Painting Over Metal Roof

Painting a metal roof introduction.

Painting over metal roof.

Not using a sealant. Sand the entire metal roof surface very lightly with your wire brush or sandpaper. Galvanized metal roofs are coated with a layer of zinc that inhibits rust. To paint a metal roof you ll need to use an oil based paint if you have a terne metal roof or an acrylic based paint if you have a galvanized metal roof.

This is why when you are considering painting your metal roofing it makes sense to go for specific paints for the metal roof. Before painting you ll still need to do a little. Water resistant metal roofing paint for example can be of great value if you live in a rainy area. If you are preparing to paint a rusted galvanized metal roof pay special attention to surface preparation or you will have a recurrence of rust and or flaking.

Try to achieve a slightly abraded texturized finish as this helps your new paint bond with the roof finish. If you re not sure what kind of roof you have ask a professional roofer to inspect it before you paint it. However if you want to paint over prepainted metal you re in luck. Prepainted metallic surfaces can be treated almost like any other basic latex or oil painted surface.

Another mistake is to forget or ignore using a sealant before the application of the metal paint. This article is meant to clarify the answers to some of the most common questions our customers have about painting a metal roof. Metal roofs are prone to rust because they are constantly exposed to the elements. You ll also need to purchase a primer designed for metal roofs.

If properly painted the paint will not only improve the appearance but protect the roof from further rusting. Although it isn t recommended to use a metal implement to scrape the roof it was the only way to remove the loose rust and old paint. If you have a terne metal roof like this one then it has probably been repainted several times over the years. This information is aimed at the residential customer but can easily pertain to a commercial application as well.