There are several different ways to revitalize your home and save money on your heating and cooling expenses. If you’re remodeling the exterior of your house, you might paint the walls and repair the roof. However, there has been a growing trend towards painting your roof. Opinions are very divided about whether or not you should paint your roof. Some say that painting your roof is a hassle that’s not worth it. Others say that painting your roof can improve the quality and durability of your roof. Here is what you should consider.
Roofing Material
The first thing to consider is your roofing material because that will determine what type of paint you need. Asphalt shingles are the most common roofing material in the United States. That makes it difficult to paint because the material does not readily accept paint. It also is designed to allow moisture to evaporate. If you paint it, you could seal the shingle and prevent it from breathing. That could cause moisture problems. That’s why it’s important to choose the right paint.
Choosing a Paint
There are several ways to choose the right paint. If you have a metal roof, you just need a paint that is rated for metal. If you can find a roof paint, that’s great. Typically, they’re thicker and more resilient because they face more stresses than a wall. The sunlight, debris, and precipitation that hits your roof hits it directly. That means it will face more stress than the paint on a wall.
If you have a shingle roof, you have more considerations to make. There are paints designed for roofs tha twill work well on a shingle roof. They’re typically designed to be breathable so that the painted shingles don’t trap moisture. You can also thin a house paint before you apply it. If you thin the paint, it will go on a little smoother and won’t clog up the breathability of the shingles.
The Benefits
So, why would you paint the roof? You might paint your roof for a few reasons. For one, you might just want it to look different; that’s perfectly normal. Also, painting it a certain color can actually reduce the temperature by several degrees. For example, a lightly colored roof will reflect sunlight and lower the temperature inside. A dark roof absorbs heat.
Furthermore, there are exterior paints that are designed to absorb or reflect heat. They’re even more effective than just choosing a certain paint color. You could save hundreds of dollars every year just by painting your roof.