# Anyone know about metal roof paint(s)?



## mikeathens (Aug 20, 2008)

I have a 150 year-old timberframe barn with a galvanized/corrugated roof.  The roof has obviously been painted in the past with the typical silver looking stuff.

I need to coat the roof because it has a few pinholes and rust is starting to show on the top.  I have been looking, but there are a ton of products out there...

Anyone know of a good metal roof paint?  Criteria:  Needs to be red, needs to be applied with a brush or roller, needs to be somewhat durable.  Oh yeah, can't cost a fortune.  I do want a good product, though.

I don't know if this will solve my problems long-term, but I'm looking for somehting that will help delay having to replace the roof for 5-10 years (or longer).  I've nerver done this before, so I figured I'd see what others know here on the Hearth...

Any thoughts??


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## Hogwildz (Aug 20, 2008)

Mike from Athens said:
			
		

> I have a 150 year-old timberframe barn with a galvanized/corrugated roof.  The roof has obviously been painted in the past with the typical silver looking stuff.
> 
> I need to coat the roof because it has a few pinholes and rust is starting to show on the top.  I have been looking, but there are a ton of products out there...
> 
> ...



Typically, farmers/barn owners use aluminum roof coating on their barn roofs. If it is near worn off, you can paint the roof with a good Rustoleum or equivalent metal paint. It won't be budget paint or cheap. But its a you get what you pay for deal.  You local hardware store should carry a sufficient paint. Its depends all in the surface and whats on there now as to how well it stays on and wears off. 
I did my fathers over 10 years ago by now. It was was at one time aluma-coated and mostly worn off. I primed it first then top coat over that. Its still holding up well. It will  not seal the holes you have. Get some good urethane caulk and seal them first. Let it cure, usually about a few days to a week, maybe less on roof surface due to heat & light exposure. Then prime & paint the entire roof surface. Put 2 finish coats on if possible. I only was able to get one on my fathers, but it really is holding up well. Aluminum coating works, but must be redone as it wears off. Usually every couple years. And is not available in colors. The right metal roofing paint, will last a while if done right. And you may not need a new roof for many. many years if kept up.

I sprayed the standing seams, then went back with an 18" roller and rolled the rest on. work farthest away from ladder towards ladder. You DONT want to step in that paint while putting it on. It sucks to slip and go for a fall.


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## mikeathens (Aug 21, 2008)

I guess I've been seeing most of the places out where I live getting a nice colored paint/coating on the roofs.  One I've seen is green, another light blue, and another red...I was wanting to go with the red theme.

So you're saying most likely these are more of a rustoleum type paint, vs. a sealer coating?  I looked at TSC (one up the road from me), and this is what I found...

http://www.tractorsupply.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay_10551_10001_43994_______14239|14294|43994?listingPage=true

Like you said, they have no colors.  I guess this is what I'm going to have to go with, even though it's silver.  It does sound like this stuff will seal up some of the pinholes and leaky nailheads.

It's a 12/12 pitch and is about 20 feet up, so I want to do this right, and do it as infrequently as possible.  "every couple years" won't cut it on this roof


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## homebrewz (Aug 21, 2008)

Mike from Athens said:
			
		

> I guess I've been seeing most of the places out where I live getting a nice colored paint/coating on the roofs.  One I've seen is green, another light blue, and another red...I was wanting to go with the red theme.



On houses, or barns, or both? If houses, and it looks nice and smooth, thats probably the factory applied enamel for metal roofing. It sure does look nice.. we have a lot of those roofs around here too. I've seen a couple of houses where they've tried to copy that factory enamel look by painting rustoleum on an older, rough metal roof and it just doesn't look the same.

Also, the stuff listed in the link you provided, Silver Dollar, aside from being silver so its reflective of the suns heat, its also fiberous and will add some strength to the paint job. Its a pain to get properly mixed, and it needs to be applied with a cheap roof paint broom or tar broom.. similar to seal coating a driveway.  

And, as in the previous post, I'd also like to say: BE CAREFUL! Fresh paint on a metal roof is like grease.. watch where you step. You might consider some sort of harness.


