Garden and Homes

It is possible and actually quite easy to paint vinyl shutters.  Of course, perhaps the most important thing is that you buy and use the correct paint. If you do not use the right paint it will simply peel off shortly after it is painted on.

Vinyl expands and contracts depending on external weather conditions, thus it is important to buy a paint that will expand and contract as well.  Your best choice is to buy an acrylic paint with a urethane resin. Do not choose exterior paint, even for exterior shutters as it simply will not stick to the PVC. If you are not able to find this type of paint for vinyl shutters in the paint section of your local home supply store you should be able to find it at any store that specializes in paint and painting equipment.

Another point worth remembering is that it is much easier to take your shutters down to paint them. While it may seem simpler to keep them hanging in place while you paint first one side and then the other, this will only result in a poor job and the paint job may also be damaged if the shutters bang up against the wall before it is dry. Instead, find a nice sheltered spot outside where the shutters are under shelter in case of rain and set up to paint there.

One more mistake that is often made when painting vinyl shutters is that the shutters are not given enough time to dry thoroughly before being hung back up again.  This will result in a smudged paint job, and probably eventual peeling of the paint.  You may have to let the paint dry for several days. As tempting as it may be to hang  them back up again as quickly as possible, it is far better in the long run to wait until you are sure they are totally dry.