# Forum Home Renovation Roofing  DIY roof restoration?

## alan_man

Hi fellas I'm just curious to know if anyone has done the task of roof restoration on thier own? I currently have a house with tiled roofing that is in good shape (house was built in 1989) which needs a clean up and reseal/repaint. Only one tile is broken (hope the count doesnt go up while i'm up there) and the ridge pointing is all fine so no major repairs are in order. I'm thinking to do the resto myself and from the current shape it's in it seems to only need a pressure wash and sealer/paint applied. Not too sure of the total area off the top of my head but it's nothing too big and it's on single story. Any help/ideas would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

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## pharmaboy2

be aware, that if you do this, it will need to be repainted every 6 or 7 years, as the paint going off looks worse than tiles going off, if you know what I mean.  you'll need an airless sprayer, and if I were doing it, I'd use the dulux roof system - available from dulux trade centres.   
The brands that supply the roof restorers arent mainstream paint manufacturers, and dont fill me with confidence.

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## Bloss

Yep - this is an aesthetic issue only and results vary widely. As always good prep is the core of a good result along with the best quality coating so pharmaboy's comment on brand names is on the money. As is his comment about longevity - though the re-roofers offer various warranties of 10 years and more (who will honour it and in any case most are pro rata?) - the fact is that good quality well prepared external painted surfaces, especially with direct exposure, can be expected to last 6-8 years. In extreme conditions or if there has been poor prep it can be much less - I have seen 'professional' re-roof finishes breakdown under two years. 
Given your description of a 1989 house with tiles with pointing all in good nick and I am not sure why you think it needs a 'reseal& repaint' - tile roofs just don't for utility reason - only if you don't like the faded colour. 
Cement tiles will last up to 60 years or more without leaking even if all the original paint has gone. The job is a dangerous one too as is the cleaning task. So unless you really hate the colour just leave it alone IMO.

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## alan_man

thanks for the replies guys, I am aware that like most things prep work is the key to a good quality and reliable finish so I will make sure prep is done to the best of my abilities. I have a pressure washer and am thinking of using bleach to clean up the tiles with, is there anything specific I should be using? I still have to search around to find the good roof paint products as I am not sure what's out there and which are the better/worse brands. Can someone explain what an airless sprayer is? How does it differ to using an aircompressor with the spray gun attatchment? As for the work I want to do, its more for the renovating side of things since the roof is a dark brown colour at present which is slightly faded yet I'm looking to do the roof in the dark grey colour as we will probably render the face of the house in the cream colour (We are keen on the cream/dark grey theme that many houses have). I'm also ok with the fact it will roughly need a repaint in 6-8 years since I prefer doing things myself while saving $$$ knowing what went into the work and what I done. Sometimes you pay lots of money for some people to do work that you could have done yourself and the job doesnt get done to a high standard, then you have to make calls then arrange times for them to inspect then you have to wait etc etc. I also like to gain knowledge with as many things as I can when it comes to house reno's/repairs etc thanks again for the help

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## China

If you use bleach make sure to wash it off completely or your paint will peel, and it will destroy your gutters, a airless spary unit works by pumping the paint out a apposed to blowing it out with a compressor, and as a result you have much less overspray and paint loss is at a minimum i.e. much more paint travels to the surface and is not blown away, plus you can draw the paint straight out of the can e.g 20lt drum

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## chipps

Hi Alan   

> am thinking of using bleach

  Please understand I'm not having a go at you, 
But are you sure it's wise to use bleach, or can you prevent it from entering the stormwater system & where that releases into? 
Cheers
Cam

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## alan_man

> If you use bleach make sure to wash it off completely or your paint will peel, and it will destroy your gutters, a airless spary unit works by pumping the paint out a apposed to blowing it out with a compressor, and as a result you have much less overspray and paint loss is at a minimum i.e. much more paint travels to the surface and is not blown away, plus you can draw the paint straight out of the can e.g 20lt drum

  I understand, I have a 2.5HP air compressor sitting in the shed which I was hoping to use but never mind. Might have to look into different cleaning products for the roof

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## alan_man

> Hi Alan   
> Please understand I'm not having a go at you, 
> But are you sure it's wise to use bleach, or can you prevent it from entering the stormwater system & where that releases into? 
> Cheers
> Cam

  Thats ok mate I've been told by a few people they have used bleach so I assumed that was the way to go but as I mentioned I might have to look into different cleaning products, if anyone has any other ideas please feel free to share

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## Bloss

> Thats ok mate I've been told by a few people they have used bleach so I assumed that was the way to go but as I mentioned I might have to look into different cleaning products, if anyone has any other ideas please feel free to share

  Not uncommon to use bleach at 1:4 in water and then washed down well - not a problem in gutters or stormwater, but can kill all the plant life around you house! Also common to use sodium perborate (active ingredient 'napisan' or the no name equivalents) - again is not great for plants and lawns though so all overspills etc need to be thoroughly washed down with plenty of water. Unless you have mold or heavy lichen then the simple pressure sprayer should be sufficient with regular dishwashing detergent.  :2thumbsup:

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