National Coatings Blog

An aged EPDM roof substrate can greatly benefit from installing a preventative roof maintenance system.  The AcryShield EPDM Roof Coating System can prolong the life-span of your existing EPDM roof, lower roof maintenance costs, decrease energy usage and costs and these EPDM roof coatings are renewable, indefinitely.

The ease of application and non-intrusive application process for installing one of these systems makes them attractive to both building owners and contractors. With minimal noise disruption – no drilling, nailing or seam-welding necessary, ZERO or ultra-low VOCs, no harmful or strong odors, your company can remain open and conduct business as usual with minor distractions.

Let’s dive into the installation process… 

Examination

Before application begins, all surfaces that will receive the AcryShield EPDM roof coating system need to be clean and smooth – free of moisture, dirt, debris and any other contaminations. All roof penetrations, mechanical equipment, cants, edge metal, and other on-roof items need to be established that they are in place and secure. Drains need to be cleaned and in working order. The surrounding areas, air conditioning systems, and air intake vents in the immediate vicinity of the coating system need to be protected and/or closed from over-spray.

Surface Preparation In order to prepare the surface of the roof and insure it is clean and smooth for proper adhesion of the coating, the following may be necessary - an industrial cleaner, scraping, power brooming, vacuuming or other means to remove the debris. Pressure washing the rooftop prior to application of the EPDM roof coatings significantly removes extra dirt and debris; however, it is important to note areas of defect or leaks should be manually cleaned to avoid causing a larger issue.

After the cleaning stage is completed you will need to seal and reinforce all loose seams and other failing areas specified by the coating manufacturer on the existing EPDM roof system. National Coatings recommends using either butyl seam tape or saturating 10” wide T272 polyester reinforcing fabric in AcryShield A502 base coat. HVAC duct work joints, mechanical equipment, coping seams and other critical junctures should be sealed with AcryFlex, an architectural sealant, and reinforced with polyester fabric or butyl seam tape. Skylights, equipment platforms and all other roof penetrations should be reinforced using 20” wide T272 fabric and AcryShield A502 base coat. The sealants and base coats will need 8 to 24 hours (depending on weather conditions) to dry thoroughly before application begins.

Application
After the entire roof field is cleaned, defects and seams are repaired, and custom reinforcement has been installed, the application process begins. A base coat is installed across the rooftop. The AcryShield A502 base coat is ideal for coating single-ply as it was specifically made to tenaciously adhere to hard to coat surfaces such as EPDM, while eliminating the need for additional primers or etching rinses. After the base coat dries, which takes 8 to 12 hours, a topcoat is applied. The AcryShield A500 topcoat is supreme as it provides longevity, brightness, superior dirt pick-up resistance and protection against biological attach, such as algae and mold. The A500 exceeds all ASTM D6083 requirements and also offers excellent tensile strength, elongation, and wet adhesion.  Once the topcoat dries, roughly another 8 to 12 hours, the EPDM roof coating system is complete and can be exposed to foot traffic.

Contact National Coatings for a detailed installation specification for EPDM Roof Coating Systems for further information on required gallons per square feet, dry mil thickness and other important application requirements.

Absolutely! A roof coating system not only provides excellent reinforcement and waterproofing to aged roofs, but they can also provide UV protection against premature aging and roof failure to new roofs.

High reflectivity is often promoted when speaking of a roof coating system because it provides two important functions, increased energy efficiency and conservation, and UV protection. Everyone is familiar with and wants to benefit from lower energy usage and costs but they often times do not realize that with those benefits comes an even better benefit – UV protection.

