Need to age a metal roof

[merci_me]

My husband finally finished assembling an 10x10 storage shed. It's stained a brownish redwood and blends well into the back corner of the yard. However the roof is a sage green metal. From the front, the metal gables look fine, but the sun shining on the roof, looks from the house/family room, like a very bright silver. The backyard is all brownish redwoods, brick patios, teak furniture and clay accents, so the shiny silver "look" is glaring. I know, eventually it will age, but I'm extraordinarily impatient.

Any ideas of something that could be sprayed or painted on the roof to age it? I'm thinking something that gives it a non-gloss patina, like the crafty antique paints. We live in Houston so it has to be able to take the hot sun, humidity and rain, without peeling off.

[NMDemDist2]

1. sounds like you need to grow some moss up there

not an instant fix, but it would be the prettiest in the long run?

don't know what it would do to the structural integrity of the roof though :shrug:

[merci_me]

2. Funny you should say that

I told my husband that it would be pretty if we could add moss, like the moss we have on the bricks. He said no, it's too slick and would wash away before we could even get it started, if we could. He also choked when I said "Can't we just rust it up?" Of course, that would work, if there's a "fake rust" paint.

Something splotchy would work, since the sage color blends into the various greens out there, so whatever we figure out, doesn't have to be a full covering, just something to dull it, would be ok.

We have a huge wall of glass in the family room and it's almost startling when you walk into the family room and see that roof shining. Actually, we only need to do that one side of the roof, since the other side only faces an 8ft high fence, with only a 3ft wide pathway for maintenance. I'm thinking that side of the roof is a good place to practice some sort of fix.

[NMDemDist2]

5. just toss a bunch of dirt up there with a shovel?

maybe enough would stick to tone it down, cheap (free actually) and not *too* hard eh? dirt might stick better if the roof was a tad wet first too ??

[Stinky The Clown]

3. Here's an idea ...... I have no idea if it would work, but I'd guess it would.

Get some paint that will stick to your roof material. Ideally, you want a dark color and you want it to be flat. You might even consider using a primer instead of paint.

Now, whatever you use, thin it out and use a coarse brush (like a wallpaper paste brush), and paint it on the shiny green roof. Some of the shine will remain and some will be flattened by the paint you out on. In effect, splotchy.

In the end, this should result in a green roof with flat dark areas that would appear to be aging.

[NMDemDist2]

4. could she get the same result with Rustolem spray can?

I'm thinking rustoleum will stick to the metal and a spray can won't give the even coverage a brush would :think:

[eleny]

6. What kind of metal is the roof?

[eleny]

7. Here's a darkening solution that can be used on tin

http://www.architecturals.net/restore/home.cfm?page=products&SubCategoryID=26&CategoryID=36

If you do a search for "antiquing metal" you'll find some ideas.

Here is an answer someone got when they asked about antiquing galvanized sheet metal.
http://www.finishing.com/317/66.shtml

[merci_me]

8. It's galvanized aluminum

I've tried searching but everything I've found for aging is for things like jewelry and other interior types of things. This is a huge piece that will be battered by sun, rain and humidity.

I'm thinking rustoleum is going to be our best bet. That or thatch, LOL.

I'll let you know what happens along the way.

[eleny]

9. Good luck with this, mm!

One funny thing - As I was googling out of interest in this your project I found so many sites that help people to keep the metal shiny.

We want pictures when you're done! :hi:

[Longhorn]

10. My husband wondered if you could use a de-glosser.

You could apply it directly on top of what you have. It is normally used to dull a shiny surface before you paint another coat on top of it. It might be worth asking about at the paint store. Good luck!

[nedbal]

11. the way to age clay pots is to brush yogurt on it , the enzymes will take over if kept damp

[eleny]

12. Does that give them the white chalky exterior areas?

[nedbal]

15. the enzymes will grow fungi / moss if dried out later it will look chalky

[Warpy]

13. You could always try matte varnish, I guess

Personally, I find the natural metal to be just as natural an item as the aforementioned wood and pottery. I'd be inclined to let it age naturally, as the varnish would only delay the process.

[merci_me]

14. OK, here's what we are going to try first

on the side that faces the fence, in case we don't like it. We bought a can of Rustoleum forrest green textured finished paint. It's in a spray can, so we plan to "try" it just sort of scattered on. Hopefully, with all the varied trees and a sage undercoat, it will all blend ok. But as long as that damn silvery GLARE is gone, it has to be an improvement.

When I was a kid, my aunt and uncle had an old shed at the back of their lot. It was a rusty corrigated metal and full of holes, with a dirt floor. We kids spent hours hiding and playing in there. If I could have my druthers, I'd have that old shanty and lemonade in glasses covered with muddy fingerprints. OK, enough drifting, lol.

It may be awhile before we can test the paint, since it has to be between 50 and 90 degrees and humidity less than 85%. We're in the high 90s everyday and less than 85% humidity, hahaha, lots of luck on that!