Metal finishing Q&As since 1989

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11-year old metal roof has faded; company offers to paint, should we accept?

I have a metal roof on my custom built log house that used to be cobalt blue in November 1998 when it was installed. For the last 5 years it has been fading at an alarming rate. Now it is probably 75% faded. Looks like a pair of old worn out jeans that have had bleach poured on them. We have been fighting with the company where it was purchased for the last 18 months. They have finally made an offer to (1) paint the roof or (2) pay us off at the same amount we paid for the roof 11 years ago. They state the company that made the product we bought is no longer in business. My question is should we accept their offer to paint or should we turn everything over to our attorney? How long will the paint last before we have to paint again?

Deborah Stone
- Gray, Georgia, USA
July 22, 2009

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Hi, Deborah. Hire an attorney? You should be mine! I've never heard such a generous settlement offer. Take the money and get a new roof. Most roofs don't last much longer than 11 years.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
July 23, 2009

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September 7, 2009

Also look into having a coating done that is more resistant to acid. Pine needles create a fairly harsh acid when they get wet, small amounts over 5 years have done that same wear to some cars I've known.
Acid resistant finish, or something more stable than the metal roof you have.

I do agree though, take the money. Painting a roof like that without the proper prep work will look worse than it does now.

Marc Banks
Blacksmith - Boone, North Carolina

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What's the word I'm looking for, oh yeah, "patina" :-)
What guarantee did the installers offer you? If it's lifetime I would ask for the install price plus inflation(what it will cost you to tear off this roof and have the exact same thing installed now)
I'm pretty sure that the next roof will only be guaranteed for a few years(as this one should have been)

Sheldon Taylor
supply chain electronics
Wake Forest, North Carolina
September 8, 2009