Yeah, that “maintenance-free” marketing is a joke around here. I tried a so-called “hail-resistant” paint last year, and it still got dinged up after that spring storm. I hear you on stainless—looked at the price per foot and just laughed. Have you ever tried any of those rubberized coatings? I’ve seen them mentioned, but not sure if they’re worth the hassle or just another gimmick.
Have you ever tried any of those rubberized coatings? I’ve seen them mentioned, but not sure if they’re worth the hassle or just another gimmick.
- Gotta admit, I’m a bit skeptical about those coatings. Seen a couple jobs where they peeled after a year or two, especially with our freeze/thaw cycles.
- Prep is everything—if there’s even a little rust or dust left, it won’t stick right.
- They might help with minor leaks, but I wouldn’t trust them for hail protection. The stuff’s still pretty soft compared to metal.
- Honestly, for the price and effort, I’d rather just patch and repaint as needed. Maybe I’m old school, but the “miracle in a can” thing hasn’t worked out for me yet.
I’m right there with you on the skepticism. I actually tried one of those rubber coatings on a patch over my garage last fall—figured it’d be a quick fix. Prep took way longer than I expected, and even then, I’m not convinced I got every speck of dust. It looked great for a few months, but after our first big freeze, I noticed some edges starting to lift. Maybe it’s user error, but for the price, I’d rather just stick to the old patch-and-paint routine. At least with paint, I know what I’m getting into... and if it fails, I can blame myself instead of the “miracle” product.
That rubber coating stuff can be a mixed bag, honestly. I’ve seen it work wonders when the prep is spot-on, but like you said, getting every bit of dust and old paint off is a pain. If there’s even a little moisture trapped, it’ll start peeling once the temps drop. I usually tell folks to stick with what they know unless they’re ready to go all-in on surface prep. Sometimes the old patch-and-paint routine just makes more sense, especially for smaller spots.
I tried that rubber stuff last year on a section of my garage roof. I’ll admit, I was lured in by the idea of just rolling it on and being done, but the prep took way longer than I expected. Scraping off old paint, sanding, then wiping everything down—by the time I finished, I was questioning if it was worth the hassle. For a bigger area, maybe it makes sense, but for little patches? Honestly, a wire brush and some rust paint did the trick faster and held up just as well through winter. Maybe I’m just too impatient for all that prep...
