversation.
Our Cost & Color Gallery is full of aluminum-sided homes we've refinished — browse the before-and-afters and see real project costs from your area.
Browse Real Projects & CostsFrequent Questions
Straight answers about aluminum siding from the crews who do the work.
Answer
If the panels are straight and solid — and most are — refinishing costs a fraction of residing and can be done in far less time. Replacement makes sense when the siding itself is failing or you want a different profile entirely; we install new siding too, so you'll get a straight answer at your estimate, not a pitch for one or the other.
If the panels are straight and solid — and most are — refinishing costs a fraction of residing and can be done in far less time. Replacement makes sense when the siding itself is failing or you want a different profile entirely; we install new siding too, so you'll get a straight answer at your estimate, not a pitch for one or the other.
Answer
Properly prepped and coated with premium acrylic, a refinished aluminum exterior is one of the longest-lasting paint jobs we do — the substrate doesn't swell, crack, or rot like wood. Our work carries a 2-year standard warranty, extendable to 4 years.
Properly prepped and coated with premium acrylic, a refinished aluminum exterior is one of the longest-lasting paint jobs we do — the substrate doesn't swell, crack, or rot like wood. Our work carries a 2-year standard warranty, extendable to 4 years.
Answer
We recommend April through October for aluminum — a tighter window than our overall season. Metal surface temperatures swing harder than wood in marginal weather, and the wash-and-dry sequence needs decent conditions to do its job.
We recommend April through October for aluminum — a tighter window than our overall season. Metal surface temperatures swing harder than wood in marginal weather, and the wash-and-dry sequence needs decent conditions to do its job.
Answer
Nine times out of ten: paint went over chalk. Oxidation is invisible once it's painted, but the coating is sitting on powder and lets go in sheets, usually starting on the sunny side. The fix is to wash and prep back to a sound surface — which is most of the labor in doing it right this time.
Nine times out of ten: paint went over chalk. Oxidation is invisible once it's painted, but the coating is sitting on powder and lets go in sheets, usually starting on the sunny side. The fix is to wash and prep back to a sound surface — which is most of the labor in doing it right this time.
Answer
Done properly, it reads like new siding from the curb. Thin, even sprayed coats that are back-rolled onto clean panels lay down smoother than the weathered factory finish they replace. Sheen choice matters too — lower sheens flatter older panels by hiding decades of small dents.
Done properly, it reads like new siding from the curb. Thin, even sprayed coats that are back-rolled onto clean panels lay down smoother than the weathered factory finish they replace. Sheen choice matters too — lower sheens flatter older panels by hiding decades of small dents.
Ready for a Straight Answer on Your Aluminum Siding?
Free estimate, written surface-by-surface plan, and a free color consultation with every project — no pressure, ever.