Painting Metal Roofs: Some Do’s and Don’ts

Posted on July 9, 2010June 3, 2020

Every summer, we talk to a number of folks in our stores who are curious about the right way to paint an old, rusting metal roof. They want to know what types of products to use, they want to know the steps involved, they want to know what cleaners they should purchase (and also, at least a little bit, they’re wanting us to tell them that the surface is unpaintable and should just be left as is).

Well, sadly, for many of these folks, we don’t tell them to leave it as is. You just can’t do that. Metal roofs, when they exhibit signs of rust, need to be painted in order to be protected. Failing to protect and coat them properly will lead to larger and more expensive (and, of course, painful) failure down the road.

So, let’s cut to the chase: if you’ve got an old metal roof that needs to be painted, here’s what you need to do and what you should use:

Supplies:

Wire Brush or a wire wheel on an angle grinder.
TSP cleaner
Power Washer
Rollers, Brushes, etc.
Met’l Clad 449 Rust Inhibitive Metal Primer
Met’l Clad or Glo-Enamel oil base topcoat in desired color
Ladders/scaffolding as needed
Scrub brush

Steps:

Wire brush or grind as much of the loose, flaking rust off the roof as possible. This is a critical key to the success of your project, so take the time necessary to do this part right.

Once the rust is removed, it’s best to still wash the roof down to remove any grease, grime, or contaminant that might be there. Apply TSP (mixed according to directions on label) and scrub with the scrub brush. (And this probably doesn’t need to be said, but BE CAREFUL. A wet roof is obviously extremely slippery and potentially hazardous–so do as much of the cleaning as possible from a scaffold or a ladder.) Once you’ve scrubbed the roof, rinse it off well with a power washer and allow it to dry.

After the roof has dried, simply apply the 449 Met’l Clad primer using a brush, roller or spray. Allow this product to dry for at least 24 hours.

Once the primer coat has dried, we recommend that you apply two coats of your oil-based finish paint–whether it’s the Met’l Clad or the Glo-Enamel. Products should have about 24 hours between coats.

Tips:

Start early in the day and quit when the roof gets too hot to work on. Working on a roof when it’s extremely hot can be tough on you . . . and tough on the paint you’re trying to apply.

Exercise extreme caution. Whenever working at heights of any level, remember to take things slowly and take nothing for granted. One slip or missed footing can result in months and months of recovery time! So be careful!

While Latex paints are absolutely perfect for the sides of metal buildings, they’re not quite as durable for the roof. Remember, a roof doesn’t have just the sun to deal with: it’s pelted with driving rain and is subjected to Michigan winters and piled up snow. All of these things will damage a Latex paint quicker than they will an oil. So, for your metal roofs, stick to oil!

The Little Old Man Who Blended In

Posted on July 8, 2010August 6, 2019

OK, years ago, I was working at the Lakewood RepcoLite and a lady came in with her husband. She pulled him–nearly dragged him–to the color chip rack and started holding up color chips to his face.

Well, this isn’t something we usually see and so I watched for a second, trying to figure out what was going on. One after another, she’d hold up a chip and then look at it, squint, turn her head from side to side and then toss the chip aside in disgust. Over and over.

I watched for a few seconds, still completely confused about what was happening, and then I walked over and asked if I could help.

Well, the little old man kind of put his head down like he was embarrassed, and his wife launched into a long explanation. And slowly, as I listened, things started to make sense. On a very limited scale–but still, at least I understood what was happening.

See, apparently, this poor little old man had just had his study at home remodelled and repainted. And unfortunately, the new paint blended in perfectly with . . . him. Yes. I’m not making any of this up. The paint blended in so well with the little old man that his wife told me she could never tell if he was sitting at his desk or not. He simply blended away into the wall color.

Well, I listened to her and then looked at the little old man. I think he was doing his best to blend in with the color behind him right then.

But the woman wasn’t done yet. She carried on with her story and concluded by telling me that she needed to find a color that accented him–a color that complimented and coordinated with her husband without blending in with him. And then, she dropped the big pressure bomb on me. She said, “That’s why I came to RepcoLite. Because I want the right color.”

