Roof rust

[Pikkle]

Hi all,
I've got some rust on the roof of my 95 Tahoe and I was wondering how to fix it? It looks like surface rust but on the paint? It goes all the way across the roof in 2 stripes. What's the best way to fix the issue or prevent it from getting worse?

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[Caman96]

It looks like surface rust but on the paint?

The rust is never “on” the paint. There’ll be better replies, but it’s going to involve sanding, some sort of metal prep, primer, paint and sealer.

 

[bretcopsey]

I would bet there is more you can’t see that would be revealed if the paint were removed. I had a similar dilemma on my roof with 30+ individual spots that looked like rock chips where the paint was completely gone and the spot rusted. The rest of the paint was full of tiny cracks and I decided to strip the whole roof to see what I was dealing with-glad I did. Each of those dark spots is rust that I treated with phosphoric acid, then prime & paint.

Klean-Strip 1 Gal. Concrete Etch, Metal Prep and Rust Inhibitor Outdoor Cleaner GKPA30220 - The Home Depot

For Pro's and DIY'ers, Klean-Strip is the leading brand of solvents, thinners, removers, and cleaners that are dependable for reliable results. Klean-Strip Concrete and Metal Prep does the job of three

www.homedepot.com

 

[Caman96]

I would bet there is more you can’t see that would be revealed if the paint were removed. I had a similar dilemma on my roof with 30+ individual spots that looked like rock chips where the paint was completely gone and the spot rusted. The rest of the paint was full of tiny cracks and I decided to strip the whole roof to see what I was dealing with-glad I did. Each of those dark spots is rust that I treated with phosphoric acid, then prime & paint.

Klean-Strip 1 Gal. Concrete Etch, Metal Prep and Rust Inhibitor Outdoor Cleaner GKPA30220 - The Home Depot

For Pro's and DIY'ers, Klean-Strip is the leading brand of solvents, thinners, removers, and cleaners that are dependable for reliable results. Klean-Strip Concrete and Metal Prep does the job of three

www.homedepot.com

Got a gallon of that myself.

 

[Pikkle]

I would bet there is more you can’t see that would be revealed if the paint were removed. I had a similar dilemma on my roof with 30+ individual spots that looked like rock chips where the paint was completely gone and the spot rusted. The rest of the paint was full of tiny cracks and I decided to strip the whole roof to see what I was dealing with-glad I did. Each of those dark spots is rust that I treated with phosphoric acid, then prime & paint.

Klean-Strip 1 Gal. Concrete Etch, Metal Prep and Rust Inhibitor Outdoor Cleaner GKPA30220 - The Home Depot

For Pro's and DIY'ers, Klean-Strip is the leading brand of solvents, thinners, removers, and cleaners that are dependable for reliable results. Klean-Strip Concrete and Metal Prep does the job of three

www.homedepot.com

I'll look into this, I'm planning on getting the whole thing repainted this spring or summer. Is it ok to leave it until then or should I do the whole strip, treat, prime, and paint?

 

[bretcopsey]

I'll look into this, I'm planning on getting the whole thing repainted this spring or summer. Is it ok to leave it until then or should I do the whole strip, treat, prime, and paint?

Honestly if you’re paying someone to paint it in a few months I don’t see messing with it. Most painters won’t go over someone else’s prep work so they’d likely want to strip back off anything you did yourself. I don’t see the rust getting much worse by the summer-just my thoughts from what I can see in your picture.

 

[someotherguy]

Fun fact: GMT400's use galvanized body panels.. all except the roof. Keep up with that cleaning and waxing!

(and yeah OP's roof needs a professional refinishing)

Richard