roof painting

Recently I had an addition put on my house and because of the low pitch I was told by the codes department that I needed a tin roof. My roofer installed a tin roof that is primed only and after the job was completed he suggested I buy the paint from a local shop that will charge me approximately $400 for a 5 gallon bucket that will give me 10 years. I feel that is way too much money. Can anyone offer me other suggestions that wouldn't be so costly? The roof size is about 24 feet x 12 feet.

 

First off it shouldn't take that much paint - 350-400 sq ft per gallon is normal. Remember you have a few for sq ft than the area dictates since the roof metal isn't completely flat.

What color do you intend to use? While I've seen both painted and unpainted new roofing tin, I've never seen any that just came primed ??

 

The material the roofer used came in a roll and he had to fabricate it at the site. It has a thin light brown coating on it which I believe is a primer. When he made the panels he made it with ribs and somehow fastened them together there. He told me I must paint it but I must wait until 30 days have passed, which it has. He suggested some paint that costs about $400 per 5 gallons, which I think is ridiculous. Therefore I am looking for something cheaper but that will still do the job.

 

I think I know what type of roof you have although I've never painted one. The ones I've seen always had a factory finish

I'd go to your local paint store [not paint dept] and discuss your options with them. While automotive paint can cost that much [or more] roof paint shouldn't be that pricey. One of the biggest thing with roof paint is using a coating that will retain it's color. Some of the cheaper paints will fade in a year or two.

 

It sounds like you have a new standing-seam or flat-lock roof made from terne metal, which is terne-coated steel. If so, it must be painted to preserve it, and it must be painted with a paint made for that use.

Any good-quality paint store may be able to supply you with an appropriate paint. Just be clear that it's terne that you need to paint, and you want the product they have that they certify for that. I think I got my paint and primer from Glidden (I had an account with them at the time) when I needed to paint the new roofing on the lower-pitched areas of the house I was redoing some years ago. That said, I've long been intrigued by the idea of using paint from Follansbee Steel. I just figure that, since Follansbee is the leading manufacturer of terne metal (I think), they should have the best knowledge and the greatest interest in getting it right - my speculation. Their paint probably won't be cheap, but it is somewhere you can get a job-specific product if you aren't satisfied at the paint stores.

I would hope that you can get it for less, but $80 per gallon doesn't seem too far out of line. As Marksr said, though, 5 gallons is a lot more paint than you should need.

I thought I remembered, and I was reminded by info on the Follansbee site, that I had to both prime and top-coat the terne metal on my house. That red coating, I'm pretty sure, is the terne itself.

Note: You've got a roof that can last up to 90 years if well-maintained. It may not be cheap, but painting it every 10 years or so is still less than replacing it every 20 or so!

 

Have you checked for paint with the supplier where the roofer bought the roofing material?

 

I hadn't heard of 'terne' metal but the link was informative

If that's the case you would need both a primer and finish paint.

 

Glad to be of service! That's the real name of the material almost everyone calls 'tin' roofing. I didn't know the distinction either, until it came time to replace a few squares on our old house.

 

Is it the same as the galvanized metal used on most barns and some houses?

reread the link and I guess it's not the same since it states it must be painted. Galvanized roofing should be painted after a few years.

 

Right - it's not the same. We only used terne metal on five relatively flat sections. The main roof was all done with galvanized metal shingles. I painted the terne asap, and never painted the shingles. I was going to, but my roofer said not to - and they never needed it.

As I recall, there was only one section where the terne and the galvanized met. I'm trying to remember whether we did anything special there to ward off galvanic corrosion, or if we even considered that to be necessary. No real memory of doing anything, so I'm pretty sure we figured it wasn't needed.

 

You are absolutely right. It is the terne standing seam product that I have and it has a light beige coating on it. I will check with some paint stores and see what they have. Thank you very much.