The commercial roofing market has a number of roof coating types available. The material solutions, their uses, and application techniques are all different. Building managers must examine the the product information data of the manufacturers to be sure they are using the right product for their specific task. Not all coatings are acceptable or compatible on all types of roof surfaces. Also, all pre-application preparation should be finished in accordance with the product’s manufacture recommendations. As with all liquids and adhesives used in the commercial roofing, correct on-site material storage is necessary as these products have a shelf life.
1. Acrylic coatings: Acrylic roof coatings were originally developed to provide ultraviolet protection for sprayed urethane foam applications. These kinds of finishes are now used on a variety of roofing system membrane surface areas, to include single-ply membranes and metal systems. Acrylic-based materials provide exceptional resistance to radiation and hail damage and have the intrinsic flexibility required to withstand dimensional instability of most roof membrane surface areas. Some research studies have actually shown that correctly formulated acrylic coatings can minimize surface area temperature levels as much as 20 degrees F when exposed to direct light from the sun at 85 degrees F.
Acrylic coatings are made of 100 percent acrylic and can be used in one or more coats. Many manufacturers provide guarantees based upon the coverage rates; extended guarantees need additional coverage. Acrylic coatings must not be applied in freezing temperatures or when rainfall may happen within a given duration from the time of the application. Cure time of these products is highly weather-dependent and winter or high humidity will hinder curing. The best curing happens during warm weather and low humidity.
Acrylic coatings are economical, offer exceptional reflectivity, and are easy to deal with. These finishes also, nevertheless, lose mil-thickness from weathering, require application in ambient temperature of above 50 degrees F, and can not withstand ponding water.
Several acrylic coating makers now provide instant-set products. This lowers the cure time of the acrylic coating to a couple of minutes, therefore getting rid of the possibility of finish run-off if there is rainfall directly after application.
2. Silicone coatings: Silicone coatings have gained market share on the business roofing market in the last years. The rise in applications is primarily due to the product’s capability to endure long-term direct exposure to ponding water, as many of the other coatings can not withstand ponding water. Silicone coatings also offer outstanding ultraviolet protection in severe temperature levels and extreme environments and can resist oxidation.
A few of the downsides are expense, application requirements, and the reality that there are very few materials other than silicone that can be applied directly to the silicone surface area. Silicone also holds dirt on the surface and loses reflectivity in time.
3. Polyurethane coatings: At the start, Polyurethane coatings were created to be used on sprayed-in-place foam roofs. Now, they are used as coating applications over a variety of existing roof membranes. Of all the coatings, Polyurethane provide the best rates for foot traffic and impact resistance.
Polyurethane roof coatings consists of two types: aromatic and aliphatic. These two types of materials usually are used in combination of base coat and topcoat. The base coat material is tough and strong, but doesn’t provide high UV protection. The aliphatic coating is used as a top surface because it is UV stable, stays clean, and holds color longer than other coatings.
4. Fluid-applied asphaltic rubber membrane system Technological advances and labor scarcities have actually caused the development of fluid-applied products that can successfully extend the service life of the existing roofing system at cost-effective rate. An asphaltic rubber membrane system has been established that can be applied in cold-process fluid-applied applications in use for life extension repairs. The asphaltic rubber material integrates the elastic properties of rubber with the waterproof/weatherproof characteristics of a highly fine-tuned emulsified asphalt. The resulting solutions are proprietary products that form a totally adhered monolithic, smooth, rubber membrane. The resulting membrane can be applied to range from 20 mils to 200 mils dry.
Unlike coatings that just offer a film surface or adhesives that need reinforcements for waterproofing capability, the asphaltic rubber forms a monolithic, seamless membrane that offers instant waterproofing/weatherproofing abilities. Professional roofing contractors are aware that using these materials combined with coatings provides a long-term, economical repair system.