Well, suddenly at that point, I was thrust into a much more complicated scenario than I’d previously realized. I had to find a color that would look great with a little old man. I had to stand in the store and hold color chips up to his little, wrinkled, humiliated face. Do you know how embarrassing that is? How awkward? For both of us?

But regardless of all of that, I persevered. I asked questions I couldn’t believe I was asking. I asked him what color clothes he usually wears. I leaned in close and tried to determine his eye color. I wanted to ask if he was always this pale or if it was because he was just nervous. But before I could ask, his wife told me. “He’s not always this pale. He’s just nervous.” Then she hit his arm and told him to stop being nervous and start coloring up to his normal tone. “Or else,” she continued “we’re going to have the same problem as before–the color won’t be right.”

Well, we worked on it for a while and finally, I ended up just custom matching a color. We sent them on their way and I waited. I didn’t have long to wait. About a day or so later, I got a phone call from the woman. She was ecstatic. She told he that her husband was sitting at his desk right now–and that she could see him sitting there from the other room. All because the color of the wall behind him was perfect. It brought out the color of his eyes without blending too perfectly with his skin. She thanked me profusely and hung up happy.

And all that to answer some common questions folks have: namely, how do I get the right color? How do I know what is the right color? What can I bring in for a color match?

The answer to all of these questions is simple. You get the right color by coming to RepcoLite. You know what the right color is by talking with our color experts and letting them help you. And, in answer to “what can I bring in for a color match?” . . . well, I’d like to ask you to surprise us. We’ve matched cups of dirt, a handfull of leaves, flower petals, dining room chairs, magazine photos, sectionals from public restrooms, toilet seats and one embarassed little old man. See if you can come up with something crazier–we love the challenge and it always makes for a great story.

Recycled Paint, Here We Come!

Posted on July 7, 2010August 6, 2019

The US Environmental Protection Agency estimates that over 69 million gallons of paint are discarded every year.

Now, I know the temptation is to buzz right over that sentence and move onto the next, but hold on…. Stop for a second and think about that fact: 69 million gallons of paint are discarded every year. 69 MILLION gallons.

“OK,” you’re probably thinking, “that’s a big number. But still, that doesn’t seem totally unreasonable when you think of the size of the US.”

Well, let’s put it a different way. Let’s say that every gallon of paint will cover about 400 square feet, 1 coat–we’ll say that because it’s typically true. So, when we get 400 square feet for every gallon of paint . . . and when we’ve got 69 million gallons of paint to work with . . . well, that means we end up with enough paint to cover 27.6 BILLION square feet. That’s Billion with a “B”!

“OK,” you may say, “I agree that’s a big number–a crazy number–but really, in this day and age, we’re throwing numbers like that around all the time. Give me something concrete–something I can understand.”

Well, if you’re thinking something like that when you hear about those big numbers, you’re right. They’re so large, they really almost lose their value. So, let me put it in a way that’s practical–a way that’s easy to understand: 27.6 Billion square feet will cover over 990 Square Miles, 1 coat.

In America, we discard enough paint to paint every square inch of a 990 square mile section of our country. With that in mind, consider that according to the US Census Bureau, Ottawa County in Michigan contains 566 square miles of land. So basically, with 1 year’s worth of America’s discarded paint, we could paint the entire land area of Ottawa County, Michigan . . . nearly 2 times.

That’s a lot of paint.

And as far as we’re concerned, that’s just not acceptable. But what do you do about it? What can we do to make sure as much of the discarded paint can be used as possible?

Well, we’ve got an answer. And there’s a hint–a pretty obvious one–in the picture at the top of the page.

Tomorrow, we’ll dig into it a little further and let you know what we’ve got up our sleeve.

http://www.re-coat.com

Defy Extreme: The Proof It Works

Posted on July 6, 2010August 6, 2019

Last time I wrote about DEFY Extreme Deck Stain. It’s available in several colors, but the main thing I was writing about last time was the fact that it comes in a clear.

Now, for many folks who’ve never worked with a clear, that’s no big deal. But if you’ve ever put a clear wood protector down on your deck, you know what you usually get out of it: typically about 6 months before it starts to look terrible.

Well, DEFY’s Extreme Clear product makes use of Nano-Technology to put, in your hands, a clear wood protector that WILL resist the harmful UV rays from the sun. See, as we wrote last time, most of your typical deck protectors that color the wood contain UV inhibitors. They block the harmful rays and keep your deck looking better for longer. Clear protectors, however, don’t possess these blockers. The sun’s rays just beat right through the coating and damage the wood.

