A faded, mossy roof drags down the whole look of a house, and Melbourne's weather is hard on roof surfaces. Roof painting is one of the highest-impact exterior jobs you can do, but it is also one of the most misunderstood. Here is what it costs, when it is worth it, and what a proper job includes.

What roof painting costs

Published Australian price guides put roof painting at roughly $20 to $40 per square metre for metal and Colorbond roofs, and $30 to $50 per square metre for concrete tiles, because tiles need more preparation and more coating. For a typical 3 bedroom home, that often lands between $3,500 and $7,000 depending on roof size, pitch and condition. Repairs, repointing and rust treatment are priced on top when needed.

Painting, restoration or replacement?

These three get confused constantly.

Roof painting is cleaning, priming and coating a roof that is structurally sound. It restores the protective surface and the street appeal for a fraction of replacement cost.

Roof restoration is painting plus repair work: replacing broken tiles, repointing ridge caps, treating rust, re-bedding where needed. A full tile roof restoration costs more than painting alone but far less than replacement.

Roof replacement is only justified when damage is widespread or structural, or the roof is near the end of its life. If a contractor quotes replacement on a roof that is simply faded, get a second opinion.

The rule of thumb: if the roof is sound but tired, paint or restore. When the structure is sound, a quality coating can add 10 to 15 years of life to the roof surface.

When roof painting is worth it

Roof painting is worth it when the roof is structurally fine but the coating has faded, chalked or grown moss and lichen. It protects the surface from further UV and water damage, lifts street appeal immediately, and costs a small fraction of replacement. It is not worth it when tiles are crumbling, the sarking is shot, or there is active structural damage. Paint is not a repair.

What a proper roof paint job includes

Inspection first. Broken tiles, rusted valleys, loose ridge caps and failed pointing are found and priced before any coating is discussed.

Pressure cleaning. The whole roof is pressure washed to strip dirt, moss, lichen and old loose coating. Coating over a dirty roof is how roof paint jobs peel inside a year.

Repairs. Broken tiles swapped, ridge caps repointed, rust treated and primed.

Primer. The right primer for the surface: tile primer for porous concrete tiles, metal primer for iron and Colorbond.

Two coats of roof membrane. Quality roof coating applied by spray, with edges, flashings and fixtures masked and protected. Gutters and solar panels are covered, not painted.

Melbourne-specific notes

Melbourne's moss and lichen grow fast on south-facing slopes, and the freeze-thaw and UV cycle breaks down older tile coatings quicker than in milder climates. Timing matters too: roof coatings need dry weather and reasonable temperatures to cure, so spring through autumn is the main season, with winter jobs scheduled around clear windows.

How long does roof paint last?

A properly prepared roof with a quality membrane coating typically holds up 10 to 15 years in Melbourne conditions. The failure mode is almost never the paint itself; it is skipped cleaning or a single thin coat. When you compare quotes, ask how the roof will be cleaned, what primer is specified and how many coats are included. Those three answers tell you most of what you need to know.

Can you repaint Colorbond?

Yes. Weathered Colorbond can be cleaned, primed with a metal-specific primer and recoated, and it comes up very well. It is a common job on 1990s and 2000s homes across the south-east where the original finish has chalked but the sheets are sound.

Does roof colour matter?

More than most people expect. Darker colours absorb more heat, lighter and heat-reflective coatings keep roof spaces cooler in summer. If your roof space runs hot, it is worth talking about heat-reflective options when you choose the colour. A roof repaint is also the cheapest time to change the whole look of the house, because the roof is up to a third of what you see from the street.

Getting it quoted properly

Roof work is also safety work: anyone coating your roof should be working with proper fall protection, and it is fair to ask how they manage it before they start. Every roof is different, so every real quote starts on the ladder, not over the phone. We inspect, photograph what we find, and price the cleaning, repairs and coating as one itemised job. If your roof is faded or growing things, call 0426 179 466 or send the quote form and we will take a look.