If you get the opportunity for painting a tin roof you can give it a try, or leave it to the professionals.
Painting a Tin Roof
Getting Roof Ready
When working on a roof always be careful as a slip or wrong step can lead to a lot of hurting.
If your roof is rusty with old paint peeling off, then it should be scraped first. A wire brush and paint scraper works well for this.
Its a slow process and I have seen pressure washers used also, but in the end there always seems to be scraping by hand to do.
Roofing Screws
Also when your scraping carry a hammer and drill along for any loose nails to replace them with the roofing screws.
If you see the tin is loose then it is often better to put screws in, and also where the tin overlaps. This will help anything from becoming loose in the future.
Cleaning the Roof
Once you have the roof scraped, then its a must to sweep and wash the dirt and dust off before beginning to paint. Pressure washer or garden hose will work well.
Paint
Some paints recommend a primer before the top coat, while others don’t require it. Other paints will recommend two coats for best results.
The one thing when picking up paint for your roof is to always search for the best quality as you don’t wont to be redoing it in a couple years from now.
Ways to Paint Your Roof
The next thing is how you wont to paint your roof, spray it on or use a brush or roller.
I have seen some spray painting done on roofs that were not very good quality, and some that were excellent. So would recommend if your having it sprayed to do your homework first on this subject.
Painting a Tin Roof With a Paint Brush
If you decide to go with a paint brush then it will certainly take longer then the spray painting, but will most likely be a good job also, and last a long time.
A four or three inch brush will work well for this.
A Fluffy Paint Roller
Another thing you could try is using a fluffy paint roller to do the roof, if it is fairly straight going. Having tried this and to my own surprise it worked quite well.
For this is best to work off scaffolding if using a roller, and also to have a long expanding paint pole. With the thick roller is quite easy to get a good paint coverage on the ridges of the tin.
It will take about half the time to put on in comparison to using a brush, plus moving the scaffolding also.
Ropes
If your using a brush you can use a roof ladder or climbing harness with good ropes to tie you on with. If the roof is not to steep then the climbing harness and a good rope work very well.
Being Careful
Once again would like to mention always be careful and work safe on a roof.
Tie up your ropes to something solid like a tree, car, or truck as it can get real exciting sliding off a roof on a ladder with a paint can in your hand.
If you try this project out your roof should look real good when finished, be careful, have fun and enjoy the view.
You can read also Church Windows
Any comments are always appreciated,
Wayne.
Great information. I am a DIY type of gal, so this comes in handy. I just bought my house, but already know that I need to paint the house and the roof. I guess I just don’t like the colors. I had been contemplating, what I needed to do for prep work, so when I ran across this post, it was perfect timing! I prefer to use brush or a roller. I just feel like, even thought it takes longer, I can get in all the nooks an crannies. Where with a spray paint job, you can’t. Thanks for the great information!
Hi Leahrae, thanks for the comment. I also prefer to use a brush, because like you say it is so much easier to get into the nooks and crannies.
Painting a tin roof is definitely a great way to spruce up your house, or change the look if you want to. Of course it can also be routine maintenance. The older I get, I tend to leave the projects that require getting on the roof, to the professionals. I am usually a DIY guy, but roofs are a different matter altogether. As you said, one wrong step and away you go. How long does a tin roof last? Are there paints that are used specifically on a tin roof?
Hi Steve and Kris, thanks for the comment. If your not comfortable on a roof it is best not to do it. I am 71 and try not to do roofs anymore as I am finding it hard on my legs after a day up there.
A tin roof can last a lifetime if taken care off, and yes there are specific paints for metal roofs, most hardware stores will have the paint your looking for, and best to ask which is the better quality because there is always new paints coming on the market.
I’m planning on painting my tin roof this summer and this post helped highlight some things I didn’t think about. Mainly using roofing screws to replace the old nails! I can see the benefits of this and hopefully along with a good paint job, it should preserve my roof properly.
A quick question: How many coats of roofing paint would you recommend to apply?
I would recommend 2 coats if you wont it to last a good length of time. A good quality roof paint you might be able to do just 1 coat, but is best to do 2 coats.