No matter how beautiful your home looks, it can look very unkempt when it is surrounded by rusted or pealing gutters. By keeping them well maintained you can keep your home looking smart and tidy.
Gutters are actually very easy to maintain. If you do the job properly to begin with, the paint will last a lot longer and the gutters will add to the overall beauty of your home. If galvanised metal is not prepared and painted properly it will rust and the paint will peel off within two years.
New gutters
If you have installed new galvanised gutters make sure that you prepare them correctly before painting. All new metal surfaces must be washed with a degreaser that you can get from any paint shop. This will remove all oil and any other contaminants that can cause problems for the paint. Once you have washed the gutters down, wait for them to dry properly. Another clever little trick that very few people know about, but that really helps the paint to adhere to the metal, is white spirit vinegar. Dampen a cloth with the vinegar and wipe down all the surfaces to be painted.
Once the gutters and down pipes are dry you are ready to paint. Get a primer from the paint shop and paint the gutters both inside and out. Many people forget to paint the inside of the gutters and this is where they need it most.
A very good paint to use on the inside of the gutters is the roof sealer one can buy from any paint shop that one usually uses with a membrane to seal the tops of roofs and parapet walls. Paint the inside of all the gutters with two coats of this sealer and the chance of rust will be greatly reduced.
Speak to your local paint shop manager and buy the best paint available for the job. Using the wrong paint will result in pealing. In most cases two coats will do, but using three coats is recommended. Make sure that you allow the paint to dry properly between coats - a two hour drying time between coats will usually do the trick.
Old gutters
If your gutters are pealing and getting rusted you need to get them sorted quickly before you end up having to replace them.
Scrape existing strips of failing paint from the gutters using a paint scraper or putty knife. Most awkward areas can be cleared by using a wire brush. Once you have removed all the loose paint get a degreaser and wash the gutters down. When they have dried completely use sand paper to smooth down any jagged edges around the remaining paint.
Check the insides of the gutters as well, because they usually get rusted. Clean out the insides and, using a wire, brush remove all the rust. You can then paint the inside with the primer and then give the insides two coats of roof sealer.
On the older galvanised metal surfaces, the zinc coating often starts to break down and this can be seen by a white chalk like film on the metal. This can be removed with a wire brush or sand paper. Once again wipe the exposed areas down with a cloth dampened in white spirit vinegar. Once the gutters are dry, paint all the exposed surfaces with a metal primer. Now you are ready to paint the top coats.
Use the correct paint on all the exposed areas first and allow them to dry. When dry, paint the complete gutter and allow to dry. If it has not covered the area properly, give it a second or third coat to get a beautiful finish.
By following these simple tips you will have beautiful gutters for many years.
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Use roof sealer as an under coat as suggested and then use normal roof paint for the top coats. Roof paint is used on zinc/tiles/ etc and you can now buy it in all the basic colours – even white – in 5 or 20 liters. - Johan
