Roof painting tips

[PACub100]

Thought some of you might be able to help me with some tips. My old metal roof (think corrugated "tin" ) is going to be replaced in a year or two but for the time being I've rented a boom lift to paint it with the black, fibered roof paint (think "tar") to seal it up and prolong it's life until I can get it replaced. It's in the mid 50's so, while I should have done this several months ago, I'm getting it done this weekend - I know, regretting it now ( I didn't realize how thick this stuff really is).

The problem I'm running into is when the paint cools it's hard to thin and brush out. I've got the paint in the house (mid 70s) but it doesn't take long for it to cool. At one point I thought if I dumped out big piles of paint in a line, my brother and I could brush it down the roof slope as it flows. Unfortunately, with it cooling quickly, the brush would basically smear it and glide over the paint, leaving a thicker layer where I initially poured the paint. A nylon bristled broom we tried just "combed" it instead of bringing more of it down the slope.

One thing I'm considering is dumping about half of it in a plastic bucket and sitting that bucket in the bathtub with as hot of water as I can, then trying the dump method again and hurrying to brush it out before it cools. But I don't want to waste it either...

Tall order, but would any of you guys that have done this before have a trick or different idea to get this roof covered in a day?... It's about 1900 sq ft and a 6/12 pitch.

 

[gary noblit]

Pac, I've put some on before but not at these temps ..think buckets sitting in hot water...one guy pouring ,one guy with heavy duty floor type squeegee pushing...good luck

 

[PACub100]

Pac, I've put some on before but not at these temps ..think buckets sitting in hot water...one guy pouring ,one guy with heavy duty floor type squeegee pushing...good luck

That's my plan for now, got some sitting in the tub with hot water at this time

 

[PACub100]

View from yesterday late afternoon on the boom lift... Sure does sway a lot, enough to make you pucker at both ends.

 

[lpalma]

Yes for every action there is a reaction, wiggley doo... A big tarp would have been a lot easier as you make it harder to remove and scrap the steel.
Just my 4 cents...

 

[PACub100]

Here's either a really dumb idea or possibly a decent one... Since it's petroleum distillate based, would it be possible to cut it with some used motor oil to thin the consistency?

I obviously wouldn't want to do it if I was looking for long term coverage, but I'd think it might work for the year or two term I need.

What's the thought?

 

[rlause]

You might thin it with kerosene or diesel fuel

 

[Greg Riutzel]

I've used Henry reflective roof paint and I had similar problems when starting on cool mornings before the day got hot. All I can say is keep it warm and stirred. Do not thin. There's a lot of solids that will clump out in the bucket if it's too thin and it'll take longer to dry as well. If you feel the need to thin anyway, use mineral spirits very sparingly.

 

[PACub100]

Yes, I was talking to my dad afterwards and we decided that I should just hold off until summer. So we spent the day pulling loose nails and replacing with roofing screws. Used some of the paint to cover nail holes where they missed lumber... Got it pretty much buttoned down.

I'll say one thing, after you get used to the boom lift, that's definitely a good thing to have for a few days. Money well spent...

 

[Greg Riutzel]

I did a metal caboose roof one year that had some small holes. I patched them with POR-15 and then covered with wet patch and some seams as well. It worked pretty good for the painting later. 7 years and still holding.

 

[jdrong]

Yes, I was talking to my dad afterwards and we decided that I should just hold off until summer. So we spent the day pulling loose nails and replacing with roofing screws. Used some of the paint to cover nail holes where they missed lumber... Got it pretty much buttoned down.

I'll say one thing, after you get used to the boom lift, that's definitely a good thing to have for a few days. Money well spent...

This was my first thought that you should do but you weren't asking for alternate ideas on what to do. I wouldn't use that black roofing crap to "paint the whole roof. I believe you would be sorry in the long run. It may even cause more work later.

 

[PACub100]

This was my first thought that you should do but you weren't asking for alternate ideas on what to do. I wouldn't use that black roofing crap to "paint the whole roof. I believe you would be sorry in the long run. It may even cause more work later.

Is it pretty bad?
I was just looking at something temporary. My plan is to return the buckets I didn't use. Surprisingly, the roof was in much better condition than I'd thought. My brother and I spent the entire afternoon removing loose nails/ones that worked out partially and replaced them with roofing screws. I have a little bit left on the one side and I'll be happy.

 

[tkhoffman]

There is a commercial spray/roll on paint that is made to cover and seal metal roofs. It was fast, it kind of clung so you could build it up on some troubled spots. I'll see if I could get the name. The stuff I used came in white.

 

[Greg Riutzel]

Yeah, I remember some years ago, I think it was Conklin that came out with roll/paint on roof coating. It was white, thick, and claimed to reduce heat gain or loss. A guy I bought Frazer tiller parts from used it on his double wide's roof. He claimed it cut his A/C costs in the summer by 20-30% I used to drive by the place for many years and it always looked good, never got the green tinge so common in W. Oregon.

 

[tkhoffman]

There is a commercial spray/roll on paint that is made to cover and seal metal roofs. It was fast, it kind of clung so you could build it up on some troubled spots. I'll see if I could get the name. The stuff I used came in white.

Got an update from a friend as to what we used.
Aztec Roof Coatings
Insulated Coating Corp these products might only be sold commercially however, my friendships many folks sell a 'Elastomeric Roof Coating' for Steel roofs

 

[R Mass1]

Thought some of you might be able to help me with some tips. My old metal roof (think corrugated "tin" ) is going to be replaced in a year or two but for the time being I've rented a boom lift to paint it with the black, fibered roof paint (think "tar") to seal it up and prolong it's life until I can get it replaced. It's in the mid 50's so, while I should have done this several months ago, I'm getting it done this weekend - I know, regretting it now ( I didn't realize how thick this stuff really is).

The problem I'm running into is when the paint cools it's hard to thin and brush out. I've got the paint in the house (mid 70s) but it doesn't take long for it to cool. At one point I thought if I dumped out big piles of paint in a line, my brother and I could brush it down the roof slope as it flows. Unfortunately, with it cooling quickly, the brush would basically smear it and glide over the paint, leaving a thicker layer where I initially poured the paint. A nylon bristled broom we tried just "combed" it instead of bringing more of it down the slope.

One thing I'm considering is dumping about half of it in a plastic bucket and sitting that bucket in the bathtub with as hot of water as I can, then trying the dump method again and hurrying to brush it out before it cools. But I don't want to waste it either...

Tall order, but would any of you guys that have done this before have a trick or different idea to get this roof covered in a day?... It's about 1900 sq ft and a 6/12 pitch.

sounds like the metal roof is in better shape than expected. If I were you, I'd replace all the popped nails/screws and seal the whole thing with Cool-Seal, like that made for mobile homes. It comes in white and is elastomeric and pretty easy to apply but not in extreme cold weather. OR...if you have a HOT tar machine, and could brush it on with that, then that would probably last a lifetime.

 

[jdrong]

Another thing, if the metal is decent shape why "paint the whole thing just because it's leaking around some of the nails? Seems like a lot of extra work for nothing. All you may end up achieving is a coating that may start peeling in a few years or if it's black will make a hot tin roof even hotter during the summer. I don't believe it would stop the leaking for long anyway because of the heating and cooling expansion of the metal, the metal needs to be able to move slightly. I would just replace all the nails with screws, you will have to pull all the nails anyway if you would stay with the idea of replacing the tin.

 

[Everettlee]

Gawd……. I used to work for the company that made that towable boom lift

View from yesterday late afternoon on the boom lift... Sure does sway a lot, enough to make you pucker at both ends.

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