How to paint vinyl shutters

We've been in our house for over a year now, and we've compiled a list of things that we notice need a little updating. 

Near the top of that list (for me, anyways): painting our shutters.

Our current shutters are vinyl/plastic and are in *perfect* condition...in fact, I can't tell how old they are b/c they look brand new (but I know they're not). But, the longer I looked at them, the more the color was blah to me - depending on the light, they're brownish/reddish, with a tinge of wine-purple. blah-blah.

I went on Sherwin Williams' website, for their "color visualizer". There, you can upload a picture of your house (or use their photo examples) and play around with different colors for siding, trim, and shutters... = FUN for moi! I didn't have anything too whacky in mind...just classic black shutters, so I chose their blackest black color, called "Tricorn Black": It looked like a million bucks on the Sherwin Williams website, and it really got me excited about the idea of painting our shutters.

I showed the updated online picture to the Hubs, and his reaction wasn't quite as dramatic as mine. (Can you imagine??!) He shrugged his shoulders and said something along the lines of "yeah - looks good" - little did he know that I already had one foot out the door to go buy the paint at Sherwin Williams' 40% off sale!  

At the S. W. store, I asked the (very helpful) manager what paint would work best for vinyl shutters, and did I need to use any primer? His reply: no primer is needed (unless you're going from a very light to a very dark color -  a tinted primer would be beneficial in that case), and he recommended their "SuperPaint" Exterior Acrylic Latex Paint. I chose their Satin finish...not too glossy, but not too flat. They do offer a Flat finish, but the manager said it has a slight chalk-like finish, which isn't the look we were going for.

Stuff you need:

• Exterior paint (I bought one-gallon, and have a ton leftover)
• 2" Paintbrush
• Ladder 
• Screwdriver (depending on how your shutters are attached to your house)
• Bucket of soapy water (water/dish detergent)
• Water hose

Instructions:

Step #1: Remove the shutters from your house. (We only have shutters on the first story of our house...For safety's sake, you may want to hire someone to take down shutters on 2nd story windows). I used a cordless screwdriver - the screws on our shutters were located on the very top and bottom of each shutter (2 on top, 2 on the bottom), then one more in the very middle of the shutter.

**Be sure to keep track of which shutter goes where!** 

Stick a piece of masking tape to the back of each shutter, and write down if the shutter goes on window 1, 2, or 3, etc...and on the left or right of that window. This little step will make re-hanging the shutters easy-peasy!

The house is looking a little naked...

Step #2: Clean the cobwebs and general outdoor dirt from each shutter. I used a sponge and soapy water  to clean out all the cracks and crevices. Then, rinse off with a water hose.

 Step #3: Let them dry overnight.

Step #4: Time to paint! I used my paintbrush to paint into the interior recessed "rectangles" in the shutters first, then painted the edges and flat surfaces of the shutter. Be sure to only put down a thin layer of paint, so it won't "glop up" and it will dry evenly. Once you've painted over a surface, leave it alone - if you go over it repeatedly, you run the risk of pulling up half-dried paint under your brush! When the first shutter is done, move onto your next one, and let them each dry in a covered area for a minimum of 5 hours. (I let them dry overnight, just to be sure). 

Step #5: Paint the 2nd coat, again painting the recessed areas first, then the edges and flat surfaces. Let dry at least 5 hours.

Step #6: Hang your shutters back up and give yourself a pat on the back for your handiwork!

Next on our my list: Replace our front door with something that's a little less "Welcome to Granny's Parlor", but still lets light into our very dark front hallway. I'd love a front door with some color, so I predict I'll be using the online color visualizer again in the near future :)

Just as I was about to pour myself a glass of wine to celebrate another "to-do" ticked off our list, Mike called me outside to call attention to another set of shutters on the side of our garage. DOH!

...it's a good thing that none of our neighbors can see them! Guess I've got some more painting to do this weekend :) 

What have you painted lately?