The paint on my copper roof is chipping off. I haven't painted it. It was like this when I bought my house. What is the standard here to scrape and repaint? I honestly have no idea what to do here and I cant find solid answers online.

Help please?


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Normally you don't paint copper, it doesn't need the protection and most like the patina it gets over time.
To paint I'd scrape/sand as needed and then apply a quality latex house paint.

 

I cannot believe anyone would paint over a real copper roof. Thats just crazy to pay a premium for the material and install and then cover it up.

Are you sure it's not a steel roof that was painted to (badly) simulate weathered copper? I don't see any exposed copper, just what looks like the original baked on finish or maybe a primer.

If it's steel, there are plenty of ways to address it. Test it with a magnet.

 

Uh-oh!!!!


Not copper! It is magnetic. That's strange because there are a few similar homes around here with copper roofs. So now what> ?

 

Well, as Mark said...you'll have to remove the loose stuff then apply a quality paint. You should do the whole thing or you will see it. Not much different than painting a steel door.

Someone cheaped out, but wanted the look...bad decision that you now have to live with.

 

Good catch Vic

Since it's steel, you should use a solvent based primer on any raw metal. Generally latex is still best for the top coat especially if the metal is thin enough to be flexible. Latex is somewhat flexible, oil base is not. Latex also tends to hold it's color longer ..... especially here in the south.

 

So scrape off the old paint? Should I get it all off? I assume the answer is yes to both. So what is the best way of doing this? It would seem that I could damage the roof if I don't do it properly.

 

You have to be careful with scraping! Generally scraping lightly and then sanding works best. There shouldn't be a need to remove all the paint - just what is loose. If you want to remove it all, I'd start with a chemical stripper.

 

I think I'd use a plastic scraper to get the flaking stuff off (to avoid any gouging of the metal) , then sand everything by hand with maybe an 80 or 100 grit to remove any chalking or loose areas and roughen up the surface a bit. Then apply a new topcoat. It doesn't look like you have any bare metal?? So you may not need a primer.

There are rules about oil over latex or latex over oil, so it would be good to determine what is already on there. One of the Pro's can explain that better than I.

 

Generally you can apply latex paint over weathered oil base paint. The no latex over oil without a solvent based primer rule is mostly for interior painting.
http://www.doityourself.com/forum/pa...latex-oil.html

 

So your saying it doesn't matter what I have? I can/should use latex paint? Should I primer it? Should I use latex or oil?

 

Latex should be used as a topcoat. It weathers well and has more "flex" which you need for the metal. You should only need a primer if there is any bare metal showing through, so don't be too aggressive with any sanding or scraping.

I'd guess that the area that's flaking probably had some contamination since the rest seems to be holding up well.

I'd probably do the scraping and sanding, rinse with water, let dry completely, then give it a wipe down with something like mineral spirits. Let that dry off then paint, priming any bare metal. You could probably use something like an automotive primer.

 

As Vic said, the primer over any exposed/raw metal needs to be solvent based in order to prevent rust. Exterior paint will adhere fine over clean weathered oil base paint.