PAINTING COLORBOND ROOF – CAN IT BE DONE
If you’re looking to give your roof a completely new colour profile or just apply touchups to a fading roof, painting your roof is an easy way to increase your property’s value.
BlueScope’s ColorBond steel is famous for its influence on the Australian property market. Not only is the technology specifically engineered for the unique Australian climate, but the wide colour selection of sleek, modern colours means your roof easily catches the eye.
When it’s time to touch up or switch up your paint scheme, is it really as easy as applying the fresh coat? ColorBond roofs are exclusively designed roof technology. Will any paint do? Or is there a special ColorBond paint on the market?
In this article, we’ll tell you exactly how to prepare and paint your ColorBond roof.
What is ColorBond Roofing?
ColorBond roofing is simply roofing made from ColorBond steel. ColorBond is a brand of steel created by BlueScope that’s specifically manufactured for roofing, walling, guttering, and other home building tasks. As a result, you can expect it to be tailored to the unique challenges of protecting your home.
ColorBond is designed for all of your Australian weather needs:
- Highly durable.
- Heat resistant.
- Cold-resistant.
- Waterproof.
- Debris and dust resistant.
ColorBond technology is constantly being updated to adjust to the ever-changing environmental conditions in Australia which makes it a low maintenance cost-to-quality option.
Let’s take a closer look at ColorBond steel.
Signature ColorBond Colours
One of ColorBond’s signature values is its clean, sleek appearance. Providing a contemporary and smooth aesthetic, the Colorbond range comes in over 22 ColorBond paint colours.
ColorBond’s diverse selection of colours means you can match it to any property. This is really helpful when upgrading the roofs of older, more traditional properties which can raise their value significantly.If you’re looking for ideas on roof paint colours for your ColorBond roof, ColorBond by BlueScope offers an online tool showing you all the ColorBond paint colours.
Can You Paint ColorBond Roofing?
There is a common misconception that Colorbond cannot be painted. This is in fact, a myth.
Colorbond can easily be restored and re-painted, provided the correct paint is used.
How to Paint ColorBond Roofing
Before painting your roof, it’s important to know that this is a serious home project. It’s not like painting a wall.
If you are not comfortable with heights, don’t understand the safety standards needed, or are at all just not up to the task, please reach out to a professional roof contractor.
Painting a roof is not a simple as applying paint to a surface. Your roof is constantly exposed to the outside elements and is therefore liable to form cracks, dents, debris build-up and general damage in its lifetime.
Properly navigating your roof structure is a task best left to professionals.
They are properly insured for these jobs in the case that anything goes wrong. And in addition, they are trained in proper safety and equipment handling.
They’ll provide you with the confidence that your paint job will be done properly.
With the warnings out of the way, let’s take a look at the process of painting your ColorBond roof.
1. Roof Assessment
A thorough walk-through has to be done of your roof prior to any cleaning, priming, or painting.
Broken or damaged roofing components need to be repaired up to standards before considering painting. Do not paint around or on broken or damaged equipment.
This is where it pays to have a professional do the job for you. A professional roofing contractor will be skilled enough to spot damage and defects to your:
- ColorBond steel sheets
- Roof vents
- Fascia
- Soffits
- Gutters
- Nails and screws
- Roof deck, rafters, battens, or undersarking
As you can see, a lot can go wrong with your roof. If any of these components are damaged, they could indicate greater dangers in the future.
2. Roof Cleaning
After your roof has been properly assessed, you or your roof contractor will be cleaning off large debris and performing a wash of your roof.
There are two wash types to choose from:
Chemical Washing
Known as a “soft wash”, this method can be easily used to clean your ColorBond roof. In fact, many chemical cleaning products which are designed for general roof cleaning can be used for Colorbond roofing. There are also ColorBond products specifically designed for roof maintenance.
These cleaning agents–which are typically chlorine and sodium solutions–help break down the build-up of moss and algae on your roof without harming the steel.
This method involves:
- Clearing and brushing any debris off of your roof to prepare for the chemical solution
- Mixing the cleaning agent with water in a soft wash pump
- Spraying the chemical solution evenly across your roof–no need to oversoak
- Either rinsing the solution off with a soft wash water pump or letting the rain wash it off
Pressure Washing
Pressure washing is a high-strength method that strips away the algae and moss that forms on your roof. It’s possible to rent or use an at-home pressure washer; however, the devices need to be the correct regulation for ColorBond materials.
This method involves:
- Clearing and brushing any debris off of your roof to prepare for the power wash
- Mixing the cleaning agent–very diluted, not as strong as chemical washing–in a pressure washer
- Spraying down the roof
Cleaning the roof is crucial to the success of a Colorbond roof repaint. Improper cleaning and preparation will result in poor adhesion of the paint or if your roof requires a primer, the primer.
3. Roof Priming
Priming is a step that can be skipped if your paint is self-priming.
If not, you’ll need to prime your roof. Follow the product instructions or let your roof contractor handle the job.
An airless spray gun is generally used to spray the primer at pressure, for an even coat that provides better adhesion.
4. Roof Painting
It’s recommended that you use a Colorbond paint specifically designed for ColorBond steel. The engineered layers in ColorBond steel, especially the top layer, might degrade in usefulness if a non-ColorBond paint is used.
ColorBond paints are specialised water-based acrylic products designed as steel and metal roof paint and are the best roof paint for the job.
After priming your roof, if needed, you or your contractor will use an airless spray gun–just like with the primer–to ensure an even, smooth coat from the pitch to the edges of your roof (if your roof has pitches). Usually, two coats of paint are required for a complete and solid finish.
ColorBond Roof Painting Cost Estimate
ColorBond roof painting rates can vary from company to company. However, considerations like:
- Scope of Project
- Accessibility & Safety of Roof
- Roof Paint
- Unforeseen Costs
All play a role in determining the final estimate. Whether or not you or a professional complete the job, you’ll have to consider the cost of more than just the paint.
While some roof painters can provide approximate prices over the phone or online, an accurate estimate can only be determined after the assessment phase.
We absolutely recommend you hire a professional. Any errors in painting your own roof properly can lead to missed spots leaving parts of your roof exposed to the elements. This can lead to water leaks which can lead to mould, rot, electrical fires, or complete structural damage to your property.
It pays to let professionals handle your roofing tasks. Ultimately, we can’t give you any hard and fast painting rates in this article, roof painting prices fluctuate with the price of materials and supply and demand in the labour market.
What we can do is help guide you through the process and give you educated estimates in person. We are the best providers of roofing and gutter cleaning services throughout New South Wales so please don’t hesitate to call our trusted team of roof and gutter experts. We’re here to help.