How to protect your roof from sun damage?

Reflective coatings for roofs act as a “sunscreen” to your roof membrane. These coatings act as the barrier in between your roof and the sun that shields the sun’s harmful UV rays away from the roof membrane. The sun is the most harmful element to your roof because the UV rays constantly shine down on top of the roof surface and cause embrittlement, cracking, leaking and premature aging. Reflective roof coating systems are excellent because they preserve the roof and lengthen its life span. These systems can be applied on top of almost any roofing substrate - allowing you to convert your black coloured asphalt roof into a highly reflective white roof or your leaking and aging TPO/single-ply roof into a new, bright white roof membrane.

Elastomeric Coatings for Concrete

In terms of field applied,  they are now available in water-based, acrylics and thermoplastics with ultra-bonding, cross-linking chemistry and acrylic elastomerics  Bottom line is that the same solar reflective IR pigment technology is used and high levels of reflectivity are available, color-for-color as in the factory applied paints. These field-applied coatings clean up with water, are very low toxic and have a higher overall thickness once they are fully dried. However, in order to bond to failing, older Kynar coated metal roofs, some manufacturers are now making specialized “hot” primers,  that meet the VOC requirements and adhere very well to the older coated metal.  The acrylic colored IR coatings can be applied over this bonding primer and stick very well.  It is common with some manufacturers to also to have a clear sealer put on over the finished coloured reflective coating in order to protect the colour coat further, just like the similar purpose clear sealers commonly used on automotive finishes.  This clear coat or “glaze coat” further adds to the dirt shedding quality of the steep-slope, metal roofs.

When full water-proofing is also required for the metal roof, a class of flexible, waterproofing coatings called “elastomerics” is required to seal the metal roof as a whole system. 

Ceramic Paint Protects From Heat

Ceramic-filled or so-called ceramic insulating paint additive technologies promoted by several companies claim to be an”insulating” paint which are used to make exterior house walls cool have been a nonsensical concept from their outset based upon just one law of physics. Since insulation and it associated mandatory “R- value” measurement in the building industries have been long established as the measure of effectiveness for insulation. This is based on thermal mass (thickness & density) and in some varieties, effectiveness in trapping air inside the thick barrier or dense product.  Average paint thickness is a single sheet of paper. Now comes the two sheets of paper thick ceramic-filled paint (up to ten  pieces of paper for some manufacturers), and the claims of insulation value when used to paint any type of exterior wall.  Buildings coated in this way are claimed to be so cool so as to be compared to the space shuttle in how it is protected by ceramic tiles in re-entry to our atmosphere.  This is all smoke and mirrors since the very basis for the R-values claimed cannot possibly be achieved for any substantial length of time by thousandths of an inch of any paint film with insulation elements (ceramic or hollow glass) mixed inside of it.

What are Elastomeric Coatings?

Elastomeric coatings are very effective in resolving roof leakages and can be used to restore virtually all types of rooftops. It has elastic properties, and can stretch in the summertime heat and then return to their original shape without damage. Elastomeric coatings usually contain polymeric constituents, such as acrylic, and a white pigment, such as titanium dioxide, to make them dense and reflective. An elastomeric roof coating is applied thicker than paint.

Types of Elastomeric Roof Coatings

1) Acrylic Elastomeric Coatings

This is most commonly used roof coating. Acrylic elastomeric roof coatings may be used on sloped roof surfaces. The combination of durability, easy clean up and environmental friendliness makes this coating the no.1 choice.

2) Butyl Elastomeric Coatings

This roof coating is for flat roofs such as asphalt built up (BUR), modified bitumen (APP and SBS) and single ply roofing such as PVC and TPO. It has water resistance and is ideal for applications requiring a vapour barrier.

3) Polyurethane Elastomeric Coatings

These coatings are usually recommended for rubber roofs. It may also be used on modified bitumen and single ply roofing such as PVC and TPO.

4) Silicone Elastomeric Coatings

This coating is recommended for polyurethane foam because of its exceptional weathering characteristics. Commonly used over newly installed sprayed polyurethane foam and can also be used to recoat an existing silicone coated roof.