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## mikeathens (Aug 21, 2008)

homebrewz said:
			
		

> On houses, or barns, or both? If houses, and it looks nice and smooth, thats probably the factory applied enamel for metal roofing. It sure does look nice.. we have a lot of those roofs around here too. I've seen a couple of houses where they've tried to copy that factory enamel look by painting rustoleum on an older, rough metal roof and it just doesn't look the same.



I know the difference.  My pole barn has the "new" zinc-based coating with 30+ year warrnaty.  Around my place, though, EVERYTHING is 100+ year old corrugated galvanized or original hand crafted standing seam.  The neighbor down the road has a house older than mine (1850's) with OLD standing seam.  Theirs was painted light blue last fall.  I guess maybe it was rustoleum or something similar...


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## the_dude (Aug 21, 2008)

Mike,

At the risk of saying something stupid and somewhat obvious, have you thought about stopping at your neighbor's house and asking them what they used?  If you like the look, it would be nice to find out exactly what they did.


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## Hogwildz (Aug 21, 2008)

Unless someone took the time to sand & make the roof surface flawless on those other places, they are the original painted metal panels.
Otherwise, the surface is never perfectly smooth as the old paint, rust etc is always raises, peels etc making anything painted over top, uneven.

As far as a paint/sealer, the best bet I can recommend is an acrylic, elastometric roof paint. Its is thicker and tougher than average paint. It does fill or gap small pinholes, but any holes larger than that will need to be patched, usually with a fabric or tape.
This paint is not cheap, but does last a long time if properly applied. The aluminum coating will not last more than a couple years without need of touch up, even the fibered stuff.
Here is a link found when I did a search. It just gives you an idea of the paint & pricing. I would research thoroughly and check pricing from a few places & products.
http://www.jnkproducts.com/metal-roof-paint.htm

Tinner's paint is your most economical alternative, and works very well. You will still have to caulk or seal the holes.  here is an example http://josephjenkins.com/store/product.php?productid=16214&cat=265&bestseller=Y
Check your local hardware & paint stores also.


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## mikeathens (Aug 21, 2008)

Hogwildz said:
			
		

> Unless someone took the time to sand & make the roof surface flawless on those other places, they are the original painted metal panels.
> Otherwise, the surface is never perfectly smooth as the old paint, rust etc is always raises, peels etc making anything painted over top, uneven.



They are not original painted panels...they have been re-painted many times.  None of them look smooth and flawless.  I guess I should have said that "flawless and smooth" are not my goals.  You can definitely see the rust and old paint/coating underneith.  These are OLD roofs.

Thanks for the advice, Hog.  I'm going to check out those links.  I'd rather pay three times as much for materials now and have it last 10 years than have to redo the job every three to five.


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## mikeathens (Aug 21, 2008)

the_dude said:
			
		

> At the risk of saying something stupid and somewhat obvious, have you thought about stopping at your neighbor's house and asking them what they used?  If you like the look, it would be nice to find out exactly what they did.



Dude,

I am afraid to ask in many situations.  Being an engineer that can't keep his mouth shut when I see people doing stupid things (I talk A LOT), I'm afriad they're going to tell me they used Olympic "sky blue" interior egg-shell latex from Lowes.

They are good neighbors.  But, you're right, I should...and I will.  I'll make sure I have a few beers so I can offer him one and get the other one in my mouth before I can say anything.


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## Hogwildz (Aug 21, 2008)

Keep in mind, preparation is 1/2 the job. If its fairly tight & intact you can either prime over & paint, or some pain requires no primer, so with that you can just paint.
I prefer primer as it helps the top coat bond to the unperfect surface.

If the aluminum coating is severely flaking & peeling in big pcs, you may want to scrape the loose stuff off.


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## JustWood (Aug 21, 2008)

If your barn is worth saving and you have pin holes now ,I would say bite the bullet and replace it.  Pin holes can go from small to large in no time. Paint will slow it but not by much.


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## velvetfoot (Aug 21, 2008)

Just be careful on the roof.


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## rona (Oct 5, 2008)

I use Rustoleum Rusty metal primer . Spray that on over everything else. Let it dry out for aboput 5 days then topcoat with any good latex paint. That has been on 13 years so far and looks great.


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