Copper Gutters in a Can?

[SouthernLady]

If you haven't already seen it over at the Construction Zone section, I began the process of removing the aluminum siding on my house to restore the original 133-year-old siding yesterday. So far, it is going perfectly, including being able to find out the original color scheme goes along pretty much with what I had envisioned was on the house. The house will be restored back to butter yellow, with forest green accents. I am still searching for a third accent color I presume was also used. I have found a few shades of teal in the original layer of ceiling paint (will post a pic on the other thread later).

Now that I am getting back to the wood, my gutters look not so 1883-ish. I thought about painting them to match the house color, then I thought about painting them green to match the roof. This afternoon, while admiring yesterday's results, the thought came to me--what about spraying/painting them to look like copper?

Your thoughts and advice, please!

[Sow's Ear Mal]

Hello. I've used copper metallic spray paint before. (Home Hardware) It can look a little distressingly pinkish at first, but as with any bronze powder pigments, it will oxidize darker. The better question is whether it will take, and not flake off. And then there's the risk of over-spray. If I were to do the paint route, I'd buy One Shot Sign Lettering enamel in Metallic Copper. Very good adhesion, just make sure the gutters are clean and dry. It's not cheap, but it's very good paint. Here's a link to the Amazon page to buy it.---Mal
http://www.amazon.com/One-Shot-110L-QP- ... B001SHA19Y

[Casey]

No, it looks fake yet unnatural. Pick a non-metallic weathered copper/bronze color, bright copper does not exist in nature; even if the metallic copper paint fades slightly, it will never be natural.
Casey

[Mick_VT]

If it were me I'd likely just paint them black or dark brown

[DRJR]

I used Rust-Oleum Hammered copper in a spray bomb, on a couple of vents . It looks decent at 10+ feet.

[phil]

maybe you could paint them a flat green color to imitate what a piece of copper out in the weather looks like? I see some cheap repro stuff imitating that look quite often. look at repro hardware places for examples maybe? you might have to blend a few flat green colors and apply them in an artistic manor, maybe one to basecoat and another to wipe on to highlight certain areas where they'd be darker like underneath.

a color that I think goes well with butter yellow is cobalt blue. they must be kind of opposite colors but you could try them near each other to see if you like the look or not.

[1918ColonialRevival]

maybe you could paint them a flat green color to imitate what a piece of copper out in the weather looks like? I see some cheap repro stuff imitating that look quite often. look at repro hardware places for examples maybe? you might have to blend a few flat green colors and apply them in an artistic manor, maybe one to basecoat and another to wipe on to highlight certain areas where they'd be darker like underneath.

I agree with Phil. Bright copper is unnatural. If you put shiny copper gutters on your house, they'd only look that way for maybe a couple of years. Then they would turn a dull brown color (think of a well circulated 1982 or earlier penny), then they would get a greenish color from oxidizing. If you want them to look like they've been there a long time, go with the green.

Also, if you're going to spray them, it would be better to do it with them on the ground. When they're installed, it will be virtually impossible to not get overspray on the surrounding fascia and roof.

[phil]

hotel Vancouver has a copper roof
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotel_Vancouver

[SkipW]

I like the faux painting idea...lot of work though.

[phil]

wow that looks awesome. Stop it! Im starting to add faux copper gutters to my to do list