7 August 2010

Roof reconditioning that doesn't suck?

| Lazy I
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For about 12 months now I have been considering having the roof of my place ‘reconditioned’. It has previously had the ridge capping etc. redone and is functionally perfect.. but aesthetically it’s coloured concrete tiles are fading to white.

I am wondering if anyone has had their roof repainted / reconditioned by a local company that has actually done a quality job that lasts. In my suburb I can easily count 5-10 homes that have had their concrete tiles repainted in the last 5 years and they are all starting to fade (one is less than 12 months old). Is the whole idea of repainting roof tiles a fly by night scam?

I am looking for recommendations from people who have had their roof redone over 3-4 years ago that are still happy with the quality of the job (horror stories also please!). I would expect the job to last at least 10 years with the original tiles lasting 20+. Also looking for someone to do the guttering etc. at the same time but this isn’t critical if they provide a good quality painting service.

Alternatively, has anyone else decided to just re-tile with brand new, if so.. was the price comparative and who did the work?

Thanks in advance!

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We had our roof totally renovated 11 years ago and is still looking good (Canberra Roof Restoration). It is looking a little bit frayed in places with tiles moving about with storms, but the paint is still looking good. We have only just heard about the weep holes near the ridge-capping and we do have some blocked with paint. One company we have been in contact with regularly drill out the weep holes and seem to have had success with it, so we’ll give them a go (Durelec).

At the moment we have problems with our porch – National Capital gave approval for that to be extended (1982 – prior to our arrival) but the builder left the downpipe in place, so now we have a blocked downpipe concreted into a porch. Such is life!

messiah73 said :

I have personally seen roof restorations peel in less than 12 months, even as little as a week later. It is very rare that they will last more than 5 years.
I am a qualified 3rd generation roof tiler and I warn all Canberrans not to have your roof restored but instead have it rebed and pointed or retiled by a quality roofing company.

A friend had his roof painted last year. They were supposed to replace all cracked tiles prior to painting as part of the deal, but after the job was complete he went on the roof and discovered over 50 cracked tiles that they had simply painted over rather than replacing. Multiple phone calls to the companies office got him (and continue to get him) nowhere.

I’ve spoken to a number of homeowners and roof tilers about this because I’m also in the market for some roof work, and they all say the same thing as messiah73. ie Don’t do the roof painting thing. It’s bad juju.

It’s a scam if it claims to be anything other than painting. Like any other painting, it’s temporary and only as good as the painter and the materials. Those companies that claim it to be some kind of restoration are scammers.

Concrete tiles weren’t designed to be painted – with normal maintenance they’ll last longer than the house underneath them. If you don’t like the look of them painting’s ok providing you don’t have unrealistic expectations. Choice did a big expose on these businesses several years ago – the short answer was “avoid”.

React aren’t any better than Watch This Roof aka. Canberra Roof Restorations. Watch This Roof folded over warranty becoming too much for the company. Why haven’t people learnt that roof restoration companies are dodgy to say the least. Poor workmanship, unqualified tradesmen and the warranty isn’t worth the paper it’s written on. Yeah you might get your roof restoration fixed if the company doesn’t fold first!
If you’re considering having your roof restored first have a look at the history of roof restoration companies in the ACT. Drive around and have a look at all the ugly peeling roof restorations in your suburb.
I have personally seen roof restorations peel in less than 12 months, even as little as a week later. It is very rare that they will last more than 5 years.
I am a qualified 3rd generation roof tiler and I warn all Canberrans not to have your roof restored but instead have it rebed and pointed or retiled by a quality roofing company.

Thanks for the responses.. I had a suspicion that it was a waste of money but it’s good to get some confirmation.

As I will likely retile now, can anyone recommend someone to do the job? or even a good place to source the tiles?

From experience it’s only worth doing roof painting if it looks really bad (eg cement tiles are turning to sand) and you need to sell your house. Otherwise retile or colorbond it.

Generally the room painters will do an extremely rough and ready job (single coat only) – they won’t pre-clean the room (to get the lose grit/tile off it) which means that the paint usually fades rapidly.

We had act react roofing company do ours only to be very disappointed. They did not match the colour of the new ridge capping with the existing tiles, they used an awful brown that stood out on the light coloured beige tiles. Then when we had a massive storm and lots of rain, we had two of our down pipes over flow which we had to cut the pipes to release the blockage only to find the old ridge capping had been washed down them. They couldn’t even be bothered to put the old stuff into a bucket to get rid of it.

We found gaps in the ridge capping and our gutter guard on one side of the house had been cemented it. So we had to call them to get them back out to fix. If you ask me, they are a rip off and I wouldn’t recommend them.

We had our roof repainted by a prominent local company just over seven years ago. At the time our roof needed over 60 tiles replaced, and the pointing and capping redone. We got quotes for both painting and re-tiling – new tiles were guaranteed for 20 years (about the age of the existing roof) as opposed to 7 years for painting. Cost wise re-tiling was more than double the cost of painting.

Seven years later we are still happy with the job. Our house runs N-S and on close inspection the northern side of the ridges on each tile have faded but not excessively. The coating is still intact with no lifting or peeling. It still looks much better than our neighbours roof which has pretty much weathered back to bare concrete. I would expect to get at least another five years out of it before it needs redoing.

A few tips if you go with painting:

* Like all painting, it is preparation that makes the difference. Ensure that the quote includes a power wash down and an proper undercoating to ensure the top coat sticks.

* Painting is effectively coating your tiles with a layer of plastic. This tends to glue the tiles together which makes them hard to lift if you need access to you roof space. Lifting tiles can damage the coating.

* Make sure your gutters are clean before they start spraying. Excess coating can run into the gutters and glues any debris onto the bottom of your gutters.

* The coating is applied by spraying and over-spray does occur with even the best operator. This can be noticeable on windows. It is best to ensure that windows are covered, shade sails taken down and outdoor furniture moved under cover. Likewise, wait until after painting to replace your gutters.

One advantage of painting is that they can paint everything – vent pipes, flashing, air-conditioner units

+1 bd84

We did an extension that needed new tiles, and rather than trying to match colour we replaced the whole house. There was no way painting would cut it.

The brand we used are guaranteed for 50 years, though colour changes are excluded.

Painting your roof is an absolute waste of your money, you will just be reprinting it every few years when it fades which will soon add up to the cost of retiling it. If you were that worried about the colour of your roof, pay more and get it retiled.

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