Copper’s gorgeous, but yeah, those price tags are wild. I’ve mostly worked with aluminum too—seems like everyone’s default now, especially near the coast. Zinc’s kind of the wildcard. One of the older guys I learned from swears by it, says it weathers into this cool patina and shrugs off salt better than aluminum. But then again, he’s also the type who still uses a flip phone, so… grain of salt?
I tried rinsing a roof once after a windy week thinking I was doing it right. Ended up with water down my back and in my boots. Didn’t even get all the grit off. Honestly, sometimes it feels like you just can’t win when you’re fighting salt air.
If your aluminum’s holding up okay so far, that’s a good sign. I’ve seen some folks get 15+ years out of it before any real trouble starts. Zinc seems promising but I’m not totally sold yet—price is still up there and not every supplier around here carries it anyway.
- Aluminum’s a solid choice, especially if you’re getting more than a decade out of it.
- Zinc’s cool, but yeah, price and availability are real hurdles.
- Salt air is brutal—sometimes it feels like no metal’s totally safe, but you’re doing what you can.
- Tried rinsing mine too... mostly just ended up soaked and annoyed.
- If your roof’s holding up, I’d call that a win near the coast.
Has anyone looked into coatings or sealants for metal roofs near the ocean? I keep hearing mixed things—some folks swear by them, others say it’s just an extra expense that doesn’t do much. I’m managing a few properties right on the water and honestly, even the so-called “marine grade” stuff seems to show corrosion eventually. Curious if anyone’s actually seen a coating make a difference over, say, five years or more. Or is it just inevitable with salt in the air?
I’ve seen a lot of roofs right on the coast, and honestly, I’m not totally convinced coatings are a magic fix. Some of the newer elastomeric coatings do seem to slow down rust—at least for a while—but I’ve also seen spots where they peel or crack after a few years, especially if the prep wasn’t perfect or there’s a lot of wind-driven sand.
One thing I keep noticing is that regular rinsing (like with a hose every month or two) seems to help just as much as any coating, but hardly anyone actually does it. The salt just sits up there otherwise. Have you tried that?
And about “marine grade”—I sometimes wonder if that’s more marketing than anything else. Even Galvalume or aluminum roofs eventually show pitting if they’re close enough to the water. Maybe it’s just about slowing it down rather than stopping it completely.
Curious if anyone’s had luck with those sacrificial anode systems they use on boats? Never seen one on a roof but maybe there’s something to it...
One thing I keep noticing is that regular rinsing (like with a hose every month or two) seems to help just as much as any coating, but hardly anyone actually does it.
I get what you mean about rinsing, but I’m not sure it’s a real substitute for a good coating. I tried hosing mine off last summer and honestly, it was a hassle—plus, I still got some rust spots where water pooled. Maybe it helps, but I feel like coatings (if applied right) buy you more time, especially if you’re not up for climbing around on the roof every month.
As for “marine grade,” I’ve wondered the same. My neighbor paid extra for it and his roof still looks about the same as mine after a few years. Maybe it’s just marketing hype...
