What to use for trellis over Colorbond roof?

[vicky3]

Hi. 

I wanted to grow a vine over our shed roof to block the neighbors view into the garden. We built a bit of a frame to sit on the roof the give the trellis a little bit of extra height. We used reinforced steel grids for this, but I have since realised that the rust from the reo will stain the white colourbond roof! Would it also actually cause the colourbond to rust too? 

We are not very handy, so the whole thing looks a bit of an eyesore! So I think I'll go back to the drawing board. What would be a better material to use over a white shed roof for a trellis? 

Thanks for your insights 😊

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @vicky3. It's sensational to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about building a trellis.

Regarding the rust, yes, if your reo bars are just plain steel, any rain or condensation will cause rust to run onto the Colourbond roof. The paint coating on Colourbond will generally resist corrosion, so it probably won’t rust the roof itself, but the staining can be permanent and unsightly. Continuous rust dripping isn’t ideal for maintaining a clean, tidy roof.

For a better material, a galvanised wire mesh is usually the easiest and safest option. It’s coated to prevent rust, much lighter than reo mesh, and if you like, you can even paint it white to blend with your shed. Because it’s a lighter grade, you may need to add extra support to your frame to hold it in position securely.

If you like, you can upload some images of your current setup, so we can give more specific suggestions on how to modify the frame and what mesh type would work best. Let me know if you need a hand uploading pictures.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell