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Painted v.s. Unpainted metal

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Guest User
3/18/2013
Hello, I have a contractor putting a new metal roof on my house, and he gave me a sheet showing the various colors that I could choose from. I noticed that ummm "shiny metal" was not among them, and when I asked him about it he just kind of grunted and dismissed the idea going shiny. It is an old farmhouse, among other old farmhouses, many of which have shiny or silver colored metal roofs. I keep saying shiny because I am a bit confused as to the differences between galvanized and galvalume. My questions are 1) Does the paint actually make the roof last longer? 2) Does a shiny roof reflect more light than painted roof 3) Should a shiny roof be less expensive than a painted roof?
David Stermer
3/18/2013
Barry, Thanks for the questions! 1) There may be some life span benefit from the paint, though corrosion resistance is primarily the job of the galvanized / galvalume coating. 2) A new, bare galvanized or galvalume roof will reflect more solar energy than most painted colors. However, over time, the reflectance of galvalume drops some, but the reflectance of galvanized drops significantly.Painted roofs have less change in relectance over time. 3) Bare galvalume and galvanized roofs do tend to have lower cost than painted roofs. Regards, David Stermer
Guest User
7/28/2014
I chuckled when you said he "grunted and dismissed" your mention of the shiny metal. I can't answer your question and I see it's already been answered anyway, but here's one observation I've made that may contribute to his dismissal. I've had several roofers give me quotes now, and every time we end up discussing the metal shingles, metal hidden-screw panels and then the original exposed screw type. Without fail they all try and push the first two options, but when I tell them I actually prefer the look of the screw-down styles they look at me like I'm nuts and try to explain how "modern" and "clean" the new styles look. They're convinced I just want the cheapest option but I genuinely prefer the older look. But I live in a cabin, deep in the woods surrounded by antiques and deliberately distressed furniture. "Modern" isn't my thing, I like rustic. I also asked about the silver color roofing and got the same disgusted reaction. I mention this since you live in an old farmhouse; it doesn't seem to occur to people that a more "old school" look might be better for some homes, appearance-wise at least.
Dick Bus
7/28/2014
Laura, continue to shop around. Exposed fastened unpainted metal panels are still available. The metal you are looking for is referred to Galvalume Plus. It can be formed into concealed fastened standing seam or an exposed fastened panel. A metal roof is a lot more than just the panel. The type of fastener, sealants used, underlayments, flashings are all important to a successful system. Using a panel from a manufacturing company that is a member of the Metal Roofing Alliance will give you some level of confidence as all of us have agreed to certain minimums. The most important thing is to hire a contractor that does quality installations. Make sure you check on his references, and has experience installing the type of panel and your roof geometry. thanks for looking into using a metal roof.
Cora Roybal
Corky69
3/17/2015
I am considering going with Galvalume and have narrowed my choice between Fabral and Metal Sales. Is one better than the other when it comes to a lasting quality of the product

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