Roof Coating Solutions
The best roof coating for your building will depend on location and structure. In addition, you must consider preferences, i.e., ease of maintenance, longevity, and energy savings.
Here is a breakdown of the situations you should consider when choosing a roof coating:
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Extreme Heat: South Florida is a region prone to excessive heat, you will want a highly reflective coating material. Usually, you will want a reflectivity rating of 85% and up. This usually includes acrylic and silicone roof coatings. However, extreme heat conditions may also call for suitable emissivity, which measures the material’s ability to release heat once it is absorbed.
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High Foot Traffic: If you have a lot of foot traffic on your roof, you will probably need a roof coating with high solids by volume content. The higher the solids by volume of a roof coating material, the former once the application dries.
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Excessive Rain: You will want a roof coating material with a meager permeability rating for extreme rain conditions. This will give you the best shot at avoiding leaks and water damage.
People often ask: what’s the best roof coating?
Choosing which roof coating would work best for your building and your needs takes research and understanding.
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There are a plethora of choices when it comes to commercial roof coatings. They all have their merits and downfalls. In addition, they all work better in some conditions than others.
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Then, of course, there is the price to consider. After all, it’s not like all roofing materials, and labor will cost the same.
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You also have to consider your budget. In general, a lot of careful planning and consideration needs to go into your roof coating selection.
Not everyone is an expert in roof coatings. Here is a brief analysis of each roof coating and insights into their cost and best uses.
Silicone Coatings
Silicone coating is a high-solid content roof coating. It is a substantial and helpful type of roof coating, particularly for properties in regions with regular sun and rain. Silicone roof coatings are highly reflective and very advantageous in the South Florida intense UV light. They will also hold up better than other roof coating types if your roof frequently fluctuates between hot and wet conditions.
Finally, it will help keep your roof and entire building cool in the hot summer months and prevent pooling water from accumulating during the wet rainy season.
The average lifespan (with proper maintenance) is about 15 years.
Elastomeric Acrylic Coatings
One of the most unique things about acrylic coatings is that they are made with biocides. This makes them another solid option if you live in a region like South Florida where there is a fair share of rain and sunlight. The biocides help negate the risk of mildew or mold growing on your roof and spreading to the rest of your property. Acrylic coatings have also come a long way in recent years. Today, you can apply an acrylic coating to many popular roofing types, including built-up roofs, single-ply roofs, and modified bitumen roofs. Like Silicone roof coatings, acrylic roof coatings are highly reflective, which will help keep your cooling costs down. The average lifespan of an acrylic roof coating is between 10 and 20 years. It can also be colored from its original white color.
MetaCrylics Tile and Walkways Coatings
Metacrylics Roof & Tile Sealer improves the look and performance of tile roofs by sealing, strengthening, and restoring the surface on which it is applied. Metacrylics can be used as a seal or topcoat for tile roofing, as well as indoor and outdoor tile surfaces, including natural stone, concrete, slate, clay, and tile. It provides superior weather resistance and stays resilient in the South Florida UV and rain.
Metacrylics is the perfect solution for both new and aged tile roofs. Metacrylics penetrates tile pores and strengthen the integrity of the surface. By filling tile pores and creating a seal on the surface, Metacrylics eliminates the large increases in live weight loads that occur when tiles absorb excess moisture.
Metacrylics is formulated with fungicides that resist mold and mildew build-up. It is available in clear or colors, including 36 custom options. Using Metacrylics to restore tile prolongs the life of the roof system, avoiding a costly tear-off and replacement.
