Tag: acrylic coatings

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How Long Do Roof Coatings Last

How long do roof coatings last

How long do roof coatings last?

If I had a $1 for every time this question was asked I wouldn’t be rich but boy would I have a great long vacation.  Sadly that question is not one that you can just answer with a number.  There are so many variables that can change that number that we could write 10 pages on that topic.  Although there are many variables that we can’t change or predict, but there are a few things that we can gleam from that can give us a great start.  First let’s talk chemistry because those are a variable that we can predict.  We will break these down into the Big 3, Acrylics, Silicon & Urethane’s.

Acrylics have been around in volumes since the mid 1970’s and have came a loooong way since then.  I know of one manufacturer who pioneered acrylic coatings “Conklin Roofing Systems” that are currently on their 6th generation of Acrylic coatings and they continue to advance the industry.  Acrylics are sacrificial in design, which is a common thing that many competitive chemistry manufacturers try to use to negate the proven performance of Acrylics.  By sacrificial what I am stating is that the coating by design slowly sluff’s of material (micro mil thickness’s) to continue to self clean and renew the coatings reflectivity.  This does not mean that they are bad coatings because they lose thickness’s over time. 

Quality Acrylic coatings will lose .25-.5 mils/year and even poorer quality acrylics typically only lose .75-1.25/year.

This is why Mil Thickness is important, because even if they are losing as long as they have the needed mil thickness they will perform for quite a while.  The main issue with acrylics and the main reason for failures found is the lack of education for contractors to understand that long term ponding water is detrimental to an acrylics performance.  Another concern that needs to be dealt with on acrylics is grease/animal fat contamination.  Oils can cause the acrylics to re-emulsify just as water can do which will drastically shorten the life span of the coatings, but there are spot treating options that we will discuss below.  That being said if water isn’t going to pond or if the roof isn’t constantly going to be wet and trying to dry then a High Quality Acrylic can perform with and even out perform in some instances any other chemistry and cost less over a life cycle analysis. To put it in lay-mans terms acrylics are a great balance of cost vs performance vs ease of use.

Acrylics are easily colored, and come in a variety of flexibility and tensile strength depending on the expected life span or performance needed.  Acrylics also offer proven long term sustainability at an economic cost. There are several 30+ year old acrylic roofs that are still in service and will remain in service for many more years to come as long as they are cleaned, maintained, and re-coated every 12-15 years.  With today’s technology that number may soon be extended to every 20 year needing re-coats.  Basically if it has a slope then there is an acrylic that will give great performance for that surface in most instances.

At about 50% what Acrylics are The Second largest chemistry by use is Silicone.

The second largest chemistry by use and one that has seen some great growth is the Silicone’s.  Silicone coatings have had their challenges over the years and still carry a bad taste in many contractors eyes but they are seeing growth.  I will be honest I am not a huge proponent of silicone but am perfectly fine with it used in areas that I see as its strength.  Low sloped/flat coastal areas with limited dry time really can benefit from silicon, as well as roofs that get limited to no foot traffic.  Silicone by nature is hydrophobic meaning  that if you were to look at the surface area of silicone under a microscope it has a very tight cell structure and leaves minimal amounts of surface area for adhesion.  That exact same physical property is what makes it extremely dangerous on any slope because water will bead up and then causes basically a hydroplaning situation under a persons feet.  If installed on a slope that is then magnified by gravity it can have very bad outcome if precautions are not taken such as guard rails and walkway mats.

Where silicone gets that “safety con” is also what gives it it’s industry “pro” from.  Silicone being hydrophobic allows it to be used in areas that pond water for longer than desired and not be as concerned about the detrimental effects of standing water that an acrylic would have.  Silicone basically in some eyes makes coating a roof less of a concern if there is some standing water areas.  That being said you should proceed with caution when coating any roof with standing water.  Standing water can be caused by several different things and all need paid attention to. 

First standing water can be from a leaking areas that has saturated the underlying boardstock and caused it to compress. 

Once a boardstock is saturated and starts to compress it then allows even more water to stand in that area which is adding more weight to that area and causes even more compression compounding the issue. This is a main reason why the NRCA states that standing water is anything that is left in place over 1/4” deep after 48 hours of dry time.  When 1 gallon of water weighs roughly 8# you can only imagine what  3-4” of water over any size of area can add up to in a un-approved dead load.  The building’s structure is designed for a given dead load in designing it, and if you start throwing large ponded water areas on it then happen to get a large wet snow or a clogged drain it can be disastrous if the structure is over its bearing capacity. 

Secondly although not much off the first reason, but somewhat different is that a roof substrate can be dry but the structure have a built in sag or structural component issue.  By coating this roof and not dealing with the underlying  problem you are now actually making the issue even worse.  Using a silicone restoration system because it can take standing water on a roof that has an issue that needs fixed is not smart practice for you or is it going to move the Fluid Applied industry further.  It’s more of a bandaid to a bigger problem, and that is my number one concern with silicon’s. 

