National Coatings Blog

We are rapidly approaching the beginning of the waterborne roof coating application season where climates and temperatures are typically still fluctuating depending on your geographical location. 

Contractors need to know the limits of a roof coating application in order to plan for a successful project and not have problems with coating wash-off or freezing.  Here are a few simple guidelines to follow to insure a successful project.

1. First, be certain the roof substrate is dry before applying new coating. This means all the dew has evaporated and insuring the base or intermediate coating are fully dried before applying a fresh coating. If the roof is dark in color where the substrate is dark, or the base coat is dark, the roof will dry more quickly than if the surface is light in color, such as a white single-ply. Using a National Coatings Quick-Set product is ideal for resisting early-wash off during light dew.

2. Be sure the air temperature is at least 50°F and rising during the coating application process. 

3. Check the short-range weather forecast for dew or frost warnings.  It is imperative that coating application be terminated 4 hours before sunset and

30-60 minutes before any possible light rain or mist. This should allow time for the coating to skin over and prevent wash off.  (Don’t let light rain or dew stop you! Download our Quick-Set Brochure for more information.) Never coat when there is a chance of frost before the coating has dried. 

4. If hard frost or extended cold weather is forecast, be sure to store unused roof coating in a warehouse or environment where the temperature is above freezing. Typically, if coating in a can or drum freezes, it is unusable.

5. Obviously, the same rules apply for waterborne coating application in the early spring. 

In summary:  The key to a successful roof coating application in the early spring is to pay careful attention to the short range weather forecast, and not "push the weather envelope". 

For any additional questions, please contact your National Coatings sales representative or go to our contact us page and send us an email!

With all the options on the market for flat roof materials, why should I choose a roof coating system for my building?

Excellent question! Roof coating systems have 4 primary benefits that other flat roof materials cannot offer:

1.    Spray Applied – Custom Tailored to YOUR Roof’s EXACT Needs
A roof coating system is applied by spraying the coating directly over the existing aged or failing membrane. This allows the coating to spread to those hard to reach areas, go around and under pipes, fully covering the surrounding surface areas of skylights, gutters, HVAC systems and other equipment placed on your roof. Other flat roof materials, such as single-plies, require you to cut around and patch these areas with a roof sealer. Not only does this add additional cost in labor, but these cut out and patched areas do not provide the same waterproofing protection as a single, fully adhered, monolithic membrane. A roof coating system covers the full surface of a roof field, leaving no unprotected areas to insure full waterproofing. Roof coatings provide excellent protection and coverage no matter what particular characteristics your roof possesses.

2.    Seamless
A seamless roof membrane is an ideal membrane because there are no holes, seams or patched areas that could create a possibility of leakage to occur. AcryShield roof coatings are packed full of ingredients that allow them to expand and contract with the changes in weather temperature. The seamless membrane moves together and pulls at an even rate across the roof field when temperatures rise and fall. Single-ply membranes such as TPO, EPDM and Hypalon have seams that are welded together and puncture holes where the single-ply is rolled out onto the roof and adhered to the existing membrane. These seams and holes carry the majority of the extra stress and pressure when the weather changes and are often the first areas to being tearing, causing leaks and premature roof failure.

3.    High Reflectivity – Added Protection to Prolong Roof Life
Roof coatings come in a range of colors but when looking for a highly reflective coating, you want to choose a bright white one that is full of UV blocking pigments. These pigments are necessary to provide protection for your roof from the leading cause of roof degradation – the sun. The sun’s UV rays break down the surface of a roof, resulting in a brittle roof membrane that easily cracks and tears, causing early roof failure and leaks. This is preventable with a highly reflective roof coating, such as the AcryShield A590. National Coatings has multiple coatings that are listed on the Cool Roof Rating Council for having high reflectivity and solar reflectance. While roof coatings provide excellent reflectivity, it is important to note, proper roof maintenance is key when wanting to extend your roof life indefinitely. The AcryShield Roof Maintenance (ARM) System, provides exceptional waterproofing protection and coverage to your roof. When applied every 10 years, the ARM System allows you to restore your roof to new, while never needing to do a costly tear-off.

4.    Non-Disruptive Application
Lastly, a roof coating system is an excellent choice for a company that cannot be disrupted from their normal, daily work environment. When a National Coatings roof coating system is applied to your roof, there are no noises from drilling, nailing or seam welding and due to the ultra low VOC content in the coatings; there are no harmful or strong odors. This is why hospitals, hotels, malls, and many other fortune 500 customers have chosen to use National Coatings products.

For additional information on roof coating systems, check out our full product brochure!

We Offer Dedicated Customer Service 

• Check out our recent blog "Protect Your Roof and Avoid an Untimely Roof Leak Repair Project" to hear what our customers think of our service!

Our Products are Rich in UV Blocking Pigments/High Reflectively 

• National Coatings has multiple coatings that are listed on the Cool Roof Rating Council’s website and have passed several independent tests, proving their effectiveness at reflecting the sun’s heat. Twice, National Coatings was selected from over 175 major roofing manufacturers as the EPA’s Energy Star® Partner of the Year award for promoting energy-efficient roof products – making them the only roofing products manufacturer to receive this award to date.

Quick Set Products

• AcryShield® Quick Set products are specifically formulated to resist early wash-off associated with light rain and heavy dew weather conditions. Download our FREE Quick Set Brochure.

Excellent Track Record for over 32 Years

• We have a library of case histories demonstrating our different roofing systems and how they have benefited our clients. Click here to view all our case histories or select from the following:
  

  • Apple - aging BUR restored with an ARM System

  • Google - failing Cap Sheet restored with an AcryPly Roof Restoration System

  • Kaiser - failing BUR roof for a facility open 24/7, restored with an AcryShield SPF Roofing System with the 20 year warranty package

  • Nestle - aging PVC roof restored with an ARM System

  • U.S. Coast Guard Hangar at LAX Airport - worn Metal roofing substrate restored with an ARM System

Full System Warranties

• National Coatings offers Full System Warranties – a Full-System warranty states that National Coatings will provide all labor and National Coatings materials necessary to repair a leak as a result of deterioration caused by normal weather conditions. The System used must include fabric over the entire field or be an SPF or Metal Roofing System. For more information, visit our warranty page on our website.

We Partner with Approved Applicators that are Trained and Specialized in our Products

• We have a team of nationwide applicators to serve you throughout the country.

National Coatings truly strives to be here for YOU!

• We want to help solve your roofing issues

• We work directly with you, assigning a rep specially to your job

• We can match colors to meet your specific needs

• Send technicians to your roof to resolve your unique situations.

• We can handle it all:

  • Cold Storage Facilities

  • Unique Clean Rooms

  • Hospitals

  • Companies that are Open 24/7 and Require Minimal Disruption
    

  • ETC....