Last week we learned that corrugated metal roofing has been around for hundreds of years and has been the number one pick in the local area.

Also, to choose a heavier gauge, closer to the thickness of 16 — just recall that the smaller the gauge numbers, the better. Stay away from the 29-gauge galvanized steel with no coatings.

Don’t replace your metal roof, restore it for a fraction of the cost of a new metal roof! Calbar metal paints company says, “If you can walk on it, you can restore it.”

Repairing Metal Roofs

Step one: Lightly scrape all of the loose paint, rust, and roof cement. Next, hose down the metal roofing and then replace all bad screws or lead head nails with a wider size. Be very careful not to pierce the metal.

Step two: Apply some Trisodium Phosphate Cleaner (TSP) on the metal roof. Savogran brand can be purchased from Ace Hardware here in Blanco or Johnson City. Remove this solution using a power washer on a low volume. A hose with a nozzle probably would have worked as well as the power washer since the scraping and TSP solution took off all of the loose material.

Spot repair is cost effective for small areas. Replacing damaged panels with the same material will require new screws and sealant, though replacement panels probably will not match the weathered panels on your old house. Blanco’s Historic Preservation Commission recommendations are for you to preserve and maintain the character of the historic buildings and homes in Blanco. If your damage is extensive, you had better undertake the major home renovation of re-roofing.

Painting

Step three: Apply a rust inhibitive primer coating on the cleaned roof using either a brush or roller.

Metal roofs should be painted with a specially roof-formulated acrylic latex, which bonds tightly to metal and becomes a flexible coating 15-20 mils thick. Two firms who recommend their products for older metal are Calbar and Acrymax from Preservation Products.

Apply roof sealant caulk to provide a waterproof seal against water, wind, dust and dirt. Next week we will cover on what to look for in a roofer.

In other Blanco’s Historic Preservation News

On December 27, the Old Blanco County Courthouse Preservation Society were approved for an ‘Certificate of Appropriateness’ (COA).

Four pole-mounted luminaries will be installed in late spring, one near each entry door of the courthouse. These LEDs do not cause any light pollution and can be seen in many old courthouses in the state of Texas. Some towns are New Braunfels, LaGrange, San Marcos, Boerne, Lampasas, Goliad, Granbury, and many more.

If you are in Blanco’s downtown historic district and have future plans for any exterior work, signage, and banners, it is required for HPC to review and approve it before work can proceed. You can pick up an application with the city during business hours.

HPC is working on the design guidelines, signage guidelines, and on the ordinance 4.4 in the UDC that includes things like requiring a COA approval within a reasonable time.

Products and brands mentioned are not endorsed by BHPC. Rudy Nino is a member of the Blanco’s Historic Preservation Commission and a historic restoration services contractor and an EPA Certified Lead-Safe Firm.