Metal Roof Painting in Christchurch
Faded, chalky or rusting long-run and corrugated iron roofs washed, treated, primed and spray coated - the most common roof in Canterbury, and the one we paint most.
Why Metal Roofs Fade, and Why It Matters
Most of Christchurch is roofed in steel: corrugated iron on the post-war houses, long-run trapezoidal profiles on everything from the 1980s on, and Colorsteel on the rebuild-era homes. The steel itself lasts a very long time. What wears out is the coating on top of it - the factory paint on Colorsteel, or whatever was rolled on last time.
The nor'west sun does most of the damage. Ultraviolet breaks the coating down until it chalks - run a hand over a tired roof and it comes away white - and once it chalks it has stopped protecting the steel underneath. Then the fixings start to rust, then the cut edges, then the laps, and a roof that would have taken a repaint happily is suddenly a roof with holes in it. Near the coast, at Sumner, New Brighton, Kaiapoi or Pegasus, salt speeds all of that up.
Repainting at the chalking stage, before the rust gets going, is the cheapest thing you can do for a metal roof. It is a fraction of the cost of new sheets and it puts another ten to fifteen years on the roof.
How We Paint a Long-Run or Corrugated Iron Roof
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Inspection and a written quote
Corey gets up on the roof and looks at the coating, the fixings, the flashings, the laps and the spouting, and photographs what you cannot see from the ground. Then you get a written quote naming the product and the colour.
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Drop sheets and protection
Driveway, paths, gardens, the car if it cannot move, anything overspray could reach. Spray painting a roof without this is how the neighbour's windscreen ends up speckled.
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Water blasting and moss treatment
The whole roof is washed down to get the chalk, dirt, lichen and old loose coating off. Moss and mould are treated with a biocide so what is left dies rather than growing back under the new paint.
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Rust treatment and priming
Every rust spot is treated and primed with a rust-inhibiting metal primer. Screws and nails that have rusted through are replaced. Bare or galvanised steel gets an etch primer so the top coats hold.
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Two coats by airless spray
A quality acrylic roof coating made for New Zealand steel roofs, sprayed in two full coats with proper drying time between them, on dry days only. Spray gets an even film into every corrugation and every lap that a roller misses.
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Clean up and walk around
Sheets up, gear gone, the site left tidy, and a walk around the house with you at the end. Not finished until you are happy.
Colorsteel Roofs
Colorsteel is pre-painted at the factory, which is why it looks so good for so long - and why people are surprised when it eventually fades. It can be repainted, and repainted well, but the preparation is particular: the old factory coating has to be thoroughly cleaned and lightly keyed, any bare metal at cut edges and scratches has to be primed, and the top coat has to be one made to go over pre-painted steel. Get that wrong and the new paint sheets off in the first hot summer. We use the right system for it.
Choosing a Colour
Most people go darker than the roof was - charcoal, ironsand and the dark greys are the colours Canterbury is painting its roofs right now, and they suit the white and grey houses of the rebuild. Two things worth knowing: a dark roof runs hotter in the summer sun and a light one cooler, and whatever the colour, a good roof coating reflects far more heat than a chalked-out old one. Corey will bring the colour cards and can show you what the same colour looks like on a real roof nearby.
A Long-Run Roof in Kaiapoi
Two storeys, a dormer and a skylight, and a roof that had faded to a patchy chalk grey. Three days later.
Not Sure If Your Roof Can Be Painted?
Ring us. Corey will come and look, tell you honestly whether a repaint will do the job or whether it is past that and needs a roofer, and put a price on it either way. No obligation.
Book a free roof check
Metal Roof Painting Questions
Can a Colorsteel roof be repainted?
Yes. It needs a thorough clean, the factory coating lightly keyed, any bare steel primed, and a top coat made for pre-painted steel. Done that way it holds well. Done with the wrong primer or no primer, it peels.
How long does a painted metal roof last?
Ten to fifteen years from a proper two-coat system on a well prepared roof, depending on how much sun and salt it gets. North-facing slopes and coastal roofs are at the shorter end.
Can you paint a roof that has some rust?
Surface rust, yes - it is treated and primed and that is a normal part of the job. Rusted-through sheets, no. Those need replacing by a roofer first, and we will tell you if that is what we find.
Do you replace the roof screws?
Ones that have rusted through, yes, as part of the preparation. Sound fixings are treated and coated with the rest of the roof.
Will overspray get on the house or the car?
Not if the job is set up properly, which is why the first thing that happens is drop sheets and masking. If you can move the car for the spraying days, do; if not, it gets covered.
Other Roofs We Paint
One trade, done properly. Metal, concrete tile and decramastic roofs, prepared and spray coated by the same person who quoted them - anywhere in Christchurch and Canterbury.
Concrete Tile Roof Painting
Faded, mossy concrete tile roofs brought back with a proper clean, a sealer coat and a flexible acrylic membrane that stops the tiles drinking water. Read more
Decramastic Roof Painting
Pressed metal tile roofs from the 70s and 80s, cleaned of loose chip and coated so they look like a roof again instead of a patchwork. Read more
Roof Cleaning & Moss Treatment
Moss, mould and lichen treatment and water blasting, on its own or as the first step of every roof we paint. Also driveways, paths and exterior walls. Read moreGet a Free Roof Painting Quote in Christchurch
Tell us what sort of roof it is and roughly where the house is. Corey will come out, have a proper look at the roof, and give you a written price with no obligation - anywhere in Christchurch or Canterbury.
022 169 7614- [email protected]
- Christchurch, working across Canterbury
- Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm
Photos help. If you can, take a couple from the ground or the street and mention them in your message - please do not climb onto the roof to take them.