How to paint your roof

When it comes to making sure your house has kerb appeal, painting your roof might not be the first thing you think of. But not only does a well-maintained roof look good and finish off the look of your house, it can also help prevent leaks or damage to your home.

So, how best to go about ensuring a perfect finish?

Preparing for the weather

You’ll want to do this when the weather is good (check the forecast here!) – you want your paintwork to be able to dry fully before it rains.

Cleaning and priming

Next step is to check your roof for any loose debris – clean it with a stiff brush or perhaps go over it with a high-pressure water blaster first to give yourself the best surface to paint on. Some roof surfaces (such as older galvanised roofing) might need priming before you start, so check the packaging on your paint to determine whether you need to do that first. If so, you’ll need to follow the steps below for your primer, then repeat them when it comes to applying your roof paint.

Right tools for the job

There are different ways to apply the paint to your roof, including brush, roller, and airless sprayer application. Brushes would take a long time (although could be useful for more intricate roofing!), so most people stick to rollers or spraying, which come with their own pros and cons. Rollers might be tricky to get into the curves of a corrugated iron roof, but if it’s particularly windy then controlling an airless spray gun could be difficult – each method has its own drawbacks and benefits.

Choose what’s right for your surface by checking the instructions for your paint, or check this page on the Star Paint website for handy tips on how to find the right tools.

You also need to choose your paint, of course – and there are plenty of choices. If you want an eco-friendly, reflective paint that’ll help reduce your energy consumption, you need Star Solar Shield. If you want something that’s suitable for asbestos, cement, or galvanised iron, you might want Acrylic Roof Paint – it’s up to you!

‘Box’ your paints

If you’re using a tinted paint, an important step here is to ‘box’ your paints. This means that you combine all the cans of paint you’re using into one larger container and give it a good stir with a paddle before you begin painting. This helps mix out any slight variations in colour that happen when paint colours are mixed, and means you’ll have a uniform, neat-looking roof.

Paint your roof!

Once you’ve cleaned, primed (if necessary), assembled your tools and chosen – and ‘boxed’ – your paint, you’re ready to go and you can finally paint your roof! Some paints will need longer to dry between coats, so plan accordingly, while some – like our Acrylic Roof Paint – are specially designed to dry quickly, so you can get two coats on in one day.

Follow these steps for a better-looking, longer-lasting paint job on your roof – and, of course, make sure you use the best quality paint for the job. Star Paint are a highly experienced and recommended provider of paint supplies and we have a range of roof paints to help you get exactly what you need.