Detroit is a brick city, so the first siding question here is usually about brick. After that come the wood clapboard on older frame houses, the aluminum siding added in the 1950s and 1960s, vinyl, and the stucco found on Tudor gables and some bungalows. Each takes paint differently.
Price ranges on this page are national figures published by HomeGuide for 2026. They are not our quotes. Local labor, paint prices and the condition of your own surfaces move the number up or down. Last checked October 2026.
Should I paint my brick or leave it natural?
In most cases, leave it natural. Unpainted brick needs almost no upkeep, and once you paint a brick wall you have taken on repainting it for good. Paint is very hard to remove from brick.
Painting can make sense where the brick is already painted, is badly mismatched from old repairs or is a plain common brick on a side or rear wall. If your house is in one of Detroit's local historic districts, the Historic District Commission's guidelines say masonry that was not painted historically should not be painted.
Is painting brick a bad idea, and does it trap moisture?
It can be. Brick takes in and gives off moisture, and a tight paint film can trap that moisture in the wall. In a Michigan winter the trapped water freezes, and the face of the brick can flake off with the paint.
The risk is highest on soft older brick, on walls with poor mortar and where gutters leak. If brick is to be painted, the mortar is repaired first, the wall must be dry and a breathable masonry coating is used. HomeGuide lists acrylic latex on brick as lasting 3 to 5 years, limewash 5 to 7 and mineral-based paint 20 years or more. Limewash and mineral paints let the wall breathe.
What paint is best on wood siding, and will paint fix dry, cracked wood?
The best paint for wood siding is a 100% acrylic latex over the right primer. Paint will not fix dry, cracked wood, but good prep and primer can save wood that is weathered and still firm.
Bare, grey wood is sanded to bright wood and primed, often with an oil-based primer that soaks in. Fine surface checks fill with primer and two finish coats. Boards split through or cupped off the wall are replaced. By the national figures painting wood siding costs $1.50 to $5.00 per square foot.
How much does it cost to paint a cedar shingle house?
No published figure exists for cedar shingles alone. The nearest national figure is the one for wood siding, $1.50 to $5.00 per square foot.
Shingles sit at the high end of the effort. The rough face and the gaps soak up paint or stain, and every edge has to be worked. In the Detroit area, shingles are found mostly on gables, dormers and the upper floors of older bungalows and foursquares, and they are often stained, not painted. We price them after a look.
Can you paint aluminum siding?
Yes. Aluminum siding takes paint very well, and repainting it is far cheaper than replacing it. By the national figures it costs $1 to $4 per square foot, or $1,500 to $7,000 for an average house.
The old finish is usually chalky. That chalk is washed off completely, bare metal is primed and two coats of acrylic paint go on. Dents stay visible, so badly damaged panels are replaced first. A painted aluminum finish is listed as lasting 5 to 10 years.
Can you paint vinyl siding?
Yes, you can paint vinyl siding if it is clean, sound and not cracked. By the national figures it costs $1 to $3 per square foot, or $1,500 to $5,000 for an average house.
The siding is washed and painted with an acrylic paint made to bond to vinyl. Vinyl moves a great deal between a Detroit January and a Detroit July, so the paint has to stay flexible. Brittle, cracked or warped panels should be replaced, not painted.
Can vinyl siding be painted a darker color, or will it warp?
Vinyl siding can warp if it is painted a much darker color with ordinary paint. Dark colors absorb more heat than the panel was made for, and it can buckle.
The safe rule is to stay at or lighter than the original color, or to use colors a paint maker labels as vinyl-safe. Those are mixed to reflect more heat. South and west walls take the most sun, so that is where a wrong color shows first.
Does painting vinyl siding void the warranty?
It can. Some siding makers state that painting the product voids or limits its warranty, and others allow it with conditions. Only the warranty paper for your siding can answer that.
Find the maker and the product, read the terms or call the maker, and do it before the job is booked. If the siding is decades old, the warranty may no longer apply to you in any case.
Can you paint stucco, and what paint sticks to it?
Yes, you can paint stucco. Acrylic masonry paint and elastomeric coatings both stick to it, over a masonry primer where the surface is bare or chalky. By the national figures stucco painting costs $1.00 to $5.50 per square foot.
Stucco is not the main wall type in Detroit. It shows up between the timbers on Tudor style gables, on some 1920s bungalows and on porch walls. It is porous and drinks paint: HomeGuide lists acrylic at only 100 to 175 square feet per gallon for two coats on stucco.
Do hairline cracks in stucco need fixing first?
Yes. Hairline cracks in stucco should be sealed before painting, because each one lets water into the wall, and here that water freezes.
Fine cracks are filled with a flexible masonry patch or bridged with an elastomeric coating. Wide cracks, bulges and hollow-sounding areas point to a problem behind the stucco and need a proper repair. HomeGuide lists stucco repair at $8 to $50 per square foot nationally.
How often does stucco need painting?
Stucco needs painting about every 5 to 7 years, by the national figure. Shaded, damp walls and walls that take driving rain go sooner.
Wash it gently now and then, keep gutters and downspouts working and seal new cracks as they appear. Those small jobs stretch the time between full coats.
A free estimate with a written quote is the only way to get a real price for your job. Call or text (313) 209-8467.