Hot summer temperatures are the leading cause of roof degradation and premature failures. The sun’s heat is able to break down the roofs’ ability to function as designed; causing leaks, cracks, alligatoring (a pattern of cracks across the roof surface that mimics an alligator’s hide), brittleness and loss of thickness to the roof membrane.
A highly reflective roof coating system can prevent this damage from occurring and protect your roof for years to come. Roof coatings act basically like a sunblock to the surface of the roof. The coating protects your roof from IR and UV damage, performing very similar to a sunblock, if only a sunblock lasted 10 years before needing a new application.
Highly reflective roof coatings are generally referred to as a Cool Roof Coating or System. They are applied directly on top of an existing roof, creating a new, fully adhered, waterproof membrane, covering and protecting the existing roof. These systems can be re-coated every 10-15 years to maintain a watertight roof without ever having to worry about a costly tear-off.
High reflectivity and emissivity are important factors to consider when choosing a cool roof coating. These properties function to properly reflect the heat away from the building and radiate any heat that was absorbed back into the atmosphere. The solar reflectance index (SRI) takes both the solar reflectance values and thermal emittance values to measure a roof’s ability to reject solar heat, as shown by a small temperature rise. Coatings with the highest SRI values, provide the coolest choices for roofing. AcryShield roof coatings provide excellent SRI values. The three most popular coatings are the AcryShield A400 with an initial SRI of 104, the AcryShield A510 with an initial SRI of 106 and the AcryShield A500 with an initial SRI of 104. If you are looking for an even higher solar reflective coating, check out the AcryShield Ultra High Reflectance A590 with an initial SRI of 117. These roof coatings reduce roof temperatures and prevent extreme temperature fluctuations from occurring. They also prevent the break down of materials and the roof from drying out, as they reflect the majority of the UV light away from the roof before it can cause any damage.
For more information on Roof Coatings, download our Considering Coatings? A Free Guide to Roof Coating brochure.