What Port Macquarie does to a roof's surface
Damp months and moss
Average afternoon humidity at the airport is 61% across the year, and March averages 15.2 rain days. Shaded faces stay damp long enough for moss and lichen to settle. Monier says the growth sits on the surface and doesn't hurt the tile itself, but it holds moisture and can choke valleys.
Hot winds off the range
Foehn winds sometimes blow hot and dry over the town in winter and spring, and the airport has reached 46.6 °C. Sun is what wears a coating out: Dulux says fading comes partly from chalking, where UV breaks down the acrylic binder.
Metal roofs near the beach
Overpainting COLORBOND or ZINCALUME steel voids BlueScope's warranty, so find out how old a metal roof is before anyone recoats it. On older steel, BlueScope suggests water-based acrylic, with a more corrosion-resistant system such as a zinc-rich primer in salt marine locations.
Asbestos on older homes
If the house was built before 1990, some of the roof could be asbestos cement. Water-blasting asbestos is illegal in every state, so a restoration that starts with a pressure clean can't go ahead until suspect sheeting is tested.
Newer estates
Sovereign Hills began in July 2010, so most of its roofs are still fairly young. A clean and a check is often enough at that age, not a full restoration.
What a Port Macquarie restoration involves
On concrete tiles: a careful clean, new tiles where any are cracked, the ridges rebedded and repointed, then a coating. Monier advises against pressure washers on tiles because of the risk of damage, so ask how the roof will be cleaned.
Terracotta is different. Monier says it doesn't need respraying because the colour is fired in, so a terracotta restoration is mostly ridge work and repairs.
On metal: wash, treat any rust, and recoat only if the warranty position allows it. Afterwards, BlueScope says areas the rain doesn't wash, like the underside of gutters, should be hosed every three months in coastal areas with salt spray.
On timing: afternoon humidity at the airport is lowest in August, at 52%. A drier stretch gives a new coating a better start than the sticky peak of summer.
NSW rules that apply to a restoration
- A written contract for any job over $5,000 including GST, and the Consumer Building Guide before you sign
- A deposit of no more than 10%
- A licence in the right category: tile bedding and pointing fall under roof tiling, while protective coatings on metal fall under roof plumbing
- Progress payments that match work actually done, not time on site
Questions to ask before a Port Macquarie restoration
- How will you clean the roof without a high-pressure washer damaging the tiles?
- Could any of my roof be asbestos, and will you test before you start?
- Will you rebed the whole ridge, or only the worst sections?
- Is my metal roof still under a BlueScope warranty, and would recoating void it?
- What coating system are you using this close to the coast, and what warranty comes with it?
Before you sign a restoration quote
If the tiles are sound and the trouble is moss, ridges and a tired surface, we'd restore. We'd skip the paint on terracotta, insist on a gentle clean, and get any pre-1990 sheeting tested first. If more than one roofer says the tiles are failing across the roof, we'd stop and price a replacement instead. Our restore or replace tool gives a quick lean, and roof restoration covers the job nationally.
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.