National Coatings Blog

The short answer is, yes! White roof coatings provide the greatest reflectivity values available; however, that is not to say that other colors are not able to provide you with ideal reflectivity.

Highly reflective roof coatings are full of UV blocking pigments that provide your roof with protection against premature degradation caused by the sun’s heat. The greater amount of reflectivity the coating can provide, the longer your rooftop will survive. The added protection against the sun’s harsh elements can lower roof maintenance costs, lower energy consumption, extend the life of roof top mounted equipment and easily extend the roof’s lifespan. While roof coatings come in a large range of colors, choosing the whitest and brightest coating will provide you with the greatest reflectivity and protection to your roof.

National Coatings has four standard roof coating colors – white, sand, light gray and dark gray (we can also custom color match most any color necessary to meet your needs); however, of these four standard colors, white is our most popular as it provides our customers with the greatest reflectivity benefits. If you take a look at our roof coatings that are tested and rated by the Cool Roof Rating Council (CRRC), you will see our AcryShield A510 has an initial solar reflectance of 0.84 in white and 0.72 in sand. This is true with any of the other coatings that come in multiple colors; the white roof coating is always the most reflective.

Another factor to consider aside from color is, dirt pick-up resistance. Dirt pickup resistance is defined as having the ability to maintain it’s white color and appearance even after the roof has come in contact with dirt, dust, and other outside environmental conditions that could darken the surface. Long-term success of the coating you ultimately choose for your roof will greatly influence the cost savings and benefits you will gain. The CRRC is a great resource, as it not only provides initial testing but also 3-year, aged testing to determine the long-term reflective capabilities of the coating.  

National Coatings’ products are engineered to achieve success in regards to high reflectivity capabilities. The AcryShield roof coating line is packed with more UV blocking pigments, is richer in performance ingredients, contains excellent dirt pickup resistance and provides some of the highest reflective roof coatings available to the roofing industry. The AcryShield Ultra High Reflectance A590 coating, for instance, has an initial solar reflectance of 0.92 and 3-year, aged solar reflectance of 0.87 - the aged, 3-year result is higher than most roof coatings can provide initially.

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When shopping around for a reflective roofing product such as a roof coating, it is necessary to research the reflective capabilities the coating is able to provide initially and at 3 years. The Cool Roof Rating Council (CRRC) tests and rates reflective roofing products to provide consultants and building owners with these initial and 3 year unbiased results.

While it is very important to select a roof coating that provides high reflectivity initially, it is more important to find a reflective coating that provides high reflectivity for the long run. The longer the coating remains reflective, the greater cost savings and benefits you will gain. This is where dirt pickup resistance becomes important. A white reflective roofing product with good dirt pickup resistance is defined as having the ability to maintain it’s white color and appearance even after the roof has come in contact with dirt, dust, and other outside environmental conditions that could darken the surface.

Roof coatings need to have excellent dirt pick-up resistance in order to reflect the sun’s heat away from the building. The coating must remain white in color, allowing the minimal amount of heat absorption as possible, if the coating is expected to preform at a high level years after installation. The darker in color the surface becomes as a result of dirt pickup, the more heat it absorbs. A similar analogy to this is when you wear a white shirt on a hot day; it keeps you cooler than if you wore a dark colored shirt that same day. The more heat the building absorbs, the more energy usage is necessary to cool the inside of the building, increasing energy costs. Depending on the roof coatings dirt pick-up ability, you eventually will lose your “cool roof” and the air conditioning energy savings you were obtaining initially, will be lessened or lost completely.

National Coatings reflective roof coatings have been tested and rated by the CRRC to provide our customers with initial and 3 year results to prove and guarantee that our top coats provide industry leading UV protection, longevity and brightness. They are formulated for superior dirt pick-up resistance and protection against biological attach, such as algae and mold. For a list of our CRRC rated products, click here.

For more information on our Cool Roof Coating Systems and Products, download our FREE Product and Application Brochure!

A reflective roof coating system is intended to reflect a majority of the sun’s heat away from the building, while only absorbing a very small percentage. In some cases, these coatings can reflect as much as 92% of the heat and absorb as little as 8% (both the AcryShield Ultra High Reflectance A590 and A179 can do just that!).  Reflecting the bulk of the sun’s heat allows the roof temperature and the inside of the building to remain much cooler throughout a hot sunny day.  When we installed our AcryPly Roof Restoration System on Harbor Freight’s 266,200 square foot building, Facilities Director, Jerry Moore noted, "After the National Coatings' Cool Roof was installed we definitely noticed a difference in building temperature. It's not a marginal difference, either. It is between 15-20 degrees cooler inside the warehouse and store." (To read more about this case study, click here.)

A reflective roof coating system or “cool roof system” is beneficial to building occupants because they reduce energy costs by decreasing air conditioning usage, these systems improve employee comfort, especially in warehousing and other area’s that are not usually air conditioned, and the reflective capabilities deliver additional protection to your roof top, extending the lifespan of your roof. Building owners and tenants know how expensive energy costs can be, with a roofing system that can lower your indoor ambient air temperature by 15-20 degrees, you can reduce your energy cooling cost by 20% or more. Another long-term cost savings benefit is the ability to protecting your roof from premature aging. These reflective coatings protect your roof from the leading cause of roof failures – the sun’s heat. The sun’s heat causes a rooftop to lose its ability to remain flexible during temperature fluctuations, this causes the surface to dry out, split, crack and eventually leak.

These cool roof systems do not cost more than other traditional roofing options, in fact, they are generally less expensive to install, maintain and renew. A reflective roof coating system can be installed directly over your existing roof, avoiding any costly roof tear-off or replacement. Tear-off projects can cost you up to 50-70% more money than a reflective roof coating system would cost. These roof coating systems are also renewable, allowing you to maintain and restore your roof every 10 or so years, avoiding a tear-off indefinitely. (Read: Life Cycle Cost Analysis for further information on life cycle cost savings)

Cool roofing systems may also provide saving through rebates and incentives. You can check out DSIREUSA.ORG, a comprehensive source of information on state, local, utility and federal incentives and policies that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency.

Lastly, National Coatings has a Roof Energy Savings Tool called R.E.S.T. which is an innovative modeling tool developed by us to help building owners and facility professionals evaluate various roofing systems in terms of their impact on building energy use. Energy use and cost results from R.E.S.T. can be coupled with other cost data in a comprehensive and financially rigorous Roof Life-Cycle Cost Model. This R.E.A.P. (Roof Energy & Asset Performance) Analysis provides building professionals with today's dollars cost comparisons between roof options being evaluated.

If you are interested in receiving a comprehensive R.E.S.T. analysis, contact us today! For more information on Cool Roofing, download our Cool Roof Buyer’s Guide!