What causes vinyl siding to become chalky

dsloan

New member
Just curious does anyone know what causes vinyl siding to become chalky. Is it because too much SH was put on it? Just want to be sure that I dont cause a house to do this.
 
When the UV inhibitors break down, you get the chalky residue on the vinyl and painted surfaces. That is why every so often you need to repaint. Vinyl..... not much you can do but do restoration and that is costly, not many would want to do that. That has been talked about here a while back in some threads.

Some people have painted vinyl but then you get to the same thing as if you had never bought the vinyl, you have to start painting again.

Until you have a great solution and restoration method for the chalk on surfaces, it is usually more hassle than what the job is worth and when the job comes out uneven, you are responsible and could end up in court, easier to just walk away.
 
When the UV inhibitors break down, you get the chalky residue on the vinyl and painted surfaces. That is why every so often you need to repaint. Vinyl..... not much you can do but do restoration and that is costly, not many would want to do that. That has been talked about here a while back in some threads.

Some people have painted vinyl but then you get to the same thing as if you had never bought the vinyl, you have to start painting again.

Until you have a great solution and restoration method for the chalk on surfaces, it is usually more hassle than what the job is worth and when the job comes out uneven, you are responsible and could end up in court, easier to just walk away.

Chris, here in the south we see chaulky, oxidized vinyl often. We do not remove it. but couldnt walkaway from these projects I would say 10 -15% of vinyl I see has some degree of chaulky/oxidation. This is common and you just have to be aware and not use direct pressure or you will leave the Mark of Zorro all over it
 
I dont clean houses except for my own. Its vinyl, and was chalky. I did the long distance downstream/rinse. All the dirt came off but the chalk was still there. I got up close and personal and PW the entire surface, chalk was gone but it did take all day.
 
Pre-inspect!

When you quote, and see this, set your customers expectations! Just because you wash, doesn't always mean it will look better. Often when oxidation is present, after washing, it actually looks worse. That is why it is important to discuss these situations with your customer. Otherwise, like previously mentioned, you get the blame. You are NOT to blame, but it is much easier to be pro-active about this, than reactive. Let your customer know what is going on, and what kind of results they should expect when you are finished. Communication about oxidation saves lots of headaches later.
 
Has anyone come up with some type of wax, or solution to downstream on vinyl to fix this problem?
 
It is the UV inhibitors in the vinyl itself that are breaking down.

I tried waxes years ago and they only looked shiny for 2-3 months at best.
 
just wondering because i went back to a home i did a few weeks ago, ran my fingers along the side of it and it was pretty chalky. Thought it was something i did wrong like to long of dwell time or didn't rinse good enough. Thanks guys
 
I'm actually currently doing a job with a house with this kind of chalky vinyl and when spraying my bleach it left the zoro marks. Trying to push it off and downstream some carwash soap with wax to try and did it. Going to check up on it in a little to see how it dries. Anyone have any tips to try and get rid of this?
 
Were you using a X-Jet or M-Jet nozzle to apply your chem mix?

Mike
 
i used a pump sprayer with bleach. i didnt dilute it at all (stupid i know). i have no idea how to make the siding blend to how it was. i was planning on using simple green and a scrub brush. im not aware of any other options. please help! thanks!
 
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