The above picture is a perfect example. The center squares on all of those sample boards were coated with a clear wood protector from a number of different companies. They were then left outside to weather for about six months. All of the boards except the DEFY board–no matter what the brand–show significant evidence of product failure and wood damage. Only the DEFY product looks virtually unchanged.

So think about it and be aware: if you’re interested in a clear deck coating, don’t get suckered by great advertising and slick commercials. The best solution for your deck–the one that will give you the longest amount of time between maintenance coats–is DEFY’s Extreme. Check it out!

Finally! A Clear Deck Stain That Does Something!

Posted on July 2, 2010August 6, 2019

Well, in an earlier post, I spilled the “dirty little industry secret” when it comes to Deck Stains and Wood Protectors. I let you know that the truth of the matter when it comes to deck coatings is that you can usually expect to get 1-2, maybe (at most) 3 years out of your finish. After that length of time, it will need to be recoated.

Sure, this probably isn’t groundbreaking news to many of you, but we still run into plenty of individuals stopping in at RepcoLite who are expressing surprise and disbelief and disappointment over their “national-brand, expensive, supposedly high-end” deck coatings that have only lasted a year or two.

And while I’d be the last person to try to give these national brands an easy out, I’d still, in the interest of honesty, like to point out that these national products aren’t failing quicker than other deck coatings. They’re just performing in the manner that all deck coatings usually perform.

So, I wrote all of that to let you know not to get too over-excited by fancy, slick advertising campaigns on TV. These products take a beating and no matter what the commercial leads you to believe, you’re usually going to get a couple years max out of the coating.

However, that’s not to say that some aren’t better than others. For example, there’s a well-known, national brand of wood sealer that absolutely works like a dream. For the first 6 months or so. After that, it’s all down hill. This is probably THE brand that everybody associates with deck cleaners–it’s the “Band-aid” of adhesive bandages–it’s the name everybody knows. And yet, it’s really, in all honesty, an inferior product. It’s all show and no “go.”

On the other hand, there’s a brand that may not be as well-known, but which is breaking all the rules when it comes to deck coatings. This brand is known as DEFY® and they make a full line of deck coatings and cleaners and strippers. And these products are absolutely at the top of the deck-coating heap when it comes to quality, durability and ease of use.

DEFY’S® Clear Extreme Wood Stain is the newest member of the DEFY® line of wood products and is easily their most innovative high performance product yet. See, when it comes to protecting their decks, many homeowners express a desire to “keep that natural look on the wood.”

After all the cleaning and surface prep, folks see the beauty of their natural wood and generally don’t want to put anything on it that’s going to change it. They don’t want to put a colored sealer on it because that will deepen the wood’s color too much. So many folks lean towards the application of a clear wood protector.

However, there’s a problem. The sun’s ultra-violet rays cause wood to turn gray and become susceptible to water penetration and decay. That’s the core problem that all untreated decks face. Unfortunately, almost all CLEAR wood protectors are simply water-repellants. They will cause rain to bead up, but they won’t do a thing about the sun’s damaging rays. As a result, it’s usually not long (quite often 6 months or less) before your once clean and beautiful deck starts to show signs of graying and weather damage.

But now, all that is changing because of DEFY’S® innovative new technology. DEFY® Extreme Wood Stain effectively protects the wood from the harmful effects of the sun and protects wood from graying using state of the art nano-technology.

DEFY® explains on their website: “Extreme Wood Stain contains zinc oxide particles that reflect the damaging Ultraviolet Rays from the sun. When you reduce the size of these zinc particles down to the nano level, they become invisible to the naked eye. These nano-particles are distributed at a rate of over 30 trillion per square inch of surface area to provide protection from the sun in much the same way as they do when used in sun blockers and sunscreen lotions. This results in a “Crystal Clear” finish that when dry, will give the longest lasting UV protection on the market for a clear deck finish!”

So basically, what we at RepcoLite are excited to offer for the first time ever is a truly clear–a crystal clear–wood sealer that will not only defend your wood against water and rain . . . but also the damaging effects of the sun.

