Here's why your roof faded fast

When Suleiman Mbatiah, a veteran photojournalist, bought his roofing sheets from one of the popular iron sheet factories, his heart could not stop beaming with happiness and joy. The stylish design captured his soul and gave him pride for his work.

But his joy did not last long. The roofing sheets were fast fading in colour, losing the shiny and glam look - turning into an eyesore.

He reached out to the supplier and lodged a complaint. He was looking to either replace the sheets or get compensation for the substandard iron sheets he was sold. To his dismay, he found out he lost his cash.

"Their claim forms were worded in a way to sound like they can't compensate for the faded sheets," he says.

Research on social media indicates a proliferation of roofing material companies, and their popularity has been growing due to their intensive marketing. While some have incorporated celebrities into their brand marketing, others have chosen to do their own marketing on socials where they control the feedback, especially when it's negative.

Many buyers feel the new manufacturers are trying to imitate the established brands, thus compromising on the quality, forcing their customers to pay an extra coin to either paint the existing sheets or replace the substandard mabatis with quality ones.

But this is a notion that Mwangi Wamburu, proprietor of Hybrid Mabati Mills, disagrees with.

He says several factors contribute to the fast fading of iron sheets, and the manufacturers should not be blamed entirely.

Wamburu mentions the location of the construction. He notes that, depending on the altitudes and temperatures of the area, iron sheets can either last long or fade away easily.

  "Under heat, metal expands and contracts. During this process, the chemical bonds in the paint will begin breaking down, and as cracks appear in the paint, it lets in sunlight and rain water, making the paint peel off. It's not the iron sheet that's substandard here but a chemical reaction to ultraviolet light."

 The proprietor notes that another factor to look into is if the building is close to a heavy agricultural area where farming activities such as flower farms or pollution from factories take place.

  "Suppose there's a flower farm or large-scale agricultural farm that uses lots of chemical fertiliser, the sheets are likely to be affected. Ammonia from fertiliser could be linked to fast corrosion of the roof. It falls as acid rain, same with pollution from factories or contaminated dust," he says.

He notes that negligence is another factor causing corrosion in cases where there was poor paint bonding or adhesion.

"To minimise such, mills need to ensure that before coating mabati with paint, their surfaces are free of dust or moisture. Painting on wet surfaces causes fading within days of roofing," he notes.

The same blame goes to the individuals who choose to paint the sheets by themselves instead of relying on a professional and ending up with a negative outcome.

 Most galvanized iron sheets are coated with zinc to prevent rust. Some manufactures can shortchange their customers by using thin paint layer or cheap acrylic paint.

"This is another area of concern. The manufacturer is doing cost cutting. Thin paint layer will fade and lose colours within weeks under rains and UV," he notes.

Wamburu says before blaming the supplier, the customer needs to check the health areas of their roof, especially ventilation. He says poor ventilation can make moisture condense beneath the roof.

"The moisture will seep through and the upper side of the roof will appear discoloured or rusty," he notes.

Wamburu says there is need for a customer to research and identify their supplier before buying the product. He says there is a possibility that a hardware around the corner is stocking an imitation of established brand's quality mabati and a customer may find themselves buying them.

"You're just buying mabati with no warranty or claim forms. Genuine brands will inform you of their roofing products which comes with how many years of warranty to save you the heartache that comes with setting aside additional funds to replace the sheets," he quips.