Ultimately, the degradation of appearance may reach a stage at which it is no longer acceptable. This is not the end of the functional life of the sheet.

Repaint solutions are available for pre-finished steel roof and wall cladding which can restore their appearance and significantly extend the building life.

When to repaint will depend on the location and circumstances of the building and its owners.

A number of maintenance, refurbishment and rectification methods are available within the construction market that can restore the appearance of a building and significantly extend the building’s life. Depending on the issue and the type of building, this may include the options of touch-up paints (for superficial reparation); over-cladding; a strip and repaint; or the replacement of the existing cladding.  Whilst overpainting is a widely used rectification method, Tata Steel’s independent tests have shown overpainting on walls can impact the European fire standards classification. For roofs, independent testing and certification has confirmed no deterioration in fire classification providing the correct overpaint system is used at the correct application rate, therefore overpainting on roofs can be considered as an appropriate method of reparation. The building owner should ensure that the overpaint system has been tested to confirm that the overpainted roof will still meet the regulatory requirements.

In a purely functional situation there is no requirement to repaint a Confidex® guaranteed Colorcoat HPS200 Ultra® or Colorcoat Prisma® building during the guarantee period.

Suitable repaint solutions at regular intervals thereafter can extend the life indefinitely. It is important to choose the timing of the repaint carefully to ensure the existing coating is still intact and does not require removal.

With suitable and timely maintenance, Colorcoat® pre-finished steel products can be expected to give a useful service life in excess of 60 years.

Related links:
Inspection and maintenance manual
Colorcoat® site guidance
Site practice
Site preparation
Site construction
Extending durability of pre-finished steel
Mechanical damage during construction