Exterior wall painting may be straightforward, but the considering what type of paint to be used for your exterior roof and attic areas is not as simple as just using one type of paint. If your home or office has a roof attic, especially one that is of an open space exposed to sunlight and natural weather conditions, it is imperative to study the surfaces of the elements to be painted before deciding what paint type to be applied on them respectively.
What Type of Paint to use for Metal Surfaces at Roof Attics
The attic at the outdoor roof terrace is often a utility area where mechanical services such as water services and air-conditioning units are housed. As such, we need to keep in mind that there are metal elements (galvanized iron, stainless steel, copper, etc) such as water and ceiling pipes, air-con boxes and brackets to be painted with enamel paints (such as Nippon Bodelac).
Anti-Rust Paint for Steel, Iron and Other Metal Roof Fixtures
Other possible fixtures at roof terraces such as metal decorative trellis, roof access ladders, service staircase metal hand railings, etc, can also be present and need gloss enamel paint coating too. Enamel paints provide hard-wearing protective coats over surfaces that are constantly exposed to harsh climatic conditions, such as rain, shine and dirt that can cause the metal surfaces to corrode, peel or crack due to moisture and abrasion. So for high humidity places, it is advisable to also apply an anti-rust primer (usually spray painted) after your have scraped off and remove all the rust and other loose particles, as well as clean to remove dirt and grease from the surface.
Exterior Paint and Heat Reflective Roof Paint for Walls at Roof Terraces
The exterior walls of the roof attic and walls of stairwells leading to the roof can then be washed with high pressure water jet before applying primer sealer paint and exterior paint (Nippon Weatherbond, Dulux Weathershield) as finishing coats. If your roof terrace has an enclosed space, it is important to consider thermal insulation paint to reduce the heat of indoor areas by slowing down the temperature build up within the space.
Painting Outdoor Wooden Lattice Roofs, Trellises and Doors
For painting on wood surfaces like doors and door frames, and the wooden beams and members of roof trellis and lattices, enamel coating can also be applied for the same hard-wearing maintenance. To retain the original wood appearance of the timber surfaces, clear varnishes (Dulux Timbertone, Nippon Topcoat Varnish) can be applied to provide mould, fungal and moisture resistance, at the same time giving it a renewed glossy look.