That’s the teaser information. We’ll talk more about this great product and I’ll show you some stunning samples next time.

The Truth About Deck Coatings

Posted on June 30, 2010August 6, 2019

When it comes to protecting your deck, there are a lot of options out there as well as a lot of misconceptions. And really, much of this is brought on by slick marketing campaigns.

One commercial springs to mind. It shows a guy in house on a huge cliff overlooking the ocean. He wakes up in the morning, crams his iPod headphones into his ears and jogs down his immense wood stairway leading down from his immense deck. I think he’s going to get the paper or something. Anyway, the point is that he’s oblivious to everything going on around him and he doesn’t realize that an enormous wave of epic proportions is preparing to crash down on his house.

Well, he does his thing, gets the mail or the newspaper or whatever he was after, and while he’s gone for those few seconds, the wave hits. The deck is pounded with water, the stairs are buried beneath the tidal wave. But then, as quickly as it hit, it’s gone. And the guy returns with his paper, walking back up (or down–I can’t remember) the same pristine stairs and across the same flawless deck he had traveled earlier. He only stops and realizes something might be up when he sees that in the fishbowl . . . rather than his little gold fish that had been there earlier . . . is now a piranha.

The point of the commercial is to show you the durability and strength of a particular deck coating. And that sounds great. And it looks great. It’s a very effective ad–we see the water beading up on the deck and we’re convinced. If we just buy that coating, we’ll be fine . . . our deck will last forever, right?”

Unfortunately, wrong. That’s where the misconception comes in. Deck coatings, no matter what you use, are likely going to give you 1-2 years of protection on your deck. That’s the dirty little industry secret that nobody wants to share. You’ll hear how this product outperforms that one. You’ll hear that product X will give you 2 times the industry standard in protection and durability. You’ll see commercials about tidal waves burying small houses. But you’ll rarely hear someone say, “you’ll probably need to do this all again in a year or two.”

And yet that’s the truth of it. Deck coatings are subjected–especially here in Michigan–to some tremendous wear and tear. They have to hold up to hot Michigan summer sun, torrential Michigan Spring and Fall rains, as well as everybody’s favorite . . . Michigan winters. That kind of abuse will wear a coating down quickly. And as a result, you’re most likely going to need to re-apply your wood protector every other year or so.

OK . . . so why explain that? Why let the “dirty little industry secret” slip out? Do I have a product that I’m going to claim is going to last twice as long? Do I have one of those classic tag lines used by slick advertisers everywhere? Something along the lines of . . . “yes, that’s what USED to be the case, but now, with this new product from RepcoLite, you won’t EVER have to coat your deck again!” Do I have something like that to say?

Nope. RepcoLite’s Port City Deck and Dock Wood Protector is going to give you the same durability you’re going to get from any of the other national high quality deck products out there. (Though it truly is WAY better than another, well-known deck protector that I won’t name here [insert cough that sounds like “Thompson’s”]).

No, I don’t have a super-amazing product that will blow the doors off the competition . . . . That’s not my point for explaining the limitations of all deck coatings. My reason for doing so is in the nature of honesty. So many customers we help in the stores have misconceptions as to what to expect when they coat their decks. And, as I said earlier, these misconceptions are promulgated by companies who sell deck coatings. They’re afraid that if they tell you the truth, nobody will buy the products. They’re afraid that if they confess that the product will probably last a year or two before requiring some maintenance, you won’t bother coating your deck.

At RepcoLite, we look at it from another perspective. We feel it’s worse to lead you into a sale by not making you aware of the full story. We’re not afraid that you’ll skip cleaning and coating your deck when you hear the nature of deck coatings. We’re pretty confident you’ll still go ahead with the projects. But we want you to know the full scoop–we want you to know what to expect: from our coatings AND from our competitors.

The truth isn’t something to shrink away from. It’s not something to hide. Giving a customer the full story and all the information ahead of time–before their purchase–is a much better business model. At least in our minds.

So when you get ready to coat your deck, we’d love to help you and we’d love to sell you the very best coatings at the very best prices. But what we don’t want to do is mislead you. Remember: any deck coating you buy–anywhere, from anybody–is probably going to give you 1-2 (maximum of 3) years before it needs maintenance. Keep that in mind, plan for that . . . and you won’t be disappointed!