steel siding - paint warranty

[fishman]

Does anybody have an opinion on the different types of paint used for steel siding/roofing? I see some with 5 year warranties, 10, 25, and yes, even 30. I don't mind paying a little extra if the product quality is actually better, but I don't want to pay just for the warranty.

So, what do you all recommend? This is for a small garage/barn near my home that I want to look nice.

 

[Gatorboy]

When reading about painting aluminum siding, most all articles mention cleaning it good first, and buying the best paint you can.

 

[fishman]

I guess I should be more specific. I'm going to buy some pre-painted steel siding to sheath my new garage/barn with. I'm wondering if the extra $ for the 25 to 30 year panels is worth it. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[Bird]

The way the paint was described to us when we were having a new fire station built, yes, it's worth it, but of course that description was provided by the guy selling it to us. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[Mark4510]

Interesting.....We just started looking for a steel utility building for Truck-Trailer/Tractor/Tools. Based on the people who already have buildings up it seems like most are going to the 20 year level.

I guess it depends on the local price but we started by looking at that level. I have seen a few small utility buildings where folks bought at the low end and there was noticable fading on the side that most of the weather.

Mark

 

[rdln]

If you can handle a white roof and/or walls do that for the best protection against seeing fading but if it rusts it would be first to show.

I went with the better/more$ paint on my roof partly because I coudn't handle white.

 

[fishman]

Just replying to myself here instead of everyone individually.

Went to the steel store over lunch, and I think I'm going to go with the 10 year siding. I wanted the lighter colors anyway and the salesman (who was otherwise very helpful) couldn't tell me any specific differences between the 10 and 30 year panels. You just can't get the darker panels in 10 year paint. Anyway, the kicker for me was that they carry the 10 year stuff in stock, whereas everything else is special order.

As a point of reference, they quoted me $1.89 per foot for 39" wide panels, 26 gauge, with a 10 year paint warranty.

 

[Bird]

John, that's probably not a bad way to go 'cause now you've reminded me of more that the salesman told us when we were building the new fire station. He said the cheaper ones fade more, especially in the dark colors, and we went with the mid-range ones for the main panels and the higher range for the corners and trim because they were a darker color.