Sealing the Copper Gutters—and Not a Second Too Quickly

Final yr, throughout our exterior makeover (new home windows! new trim paint!), we changed our gutters as nicely. I used to be so excited to see our new copper gutters go up—they’re the eyeliner on our moody, trendy, conventional dwelling!

There’s a lot I really like about actual copper gutters. They will last as long as 100 years. They’re immune to corrosion, rust, and decay. And so they tackle a pure patina that may add a lot old-world attraction and character to your own home. Solely…I did not need TOO a lot character.

This is the essential lifecycle of copper gutters, that’s should you do not intervene:

Preliminary Stage

Exterior Trim Shade | Boxwood Topiaries | Urn Planters | Doormat

Once we had the gutters put in, they have been a vivid, shiny, reddish-brown. That stunning new penny look. Some folks love this colour, however be warned it is arduous to take care of. Which is okay for me, as a result of I would like there to be some pure fluctuations within the colour.

Oxidation Course of

Then, the magic occurs. The air, the moisture—all of them work together with the copper steel to start out the oxidation section. The copper takes on a extra matte brownish or darker reddish-brown hue. This may occur inside months of set up, relying in your local weather and relative humidity.

Remaining Patina

Finally, the interplay with the weather causes the copper to develop a greenish-blue patina often known as verdigris. This weathering often takes years, however right here in North Carolina the place our common humidity is like 70%, it occurs quicker.

One factor to notice is that your gutters will not all put on the identical on the similar time. There might be pure fluctuations as a result of interactions with tree cowl and rain.

I actually needed our gutters to be someplace in the course of the oxidation course of with little touches of patina that give the gutters that aged look.

The way to Cease the Oxidation Course of on Copper Gutters

Our contractors are right here on the home engaged on some inside demolition, so I requested if they might add on sealing the copper gutters to protect the present look.

They utilized two clear coats of Everbrite that can preserve copper and brass frozen of their present state, stopping the tarnish. One 5-gallon bucket covers round 5,000 sq. ft, so we wanted slightly below two. (In the event you want smaller portions, it is right here on Amazon.)

Relying in your native setting, Everbrite needs to be reapplied to copper gutters each 3 to 7 years to make sure continued long-term safety. It has UV blockers and antioxidants (which makes a number of sense since they’re oxidizing) to assist defend your copper.

Yard Sources

I really like how our copper gutters look now! I used to be beginning to fear that we would allow them to go too lengthy with out sealing them. However taking a look at them within the mild, it is simply magic.