I hear you on this. I’m in upstate NY, so pretty similar weather to Vermont—lots of freeze/thaw, snow, and sun all in one season. I’ve tried a couple different coatings on my old metal porch roof (Henry’s and Gaco, if anyone’s curious), and honestly, three years is about what I get too before it starts looking rough. Did all the prep—power washed, wire brushed, even used that special primer they recommend, but it still doesn’t hold up like the marketing says.
I did try one of those “cool roof” elastomeric coatings last time, the kind that’s supposed to reflect UV and keep things cooler. It went on nice and bright, but after two winters, I noticed the same fine cracks and then bigger flakes peeling off. Maybe it helps with heat, but durability-wise, I couldn’t tell any real difference.
Maybe it’s just our climate? My neighbor in North Carolina swears his coating looks new after five years, but he doesn’t get the same brutal winters. I’m starting to think nothing short of a full replacement is really worth it long-term up here.
I’m in the same boat here in western Mass. Tried Rust-Oleum’s roof coating on my old tin porch roof—followed every step, even waited for a dry spell. Looked great for two years, then the peeling started right where the snow piles up. I’m starting to think these coatings just can’t handle our freeze/thaw cycles. My cousin in Tennessee brags about his lasting forever, but he doesn’t get ice dams every March... Maybe it’s just the price of living up north.
Yeah, I hear you. I put a different brand on my shed roof—same deal, followed the instructions to a T, and it still started bubbling and flaking after a couple winters. I think these coatings just aren’t made for New England weather. My neighbor swears by just repainting every few years, but honestly, that gets old (and expensive) fast. Sometimes I wonder if it’s worth just biting the bullet and replacing the panels instead of chasing after these “miracle” coatings.
That’s been my experience too—no matter how carefully I prep, the stuff just doesn’t seem to last through the freeze-thaw cycles up here. I’ve even tried extra surface cleaning and different primers, but the coatings still start lifting after a couple of seasons. At a certain point, I wonder if the substrate itself is part of the issue. If the panels are old or have any rust, nothing seems to stick for long. Replacing panels is expensive, but if you’re redoing coatings every few years, it might actually save money (and headaches) in the long run.
That’s a good point about the substrate—sometimes I wonder if we’re just fighting a losing battle with older panels. I’ve heard some folks swear by switching to more eco-friendly coatings, but I honestly haven’t seen much difference in durability up north. Has anyone tried going the green roof route instead of recoating? I’m curious if the extra insulation from a living roof helps with those freeze-thaw cycles or if it’s just a whole different set of headaches.