Why is painting roofs so common, and how (and why) is it done?

There are various reasons why people consider painting roofs. I do not do any roof painting – so my opinions here may be a bit biased. …But here goes…

• Painting of colorbond roofs: If the colour of the existing roof is not to your liking, then you can repaint it.
• Painting of rusty metal roofs: This is only a temporary fix. Rust can never be completely ‘killed off” by a rust converter and soon the rust spots will bubble through the new paint work. And who treats and paints the laps where the worst rust happens? Look at the main picture above and you can see what I mean. When the old metal roof sheeting have end joints, the new paint can obstruct the drainage. Suddenly you get a roof leak where it has never happened before….
• Painting of terracotta tiled roofs: See the painted roof tiles in the video image below. This is why a lot of painters do not paint glazed terracotta roofs any more. The painters who painted this roof have quietly “disappeared”. If you want to know why, check out the YouTube video below showing a failed painted terracotta tile roof:

• Painting of concrete tiled roofs: Painters have a better chance with concrete tiled roofs. Fresh paint will stick well to worn concrete roof tiles that are cleaned well and primed. But excessive paint in the wrong areas can still bring on the new leak on a ‘restored’ roof. What ever you do, don’t let the painter/roofer who repaired this roof on your premises! watch the video to find out why:

• Painting of gutters:  Gutters are usually painted to match certain parts of the house. Colorbond only comes in a limited range of colours and you may want a special -non colorbond colour for the gutters. There is no reason to paint the inside of the gutters – only the outside can be seen – and this is the only side that has to be painted.

Looking for a roof restoration (AKA roof painting)?

Most roof restorations in Sydney are just glorified paint jobs. And there is enough information that you have seen above that tells you what painting of roofs is all about………

I get a lot of enquiries from people wanting a roof restoration. On further questioning, it often appears that they have a confusion about what  roof restoration means in the roofing industry.

There is a big difference between a leaking roof repair and a roof restoration.

Do you have a brown stain on your ceiling? If you do, then you have a leaking roof. A roof restoration will probably not be the best solution for this problem.

If your roof is leaking, then you NEED the leaking roof to be repaired. … or the roof may even NEED to be replaced.

If there is no water leaking from the roof and you just want your roof looking nice – then you just WANT a roof restoration.

There is a misconception in the roofing marketplace that if there is something wrong with a roof – then it needs a roof restoration.

Roof restoration companies just clean and paint roofs. They are not very good at fixing roof leaks – or even contemplating repairing the leaking roof as a better solution . They just want to paint your roof to make it look good.

Waterproofing is only a secondary concern to roof restorers.

If there is a water leakage problem with your roof – you really want a good repair for your leaking roof or a roof replacement. A coat of paint is not the solution.