QUESTION: I have a home, built about 1950, that has tin siding. Can or should this siding be repainted (and how?), or is it best to remove it and install new siding, such as vinyl?

ANSWER: I’ve seen a lot of evidence that tin siding can be repainted, although I haven’t found much information on how to do it.

I would assume that the same instructions for painting aluminum would apply to tin, and I am referring to the procedures established by the Dow Paint Quality Institute in Spring House.

Here goes:

Treat any mildew with a 3-to-1 mixture of water to household bleach, leaving it on for 20 minutes and adding more as it dries; wear eye and skin protection. Rinse thoroughly.

If there is any white oxide on bare metal, remove as much as possible by rubbing with nonmetallic scouring pad. (If steel wool is used, residual particles, if not completely removed, can eat pin holes through the aluminum.)

Remove dirt, chalk, treated mildew, etc., by scrubbing with detergent and water, and rinse thoroughly; or, power wash with plain water. Chalking on weathered aluminum siding tends to be deep in the factory finish, and a second treatment may be necessary.

Priming the old factory finish generally is not necessary if chalk can be removed as part of surface preparation.

For areas where chalk is stubborn and cannot all be removed, apply a solvent-based exterior primer recommended for this substrate.