What matters for paint on a Mackay roof
Character areas and heritage houses
Council's heritage guide names three residential character precincts: Queen's Park, Railway Station and West Mackay, where development follows design guidelines. For heritage houses it prefers corrugated galvanised Custom Orb or Custom Blue Orb and says Colorbond colours are generally not appropriate. Places on the Queensland Heritage Register need approval for most changes.
Bungalow roofs in West Mackay
West Mackay's 1930s and 1940s houses are mostly Californian Bungalows, with low-pitched roofs, deep overhanging eaves and prominent gables. Water runs off a low pitch more slowly than off a steep hipped roof, so laps and fixings need checking before any paint goes on.
Sun most of the year
Mean maximums at Mackay Aero run from 30.5°C in January to 22.8°C in July, and the record is 39.7°C, set in November 2018. Dulux says roof coatings fade as UV breaks down the acrylic binder, so colour holds better on a well-prepared, properly coated roof.
Salt on the Northern Beaches
In Bucasia, Dolphin Heads, Blacks Beach, Shoal Point and Eimeo, salt air is part of life. BlueScope advises a paint system with better corrosion resistance, such as a zinc-rich primer, in salt marine locations.
Painting zincalume and old iron
Many Mackay roofs were re-sheeted in zincalume. BlueScope says overpainting zincalume voids its warranty. If you paint it anyway, water-based acrylic is generally best after a wash with household detergent, with a zinc-rich etch primer on any rusted areas. Unpainted zincalume counts as a mid-range roof for heat, with BlueScope giving a solar absorptance of 0.50 to 0.60.
On old galvanised iron, rust that has eaten through can't be painted back to sound. Paint protects good steel; it doesn't rebuild thin steel. If sheets are perforated, see roof repairs in Mackay for re-sheeting instead.
Dulux says its Acratex system works on Colorbond, zincalume and corrugated iron roofs in more than 500 colours. Our guide to painting metal roofs covers the steps.
Fibro and pressure cleaning
Before painting, roofs are usually cleaned. On asbestos cement, Queensland bans high pressure water blasting, with fines up to $10,000 for homeowners. If any part of the roof or walls might be fibro, as council's guide says some older Mackay homes are, test it first.
Questions to ask a roof painter in Mackay
- Is my house in a character area or heritage-listed, and does that limit colours?
- Will painting void the manufacturer's warranty on my roof?
- What primer will you use on rust, and on a roof near the beach?
- How will you clean the roof, and is it safe for my roof type?
- Will you replace loose or rusted fixings before you paint?
- What does the coating warranty need from me to stay valid?
What we'd do
We'd check with council before choosing a colour on any older house in Queen's Park, the Railway Station precinct or West Mackay. On a heritage home, re-sheeting in galvanised corrugated steel may be a better result than painting. On a modern roof that's sound, a light colour over the right primer is fair value.
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.
Send us your suburb and the roof type, and we'll look for one local roof painter to pass it to. More on our national roof painting page and the Mackay hub.