Well if you are searching this question, your roof might not look the best or be performing the best. So, can you paint your roof shingles? While the simple answer is yes, it is much more complicated than that.
Let’s look into how you could paint your roof shingles, the pros, cons, and ultimately if you should paint your shingles.
Pros of Painting Your Shingle Roof
Painting your asphalt shingle roof can provide many benefits such as:
- Increased Life Expectancy
- Cleaner Look
- Cost Effective
- More Environmentally Friendly Compared To Roof Replacement
Painting your shingled roof can increase the life expectancy of your current roof with the right maintenance. Moreover, it gives you a cleaner, cost-effective look that is more environmentally friendly than replacing the roof.
However, pros do come with cons.
Cons of Painting Your Shingle Roof
Here are the cons of painting asphalt shingled roof:
- Requires more maintenance
- You will have to replace your roof at somepoint
- It is tough to paint and requires professional application
- Issues with home insurance
While painting your roof may seem like a nice idea to save some money, it actually requires more maintenance than a regular roof. This is because you will have to make patches frequently. Moreover, you will need a professional to repair any active roof leaks or damaged shingles and apply the paint. Lastly, you could have an issue with your home insurer covering you in an event of a claim. Many insurance companies do not like it when you coat your roof with any kind of paint since their effectiveness is not widely known.
Painting A Shingled Roof
If you do decide to have your roof painted, there are some things you should know.
Cost
The cost to paint your roof can vary on home size, location, and roof repairs. However, you can estimate $3,000 on the average-sized home without any roof leaks that need repairs. In comparison, replacing a shingled roof can cost around $10,000.
If you are looking to do it yourself, which we do not recommend, you could spend more than $500 on materials.
Painting Process
You can expect the process to carry out in these steps:
- Inspection & Roof Repairs – Fixing leaks, replacement of decayed wood.
- Roof Cleaning, Prep, & Priming/Sealing – The roof must be clean, prepped, and primed before paint application.
- Painting The Roof – The roof may need more than 1 coat for good application.
We recommend hiring a professional to paint your roof if this is what you decide. Some professionals may have special paint options that seal better. However, be cautious of their warranties and guarantees as these products are not widely used/known about yet.
Final Thoughts
Homeowners can paint their shingle roofs. It is cost-effective, increases roof life expectancy, looks cleaner, and is more environmentally friendly. On the other hand, painting a roof requires professional application, requires more maintenance, and can lead to issues with home insurance. At the end of the day, you are going to have to replace your roof eventually.
If you have additional questions, comment below!