Choosing a home can be stressful and challenging. It is a great idea to go into your home purchasing exploration with a list of amenities and materials that you would like to see in and on the home. Selecting a home with a roof that is durable and lights up the aesthetics of the home is key. Keep in mind that you can always change the look of the metal roof. Can you paint a metal roof? Yes, you can paint a metal roof, but if the roof is new, you need to wait six months for it to weather.
Let’s take a look below at what benefits you from painting a metal roof.
What Are The Benefits?
Painting a galvanized metal roof can provide a variety of benefits to the homeowner. Let’s take a look below at what those benefits might be.
- Aesthetics – when the roof is dull, painting it will bring out a new pop to your home. Enhancing the curb appeal of your home is important for keeping up the value of the home.
- Lifespan increases – adding a new layer of paint to your metal roof will increase the protection of the roof. New paint also keeps the roof looking fresh.
- Sustainability – painting your metal roof with light-colored paint can help reflect heat energy from the home. The more you can deflect heat energy, the longer your home stays cool. Also, the less you need to use your ac unit.
What Tools Do I Need?
Any time that you are looking to complete a project, tools, and materials are always necessary. To successfully complete this project you will need the following items below:
- Power washer – this will prepare the metal roof by cleaning away dirt, debris, and mold.
- Paint rollers and brushes – these products needed are to apply the new paint.
- Ladders or scaffolding – these are necessary for your safety, and to ensure that you are secured on the roof.
- TSP cleaner – this removes the old paint.
- Wire brush or wire wheel – these tools will scrape away the old paint so that the new paint can adhere.
- Rust-inhibitive metal primer – this primer allows the paint to adhere to the metal surface.
- Desired paint color – find the right type of paint and apply this after the metal primer so that the metal roof shines.
What Are The Steps?
When it comes to projects around your home, you will always want to follow the recommended steps or manufacturer’s instructions. Let’s take a look below at the recommended steps.
- Old paint – using a paint scraper, remove the old paint by scraping away the loose paint with a putty knife. Be careful not to press too hard and damage the metal.
- Pick the right day – choose a day when the weather will be fair. Typically, an early Fall or Spring day will suffice. You want to ensure the day is dry and cool. Metal roofs absorb heat and will get very hot.
- Apply the primer coat – using the tools above, roll on or spray on the initial primer coat. Also, wait an hour for the primer coat to dry.
- Apply a coat of the new paint – in the same steps that you applied the primer coat, you will now apply the new paint coat. Additionally, allow an hour for the paint to dry before applying a second coat. This ensures a vibrant color.
How Much Does It Cost?
Choosing to paint your metal roof can be an expensive decision. Putting money aside for this project is a good idea. In most cases, this project has an average cost of around $2,300. The size of the roof and the slope of the roof will determine how expensive this project can become. The national average range for pressure washing and painting a metal roof is from $1,150 to $3,630.
Recommended Maintenance
Now that you know about painting your metal roof, here are a few other areas of maintenance.
One of those is if your metal roof needs gutters. The answer is yes as all roofs need gutters for the runoff but you need to make sure that you find the right ones. Gutters will also keep wood from rotting on your home as well as keep soil from eroding.
Another area is hail damage on the roof. We don’t know when hail storms are going to happen and unfortunately, sometimes they leave damage on the roof. There are some obvious signs of damage such as missing shingles, bruising of shingles, dents, and dings. These can happen because of the slope of the roof or even the age of the roof.
Lastly, summer is upon us soon and it will be a good idea to perform chimney maintenance. You used your fireplace and chimney through the winter and you want it to be clean for next fall. This is a great time to contact a professional to do chimney maintenance so you can see if there are any issues. A good chimney sweep is also a good idea to get rid of the soot and debris.
When to Call a Professional
Painting a metal roof requires you to strip the old paint and apply new coats to the roof. It would be a great idea to hire a professional painter who has experience painting metal roofs. When you purchase the home, you will want to know how old the metal roof is. This allows you to plan ahead for when it is time to paint your roof again. Hiring a professional keeps you safe from climbing on the roof.
Conclusion
Upgrading your home often requires a professional. Attempting to get on your metal roof to paint the roof is not the best idea. In this case, hire a professionally licensed painter who has experience painting metal roofs. Also, call on your local home inspection team to inspect the condition of the roof. You will want to make repairs to the roof before you paint it. Reach out to Blue Guardian Home Inspections for a roofing inspection during a full home inspection in Kendall, Kane, Dupage, and LaSalle Counties of Illinois.