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.

Learn more about our roof coatings by downloading our FREE Full Line Brochure or contact us TODAY at 800-423-9557

 
 AcryShield A179 and A590 Ultra High Reflectance

Highly reflective top coatings provide excellent UV protection to your rooftop. This additional protection adds years to your roof and reduces roof maintenance costs. These highly reflective coatings also deliver a cooler and more comfortable environment inside the building with less air conditioning usage, ultimately lowering your energy utility costs. 

National Coatings has two ULTRA high reflectant roof coatings that not only deliver the excellent benefits above, but offer some of the best reflectivity in the roofing industry:

1. The AcryShield A179 is an acrylic top coat designed to reduce roof degradation and prolong the life of the roof, thereby significantly lowering life-cycle costs. A179 is used in the AcryShield Roof Management System and has been formulated to adhere to Metal and Concrete roofing systems to enhance the roofs solar reflectance. 

   A179 is a superior coating for substrates that have minimal movement or in geographies where low temperature flexibility is not required. With excellent abrasion resistance, it has the ability to be applied at lower film thickness and over several different materials including: tile, cement, cementitious substrates, clay, and pavers.

2. The AcryShield A590 is an acrylic coating with ultra high-reflectance and superior UV protection for use in AcryShield or AcryPly Roofing Systems. This coating has been designed to adhere to SPF as a base and top coat. When used with any of our outstanding base coats, A590 can perform over a wide variety of existing aged roofing systems including: BUR, Mod Bit, Asphalt, Hypalon®, EPDM, TPO, PVC, Metal and Concrete.
   

   The ultra high reflectance of A590 is engineered to lower air conditioning energy costs. A590 reduces roof degradation and prolongs the life of the roof it is applied to, significantly lowering the life-cycle costs of the roof.
   
   AcryShield A590 exceeds all ASTM D6083 requirements and also offers excellent tensile strength, elongation and wet adhesion.

Cool Roof Data for A179

For technical data on AcryShield A179 - Click on the Product Data Sheet.

BENEFITS of A590:	APPROVALS of A590:
Ultra-High Reflectance Seamless Waterproofing Fully-Adhered Installation Durable & Renewable Guaranteed to Prolong Roof Life Cooling Energy Savings Reduced Life-Cycle Costs Low VOC	This product, in white, meets the Energy Star® guidelines for reflectivity.          CRRC Rated – Prod ID 0626-0006   California Title 24 Compliant Accredited by the Spray Polyurethane Foam Alliance, a business unit of the American Plastics Council   UL 790 Class A Rating ICC-ES ESR-2140

For technical data on AcryShield A590 - Click on the Product Data Sheet.

As hot weather is quickly approaching, it is recommended to protect your rooftop from the sun with a highly reflective or white roof coating. The sun’s rays are the leading cause of damage and deterioration to your roof out of all the natural elements your building is exposed to.

The sun’s IR and UV radiation cause harm to the roof and dries the surface out. The IR radiation causes temperature damage as it can heat the surface of an unprotected rooftop up to 160˚F and back down to 90˚F in a given day. This wide range of temperature variation causes the roof to significantly expand and contract leading to flashings and fastener failures. Over time, they are not able to keep up with the movement of the roof, causing the fasteners and flashing to pop off and loosen. The UV radiation from the sun causes brittleness and destroys the surface of the membrane, making it thinner and less durable.  Cracks and alligatoring occur across the rooftop and the flexibility becomes compromised, leading to water penetrating into the building when it rains.

Reflective roof coatings such as a white roof coating system or a Cool Roof System provide your roof with the protection it needs from the harmful sun. These coating systems have the ability to reflect a majority of the sun’s heat away from the building, protecting the rooftop from the temperature damage and embrittlement explained above. The roof itself remains a much cooler temperature, allowing the roof to remain flexible without weathering or aging quickly. Roof maintenance costs are lowered and roof life is lengthened as the roof is protected from becoming brittle and weak.

When using the AcryShield High Reflectance A590 white roof coating, your roof will be able to reflect up to 92% of the sun’s radiation, meaning only 8% of the heat on a hot summer day will be absorbed into the building. This provides excellent energy savings benefits as you will not need to use your air conditioning unit as frequently or for as long. The interior of the building remains at a comfortable and much cooler temperature with much less air conditioning usage. The ability to reflect that much of the sun’s radiation away from the rooftop, will lower energy utility bills, lengthen your roofs lifespan and protect your rooftop from premature aging.

For more information on our highly reflective white roof coatings and Cool Roof Systems, download our FREE Full Line Brochure!