Colorbond or Zincalume?
Choose on looks first. BlueScope says Colorbond gutters, fascia and downpipes can be mixed and matched with the roof across its 22 core colours. Zincalume starts out bright silver and dulls as it weathers, which suits a Zincalume roof but rarely a brick or rendered house.
Either beats galvanised (plain zinc-coated) gutters under a Colorbond, Zincalume or glazed terracotta roof. BlueScope says galvanised gutters can corrode early under those roofs and recommends Colorbond or Zincalume instead.
Matching the colour
Most people match gutters to the roof, so the gutter disappears into the roofline, or to the fascia and trim, so it frames the house. If your roof is a Matt finish, check early, because BlueScope says matching Matt gutters and fascia come in a selected range only.
Colours look different on a curved gutter than on a flat swatch. Ask to see a real offcut against your roof in daylight, and use our Colorbond colours pages and colour visualiser to narrow it down first.
Living near the coast
Salt is hard on steel, and BlueScope sets distances for gutters, downpipes and fascia specifically. It recommends Zincalume and standard Colorbond more than 200 metres from salt marine influence, and Colorbond Ultra more than 100 metres, measured from the high water mark. Any closer, ask your roofer what BlueScope recommends for your site.
Colorbond Ultra comes in a shorter list of seven core colours, so a coastal home may be choosing from fewer options. BlueScope also says the underside of an eave gutter isn't washed by rain and should be hosed down at least every six months, or every three months near the sea.
What shortens a steel gutter's life
BlueScope says lead, copper, copper alloys and stainless steel must not be used with Colorbond or Zincalume gutters. That includes run-off from old lead flashings, and from copper hot water overflow pipes, which it suggests running down to the ground instead.
Long contact with treated or green timber corrodes the steel too, and so do metal filings (swarf) left in the gutter after cutting. Ask the installer to clean out swarf before they leave, and to pipe any air conditioner drain to the ground rather than into the gutter.
And don't plan on painting them later. BlueScope says overpainting voids its warranty, and it doesn't recommend touch-up paint.
Your part in getting it right
You can
- Hold a colour sample against the roof and trim in daylight before you decide
- Hose the undersides of the gutters, which rain doesn't reach
- Keep leaves out so they don't sit wet against the steel
Leave to a roofer
- Supplying and fitting the gutters and downpipes
- Choosing the right steel for a coastal site
- Dealing with old lead flashings or copper pipes that drain onto the roof
What we'd choose
On most homes we'd go Colorbond, matched to the roof or the trim. Within a few hundred metres of the sea, we'd settle the steel before the colour, starting from BlueScope's distances. And we'd have the roofer sort out any lead or copper draining onto the roof before the new gutters go up, or they'll be the next thing to rust.
Want a roofer to take a look?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match it with a Find My Roofer certified roofer who specialises in that kind of work, and they call you to quote. Your number goes to them alone.