Roof coating systems that use highly reflective topcoats are packed with UV blocking pigments that protect your roof from the harmful and damaging UV rays the sun emits. The greater capability the roof coating has to reflect these rays away from the rooftop, the greater protection and increased longevity your roof has. White reflective roof coatings reflective a majority of the sun’s heat (aka UV rays) away from the building back into the atmosphere. This keeps your buildings’ ambient air temperature cooler, which is responsible for lowering your energy usage and costs and provides your roof with greater protection from essentially drying out – becoming brittle, cracking, splitting, separating, tearing and eventually leaking. A roof needs to expand and contract with changing air temperature fluctuations throughout the day. Unfortunately, the harmful UV rays dry out the surface of the roof, slowly destroying its ability to remain flexible. This is the reason they say the sun is the most destructive and damaging element to your roof.

With that all said, a roof coating system using a highly reflective topcoat is an excellent preventative measure for a new or aged roof as they increase your roofs lifespan, lower roof maintenance costs and protect your roof from the destructive UV rays from the sun.  The AcryShield A590 topcoat is rated one of the highest reflective roof coatings in the industry. With an initial solar reflectance of 0.92 and a 3-year solar reflectance of 0.87, this roof coating is able to reflect almost all of the sun’s UV rays, leaving little for the roof to absorb any heat. Visit the Cool Roof Rating Council (CRRC) for more information or check out our list of highly rated CRRC products.

For more information on roof coatings, contact a Roof Coating Professional – ZERO Obligation!

In roofing, there are many options to choose from when you need to upgrade and improve your roof. Most options require the installation of a new roof and once your building has two roofs on it, building codes require that you must tear off your existing roofs’ and start new. White roof coating systems allow you to restore your existing roof without ever needing to complete a tear-off because they do not fall in the same weight barring category as other roofing options such as single-plies, asphalt, metal, etc... Choosing a white roof coating system saves thousands of dollars, time, and avoids adding to already overfilled landfills.

Applying a white roof coating to your existing building has multiple benefits derived from their superior capabilities to protect your roof and reflect heat away from your building.  These benefits include but are not limited to increased roof lifespan, provide cost effective solutions, energy savings and efficiency, lowered roof maintenance costs, and these systems are environmentally friendly. White roof coatings have come a long way since they were first introduced into the roofing market. Today, they are able to restore virtually any roofing substrate, such as, Asphalt, BUR, Mod Bit, single-plies including: TPO, EPDM, PVC and Hypalon, Spray Polyurethane Foam (SPF), Metal and Concrete roofing substrates.

How does a White Roof Coating Protect Your Roof?

White roof coating systems protect your roof by adding layers of waterproofing, durability, flexibility and renewability to your roof. Most roof coating systems comprise of a base coat, embedded fabric for extra reinforcement, another base coat, and a white roof coating as the top coat. The white roof coating reflects the majority of the heat from the sun, minimizing the bulk of the heat from being absorbed into the building. This protects the roof by keeping the membrane flexible and less able to dry out and become brittle, protecting your roof from cracks, alligatoring, splitting and/or tearing from occurring.

It is extremely important that a roof is able to remain durable and flexible with changes in weather and temperature as the roof will expand and contract during these fluctuations. White roof coating systems can be renewed every 10 plus years for enhanced protection and lengthened roof life. These systems can allow you to avoid a costly tear-off, saving you a lot of time and money while keeping your business open as usual during application. Ask us how you can benefit from one of these cost saving systems!

How does Reflection Benefit you when using a White Roof Coating?

As described above, white roof coatings reflect heat away from the building, absorbing only a small percentage. This allows you to cut down on energy consumption and air conditioning usage. Energy utility bills can be very large for many companies, using a white roof coating can solve your roofing issues and lower your largest utility bill at the same time. Jerry Moore, the Facilities Director at Harbor Freight Tools 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." Harbor Freight was able to save and restore their roof without closing down their business or operations during installation, they lowered their energy consumption and energy costs, and they gained a cooler work environment.

White roof coatings are quick and easy to install and provide little to no disruption to your work environment during construction. With all the “freebies” that come with a brand new white roof coating system, its no wonder these roofing systems are becoming so popular.

Interested in more information on our white roof coating systems? Download our FREE Product Brochure or contact a roofing professional for more help!