Which type of coating is best for your existing roof system?

Once you determine the function of a roof coating, you must also consider the type of roof system you have that is going to be coated. Roof coating suppliers and manufacturers (like Conklin) generally offer two types of coatings: all-purpose, which are suitable for a range of substrates, and application-specific which tailored to one type or a limited range of substrates.

It is important to know that different substrates require different roof coatings. For example, it is more difficult for coatings to adhere to hard, smooth, chemically-inert surfaces, and much easier on rough, irregular, chemically-active surfaces.

Roof coating adhesion to a particular substrate improves when the installer applies a primer or base coat. Manufacturers like Conklin recommend very specific base coats (or primers) to match a specific top coat with a specific substrate. The installing roofing contractor should use only the base coat or primer specified by the coating manufacturer.

Coating primers and base coats for built-up roofs offer some very good examples. Manufacturers have designed products specifically to work on these surfaces - they work well on these often-hot surfaces by bonding to the asphalt and preventing it from bleeding into the white topcoat.

Enhancing the sustainability of a coated roof requires re-coating periodically to extend its service life. Most roof coatings are field-applied, and success depends on real-world conditions as well as the skill of the installer. To ensure proper curing, an experienced roofing contractor should pay careful attention to consistent application and changing weather conditions.

If you are considering a roof coating for your home or commercial building, make sure to ask the contractor why they are specifying the coating(s) being quoted and if that particular material is best suited for your roof.

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ROOFING CONTRACTORS NEEDED IN MULTIPLE STATES!

Patton Services | (309) 303-3128 | rpatton55@comcast.net | http://www.whiteroofingsystems.com

How roofing manufacturers classify roof coatings

Roof coating systems are available for a variety of roofing systems. Manufacturers like Conklin are introducing new formulas to keep up with changing needs and roofing materials with water-based urethanes, bio-based materials, 100% solids silicones, and low volatile-organic-compound asphalt cutbacks currently in the pipeline. Also on the horizon are self-cross-linking water-based coatings, faster-setting water-based coatings, and a basecoat primers suitable for literally every roofing membrane on the market.

Manufacturers classify roof coatings according to the specific binder and carrier type, which also determine application methods and compatibility with existing roof surfaces.

A coating’s binder (or resin) is the basic matrix material - the part that actually adheres to an existing roof surface. Manufacturers use different binder chemistries to meet price and performance criteria, as well as to match specific roof substrates. The binder type dictates most of a coating’s primary physical properties including elongation, tensile strength, adhesion to a substrate material, permeance, water swelling, and low-temperature flexibility. They typically range from asphalts to a variety of elastomers (acrylics, urethanes, silicones, thermoset rubbers and various block polymers), as well as blends of these materials.

A coating’s carrier is the liquid that combines with the binder to reduce viscosity to a workable level. The carrier generally evaporates during curing. It also generally dictates a coating’s installation process and cure time. Manufacturers now more often use water as a carrier, in which case the binder is suspended in water as an emulsion though traditionally coating binders used a solvent as the carrier. Solvent-based coatings cure in a broader range of weather conditions and might be the best (or only) choice in freezing or wet conditions.

A coating’s cure rate varies greatly because it reacts to ambient humidity, temperature and sunlight. This reaction is especially true of water-based coatings. Coating installers must allow coatings to cure sufficiently to ensure they are waterproof.

Manufacturers can add pigments and fibers to binders to control physical properties and increase reflectivity. Because reflectivity and emittance are defining properties of cool roofs, organizations such as the Energy Star program and the Cool Roof Rating Council in California monitor and measure these coatings.

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ROOFING CONTRACTORS NEEDED IN MULTIPLE STATES!

Patton Services | (309) 303-3128 | rpatton55@comcast.net | http://www.whiteroofingsystems.com

Why white roof coatings for low-slope roofs?

Reflective roof coatings like the ones manufactured by Conklin Roofing Systems are the fastest-growing product segment in the fluid-applied roofing market. White roof coatings lower a building's energy use and meet the more stringentperformance requirements for cool roofing in the building codes of many states. As if that wasn't enought, they also restore, protect and beautify most existing waterproofing systems and prolong the life of almost any low-slope roof system (including metal, concrete, EPDM, built-up, and many more).

Architects, legislators and property owners & managers are embracing the idea that building design has a significant impact on energy consumption and sustainability. They are also recognizing that reflective coatings offer huge benefits with few (if any) draw-backs. Energy reduction initiatives promote the use of cool roof materials, and some building codes are now requiring the installation of reflective roof systems.

Lowering energy consumption isn't the sole benefit of white roof coatings. They extend the life expectancy of several commercial roof systems by eliminating extreme roof surface temperatures resulting in extended exposure to the sun. Heavily insulated roof systems (like many in northern states) block radiation from penetrating the building as heat, but in summer months convective heat transfer to the surrounding air and radiant heat transfer are inefficient. The heat has nowhere to go, and roof surface temperatures can soar. Coatings also prevent premature roof deterioration by providing a “sacrificial” layer to take the punishment of weather extremes and events.

Cold weather climates can benefit from roof coatings as well. The NYC Dept of Buildings launched the volunteer-based NYC Cool Roofs Program in the spring of 2010 to install white coatings on 1 million square feet of roofs in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the city by 30% by 2030. NYC.gov states: “a cool roof absorbs 80% less heat than traditional dark colored roofs and can lower roof temperatures by up to 60 degrees and indoor temperatures by 10-20 degrees on hot days.”

Coatings also waterproof and extend the lives of older roofs, protecting the integrity of a roof by reducing thermal-shock roof damage. A cool roof coating moderates the excessive thermal expansion and contraction that otherwise could lead to fastener and seal failures.


Find a Contractor here


ROOFING CONTRACTORS NEEDED IN MULTIPLE STATES!
Patton Services | (309) 303-3128 | rpatton55@comcast.net | http://www.whiteroofingsystems.com