When choosing a colour for your new commercial or residential roof, there are several important factors to consider – and it’s not all about aesthetics.

Customers get in touch with Roof Design and Management (RDM) for all sorts of reasons. Often, it’s because their roof is showing signs of age, either looking visibly “tired” or, worse, failing (i.e., leaking). Sometimes, however, they contact us because unexpected sounds are coming from the roof.

(We’re not talking about the patter of little feet or the flutter of little wings; rodents and birds gaining access to the roof space is a whole other problem.)

Rather, customers are concerned about loud “pinging” or “banging” at either end of the day. Is their roof faulty? Possibly. But more often than not, we discover a link with the roof sheets’ colour.

Industry stalwart Rod Newbold, product application specialist at NZ Steel, offered RDM his expert perspective about choosing roof colours.

He begins with a commonsense observation. “I actually spoke to a colour consultant who pointed out that the roof is your property’s biggest block of colour. So, it’s sensible to make the walls match your roof, not the other way around!”

The differences between light and dark roof colours

Aside from the different visuals, there are various pros and cons to weigh up.

“New Zealand-made steel roof sheets all have stable pigment,” Rod confirms. “Fading and chalking should be at a generally consistent rate whatever the colour, but they’re less obvious on a light roof.”

On the other hand, white shows up dirt more and is more likely to grow lichen due to not getting as hot as darker colours and staying wetter in early morning dew. “You’ll also get more light reflection, so you might like to consider your neighbours and lines of sight in this regard,” he adds.

Clusters of dark roofs have been proven to cause “heat islands” above urban areas. However, Rod advises that temperatures inside the property shouldn’t be affected too much, especially with the new insulation requirements.

“However, a dark roof will get hotter during the day, meaning it’ll expand and contract. This movement can cause noise. The longer the roof sheets, the greater the movement and the louder the noise.”

How to choose the most appropriate colour for your roof

For Rod, one thing is essential: “Get a colour sample. Looking at colours on a website or in a brochure is simply no substitute for having a real sample in your hands.”

Requesting a sample is easy, often just a couple of clicks. For example, here’s the relevant ColorSteel® webpage: colorsteel.co.nz/request-a-sample-or-brochure

And then, before you commit, ask questions of the manufacturer, anyone else you know with that colour on their roof, NZ Steel, or even RDM. Queries like:

  • “Are there any special installation requirements if I have a black roof?”
  • “If I have a black roof, will it make my roof space hotter?”
  • “What are the factors I should take into account? How’s the roof expected to behave?”

..

  • A roofer has told you that you need a new roof, but you’re not sure and would like to have a second opinion.
  • You’ve had a new roof installed and are not happy with it. The roofer says it’s perfect, but you’re not sure.
  • Your old roof is looking tired, but you want to try and make it last another five years. You wonder if that is possible.

If any of these sound familiar, Roof Design and Management can help.

We’ll give you an honest, impartial opinion about the condition of an existing roof or the quality and compliance of a new roof. We can offer recommendations and point you in the right direction if you do need a roofer.

Roof Design and Management can also provide a maintenance plan, based on your budget and requirements.

Contact us today for a chat.