A roof coating can be described as a monolithic, fully adhered, fluid applied roofing membrane applied over the roofing. It’s rolled on evenly over the roof making a waterproof, durable, and seamless layer. These coatings protect your structure from roof leaks, are energy efficient, reduce cooling costs, and extend the service life of your roof.
Typical roof coating dry film thickness varies from paint film thickness (plus or minus 0.075 mm (3 dry mils) to more than 1 mm (40 dry mils). This means a roof coating actually becomes the top layer of a composite roof membrane and underlying system. As such, the roof coating is the topmost layer of protection for the membrane, receiving the impact of sunlight (both infrared and ultraviolet (UV), rain, hail and physical damage. Roof coatings will only waterproof the substrates but will not withstand any kind of on-going use by people or vehicles (such as walkways, patios, sundecks, restaurants, etc.).
Benefits of roof coating
There are many advantages of roof coating that include aesthetics, structural properties and sustainability. Some of the important ones are discussed below.
It is a barrier between your flat roof and the elements. It protects your roofing system from UV rays and rain damage. It also prevents algae and mold growth as well as makes your roof more resistant to fire. These coatings have a thicker consistency than paint and are tremendously elastic because of the high-quality resin that they contain.
It can reduce heat energy costs and increase UV and waterproofing protection for the roof. As a roof is exposed to heat and ultraviolet rays over the years, materials break down. This chemical breakdown begins to ruin the roof’s appearance and function. Roof coatings lend strength and longevity to roofing materials while maintaining the aesthetic appearance of any structure.
Roof Coating Systems are monolithic membranes that are spray applied across your roof, around pipes, hatches, and other equipment found on the roof top to fully seal and waterproof your roof. When sprayed, the coating melts together if you will, so there are no seams, or patches around those hard to seal and reach areas.
Field-applied reflective roof coatings can extend the useful life of nearly every roof substrate keeping a roof surface cool and providing a level of protection from the sun and weather.
Roof coatings can add 25 years to the service life of a roof and reduce the amount of discarded roofing materials that end up in landfills. The infrared image on the right shows 79 °C (174 °F) on the uncoated (black) section of the modified bitumen roof. The coated (white) section is 26 °C (79 °F). Field studies have shown that cool roof coatings can lower rooftop temperatures and reduce air conditioning bills.
Roof coatings create a resilient barrier between the elements and the uppermost layers of your roofing material. The right roof coating increases your roof’s waterproof quality guarding your roof from harmful sun rays, prevents UV damage, and reflects heat away from the roof’s surface. This increased the longevity of your roofing while lowering maintenance expenses.
Roof coatings are formulated to adhere to a wide range of roofing surface types, including metal roofs, asphalt roofs, composite roofs, galvanized metal, wood, and others. However, before applying roof coatings to materials such as shingle, check your manufacturer’s warranty to see if these spray/brush-on products void your warranty.
Reflective roof coatings help your roof maintain its color over time improving the overall look of your home as it ages. Since the roof coatings are reflective, the color of the roof is maintained for a longer duration, which makes your house look more appealing.
Roof coatings are easy to install. Smaller roofs in good, serviceable condition can be a weekend do-it-yourself (DIY) project. Larger roofs with leaks and ponding water issues should be coated by a qualified professional. Additional roof coating products, such as foam or coatings designed for seams, may be required underneath the main coating layers. Supplement coating products are used to reinforce damaged or leak-prone problem areas.
Restoring your existing roof and reusing the current materials drastically reduces landfill waste and improves the environment. Many of our coating contain ultra low or zero VOC’s and can qualify for the US Green Building Council’s LEED program for Sustainable Sites, Energy and Atmosphere, and Materials and Resources.
Highly reflective top coats provide excellent UV protection to your rooftop. This additional protection adds years to your roof and reduces roof maintenance costs. Highly reflective roof coatings also deliver a cooler and more comfortable environment inside the building with less air conditioning usage, ultimately lowering your energy utility costs.
Since the roof coatings are reflective, the color of the roof is maintained for a longer duration, which makes your house look more appealing. Reflective roof coatings improve the overall look of your structure.
Different types of roof coatings
Acrylic coatings
Acrylic coatings are used in all three of the paint and coatings market categories—architectural coatings, product finishes for original equipment manufacturer (OEM), and special-purpose coatings. Acrylic coatings can be used in organic solventborne, waterborne, powder, or radiation-curable formulations. They are used mainly in architectural, or decorative, finishes, and to coat industrial goods. Acrylic surface coatings are the leading finishes used in the paint and coatings industry, having surpassed alkyd finishes over the past few years.
Asphalt coatings
Asphalt coatings can be black or aluminized. They can be used in cold and inclement weather. Aluminized coatings are used when a reflective and UV stable asphalt coating is needed.
Polyurethane coatings
Polyurethane coatings are considered polymers. They can be very hard and strong, providing exceptional wear resistance. They can also be more soft and ductile, so that the base material is allowed to stretch without destroying the coating.
Silicone Coatings
Silicone-based Coatings for industrial and consumer markets. In industrial processing, silicone-based coatings are used in many areas. For special paints and coatings, silicone resins increase resistance to high temperatures and protect against water penetration.
Bituminous coating
A bituminous coating is a type of coating used to build a vapor-proof and flexible protective coat following its formulation and polymerization grade. A bituminous coating’s flexibility and protection against vapor and water can be influenced by the polymer grade as well as reinforcement of fiber.
These are some of the popular types of roof coatings available, however, through more and more options are being tested to be made applicable for the market.
Closing Note
If cheap roof coatings with lower quality coatings are used, they often do not last the timespan specified, lasting at best about 5 years, by which time the company has gone bust, along with your warranty. The better quality roof coatings have on average a 10-year lifespan or more. Consider the coating with the best properties based on the main problem with your roof. Hire a professional roof coating contractor. If done well, you can forget about the repair of your roof for the number of years given on the guarantee. Just ensure that the service comes with a warranty. Substandard work may cost you much more in the future with regular repairs and coating.