Roofing Materials - Color Selection

Some may argue that the cleanliness aspect has vague. That is up to the beholder.

Light colours will reflect the heat better as well as the light & so glare must be considered.

Many roof paints are bitumen based - some of these have a tendency to "crocodile" due to heat fluctuation. This automatically means that they are dark coloured. As with large storage tanks although a bitumen is used it can be overcoated with a good exterior quality emulsion/latex paint. Do a test section as some latex paints may contain a solvent which dissolves the bitumen and causes staining. If it does try another brand. The combination of the two systems gives you the best of both worlds in protection for protection and decoration.

Thus you can have a colour choice to suit.

Remember that the roof has the worst exposure conditions and that in the southern hemisphere ultraviolet rays are very strong.

In a warm climate, you definitely want a light color on the roof. I have successfully used a rubberized paint specifically designed for this purpose at 7 degrees north. Lasts for 4-5 years before needing repainting. Since the roofs are also used for water collection, they are frequently cleaned and inspected. The paint, when in good condition, provides a good seal. The system works on metal and concrete roofs...

The next time you are traveling in the USA, notice the difference in car colors. In the Southwest and West, most cars are white or light colored. You look in the Midwest or Northeast areas and they are dark colored. (Very few convertibles here also for the same reason.) In the cold climates, we want to absorb as much sunlight as possible and the other reason is the white car in a snowstorm is almost invisible. So on your roof, it typically is best to use a light color if it is metal in most regions because of the heating and cooling requirements. The negatives of a dark color bringing heat into a building in the summer is harder to deal with and more costly than a light color not bringing in the winter sun. Good luck!

Toomuchfun here,

With a little good advice. I am a retired Building Contractor. I have constructed most different kinds of buildings. I have owned several metal building distributorships. I live in Florida. Here we not only have to deal with heat, ultraviolet light rays, hurricanes, salt in the air and mold that grows when the roof is damp, but whenever an installer uses a metal saw to cut openings in the roof for plumbing vents, etc the hot little flakes of steel will burn the paint, stick to the paint and eventually cause rust stains. If you decide to have a light colored, painted metal sheeting installed remember the above information. I have an industrial grade metal roof on my home. It is Galvalume. That is a shinny, silvery colored roof. It reflects the heat well. It also dulls in color and reflectivity as it ages. The panel design is called R-panel. I also have what is known as a preformed ridge material that formed and installed to match the panel ridges in design. It will cost you a little more for this ridge material but it is much stronger and will not leak in a driving rain storm. I recommend the type of roof that I have installed on my home. The material is warranteed for 50 yrs.

My air conditioning bill was reduced by at least 15% after I had this material installed.

TMF

Hi, for more information on roofing and its repairs you can follow these links: http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Serving-Toledo-Roofing--Toledo-Windows----Toledo-Siding-Needs/1358678  http://www.kewego.com/video/iLyROoaf87h7.html or visit this website http://integrityroofingtoledo.com/, they do free consultation.. Thanks and hope you get some points on this matter. David Anderson

for more information on roofing and its repairs you can follow these links: http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Serving-Toledo-Roofing--Toledo-Windows----Toledo-Siding-Needs/1358678  http://www.kewego.com/video/iLyROoaf87h7.html Thanks and hope you get some points on this matter.

Yes, most of the color you have found for metal roofing was dark colors because usually they give a nice effect to the building and some how related to the metal safety purpose.