National Coatings Blog

PVC or polyvinyl chloride is a common roofing material because it is an inexpensive option that is exceptionally pliable and easy to install. Over time all roofing substrates age and deteriorate, PVC is no exception. When PVC ages it becomes brittle and shrinks, losing its ability to remain flexible causing tearing and rips along the seams, eventually leading to leaks. 

Elastomeric roof coating systems are ideal for the restoration of PVC because they allow you to restore your aging roof to new without the need to complete a traditional roof tear-off. Roof tear-offs are expensive. They require business closures, lengthened installation time, disruptive installation to tenants, additional labor and material costs and extra unnecessary landfill waste – harmful to the environment. If you can avoid a roof-tear off, it will save you a great amount of time, money and hassle.

Installing a PVC roof restoration system using AcryShield elastomeric coatings allow you to keep your business open during installation, as these systems are spray applied and creating minimal noise disruption to the buildings occupants, eliminating any noise from nailing, drilling, or seam welding. Also, these roof coatings contain zero to ultra low VOCs, eradicating harsh chemicals and smells to the surround areas. Elastomeric roof coating systems are easily and quickly installed, allowing your business to remain open and productive while the installation is occurring – saving the business owner a substantial amount of money avoiding any loss in production time.

These PVC coating systems are extremely durable and have excellent adhesion to the PVC roofing substrate. The AcryShield elastomeric base coat provide outstanding waterproofing, adhesion, and resistance to ponded water. The top coat provide superior UV protection, reflectivity, longevity and brightness. These coatings are formulated to reflect a majority of the sun’s heat, absorbing only a small amount into the structure, which allows the air temperature inside the building to remain cooler with less energy consumption throughout the day. This directly impacts your energy utility bill, lowering costs while increasing tenant productivity and comfort.

There is no need to replace your aging PVC roof when you can restore it to new. National Coatings offers 10, 15 and 20 year warranties for restoring PVC roofing. If you would like additional information on our roof coating products and systems, download our FREE Product Brochure.

While EPDM roofing has been a popular choice for low-slope commercial roofing, we recommend a roof coating system because they are seamless and highly reflective.

What is the Advantage of a Seamless Roof?
Seamless roofs provide excellent waterproofing capabilities. Roof coatings are spray applied across your entire roof surface, including difficult areas such as HVAC equipment, pipes, drains and other hard to reach and seal areas. These seamless membranes have no regions that need patching or sealing, creating a very durable, uniform surface that has excellent strength and flexibility.

EPDM roofing systems are applied in one of three ways: ballasted, mechanically attached or full adhered. The EPDM comes in rolls of varying widths that need to be adhered together at the seams. The more seams there are, the larger the risk of error is during installation at these joints. Seams begin failing, ripping and tearing due to improper installation, erosion and membrane shrinkage. Seam failure is also the number one causes of roof deterioration that an EPDM roof experiences because these seams provide an excellent avenue for water to penetrate the roof deck and seep inside the building.

Do I Care about High Reflectivity?
While many jurisdictions require a “cool roof” and many building owners desire one, EPDM’s surface is black providing no reflective capabilities. A highly reflective roof coating system is a great advantage to a building owner and/or tenant because these white roofs provide a cooler ambient air temperature inside the building with less air-conditioning usage. This saves a tremendous amount of energy usage and cost throughout the year. The reflectivity capabilities also provide UV protection against premature aging and damaging to your roof. (See the Harbor Freight Case History for a testimonial on their experience with an AcryShield Cool Roof System.) 

What to if You Currently Have an EPDM Roof?
We have an excellent EPDM roof coating system that can fully restore and renew your EPDM roof into a white, highly reflective, seamless roof without worrying about a costly tear-off or any disruptions to your work environment during installation. Click here to learn more about restoring your EPDM roof!

For more information on our roof coating systems, download our full line brochure or contact a roof coating professional, today 800-423-9557!