Paint composition roof? Brush it off as bad idea

Q: I had heard from someone that it might be possible to paint my composition roof if I am not happy with the color. Any truth to this?

A: After initial uproarious laughter, anyone and everyone in the construction, roofing, painting or maintenance fields would tell you no, absolutely never paint your composition roof. This would create a maintenance headache and eyesore as it mildewed and peeled. As the roof ages, it lifts and moves, cracking the paint and exposing unpainted areas beneath.

Ice, water, dirt, moss and sun would eat it up pronto, leaving you with a multicolored roof, not at all unlike a certain museum we are all familiar with. You would eliminate the warranty and make your roof slippery to walk on, too.

To get the best life out of non-granulized torchdown roofing systems, we are required by some manufacturers (by warranty) to paint on a protective coating. This material fades and peels before five years, but protects from UV rays in the meantime.

What if we were to paint roofing material that had granulations (the coarse texture allowing paint to stick better) and slope the roof to avoid the standing water? The paint would last longer and provide some protection in the interim. We routinely coat or do color touchup to mobile home, flat, metal, and tile roofs, so why not composition?

Believe or not, someone in our area actually tried it — more than once. I was yakking one day with a real-estate agent about wacky and unconventional homes, and this very subject came up. She sold about 10 homes in our fair city many years ago with painted composition roofs. This particular remodeler she represented got to thinking about how overspray and spilled paint on roofs seems to stay in relatively good condition for years, despite the elements.

On one specific house, the new siding and trim colors badly contrasted with the roof. He somehow got the courage to grab the latex can and paint the entire roof charcoal gray.

But would I do this to my house? Heck no.

Q: On our 1950s brick home, the chimney has a white substance coming out of the mortar in several spots, similar to what you would see from a new brick chimney. Any help?

A: That whitish material you see is called efflorescence. Masonry products that are saturated with water develop these deposits. As the water in the brick and mortar evaporates, the salts are left behind.

Poorly drained concrete and masonry foundations, and concrete slabs that lack vapor barriers beneath will see efflorescence routinely. Like the miner's canary, it gives a signal of leakage to come, unless something is altered.

You see this on your chimney only because the other sections of brick are under the roof and not exposed to rainfall. Check chimney flashing, the cement chimney cap for cracks, add a rain diverting flue cap, and consider sealing the brick and mortar with masonry sealer (after removing the efflorescence with a wire brush).

Q: Can the power train of today's garage doors be disengaged to allow the door to be opened when the electricity is off, a frequent condition in our tree-loving community.

A: Every garage-door opener can be disconnected from the drive mechanism and opened manually.

Typically the red rope and handle that hangs down near the top of the door has a spring-loaded mechanism that physically disconnects the drive from the door. You know this rope: the one that scratches the top of your SUV every time you put it in the garage. Yank on it firmly (when the door is closed!) and the door will be liberated.

The new Wayne Dalton opener of which I wrote recently has moved the disconnect point to the side of the door rail, as it lacks an overhead track.

Darrell Hay answers readers' questions. Call 206-464-8514 to record your question. Or e-mail dhay@seattletimes.com. Sorry, no personal replies. More columns at www.seattletimes.com/columnists.