Manufacturers promoting we don’t have a ponding water exclusion in my eyes says more of a “buy our product we don’t really care if it should be used or not” .  I am more inclined to use a Silicone from a manufacturer that says yes this will perform way better in ponding water areas, but we abide by NRCA standards and want to see water off in 48-72 hours because that is good roofing practices.   Now ok before one of you very opinionated guys gets off your rocker, remember I am a 20 year veteran in the fluid applied industry and I know in some cases it is literally close to impossible to get water off an area and you have to deal with it in the best way possible and Silicone/Urethanes are your option.

Also I must make light of the fact that although silicone does not re-emulsify like an acrylic does, don’t think that it is a magic bullet when ponding water is a concern.  Silicones do still absorb water, and even in small amounts in the right situations silicone will disbond and release from the substrate allowing water to get under the coating and then cause issues to the existing roofing system. More common in the Midwest and North with freezing temps. Silicones can weather great, but durability is a concern . This is another reason why the silicone manufacturers have implemented a urethane/silicon system that incorporates our final chemistry Urethane with a Silicone topcoat for durability and standing water performance. 

Our final chemistry is Urethanes. 

This chemistry is the smallest by gallons used, yet in my mind and many others holds the most potential.  Urethane’s have been held back mainly because of financial driven reasons.  Urethane’s are costly to produce and do to that reason there has been limited amount of funding for research to grow their market share of the coatings sector.  But breakthroughs have helped lower some of that cost and now many more companies are looking into the urethane line of chemistry’s. Urethane’s bring several pluses to the table.  Urethane has been successfully incorporated into other coatings as hybrid which helps bring tensile strength way up for durability and still maintains good dirt resistance as well as impact resistance.

Like silicon’s hydrophobic properties, urethane’s perform very well under ponding water as well. One of the main benefits in my eyes is two fold. Urethanes can typically be recoated with an Acrylic or Silicone so sustainability is great, but Urethanes also hold up very well with standing water and grease/animal fat contaminants. This makes Urethane’s as an ideal Base layer for numerous hybrid systems that can give us a legitmate life expectancy into the 20-30yrs all Fluid Applied and its self flashing & seamless.

As you can see there is a whole multitude of opportunity for product selection and advancements in technology such as Quick Set Catalyst coatings, Kraton based polymers and more that we will discuss in the future. But until then stay safe and spray on. Lets Hop to It.

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The Fluid Applied’s Rising Tide

Fluid Applied Growth

In the last 15 years the Fluid Applied industry as a whole has been gaining traction in all facets. In the last 5-7 years, the curve has been virtually straight up. This is also a growth trend that doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. The list of FA products and systems available are long & extensive. Today we are going to talk specifically about waterproofing/air barrier, insulating & roofing systems.

On the waterproofing & Air Barrier front, Fluid Applied systems are proving themselves to be front runners in the industry, solving age old building envelope waterproofing issues. A couple companies that have really took a front running position are PolyWall and Prosoco. These 2 companies have amazing products for basement/wall fluid applied membranes and sealants that eliminate the typical failures we see with sheet systems failing at the seams. Remember the primer behind the sheet product typically is not serving as a quality waterproofing system.

The Prosoco line of products focus mainly on above ground & include air and water barriers, liquid flashings, & joint/seam fillers. They have proven products that even have a Cat 5 (155 mph+ wind rating). Using these 2 companies line of products allow you the contractor to apply proven products/systems to buildings. This lets you be confident and know that they are going to perform and do the job that you were hired to do.

“On the Insulating side it is pretty well dominated by spray foam. “

Spray foam’s ability to be applied by a trained professional allows it to go on in a liquid state and then expand 30-100x its volume to fill any voids and stop airflow all while providing a stable R value. When you combine spray foam with your exterior water/vapor/air barriers you create a building that is ideal for energy efficiency and healthy air quality. As long as you work with a quality HVAC that understands air exchanges and air tightness in construction then your on your way to a quality building envelope.

Now lets move to the roof of the building. The line of Fluid Applied products and systems for roofing has literally exploded exponentially in the last decade. They have taken a larger piece of the pie in commercial roofing, & its one that continues to grow annually. Some major players in this field are Progressive Materials (Mainly silicon), Tropical (Mainly Silicon), Aldo (multiple chemistries), Henry (acrylic & silicon), 838 Coatings (multiple chemistries), Gaco Western ( Mainly silicon), & the Conklin Roofing Systems which produces multiple chemistries.

I have personally used almost if not all of the manufacturers listed above. Most if not all the products have all served the purpose that we used them for. But our go to systems have predominately been the Conklin Roofing Systems for a handful of reasons. Firstly the products are some of the highest quality products that we have used. Secondly the training and knowledge base that is available from other existing veteran Conklin contractors is available to new contractors. Thirdly is the companies proven longevity (42+ yrs) and systems approach to roofing. They are not called Conklin Coatings, it is Conklin Roofing Systems for a reason.

“They provide in house almost every product required for their systems.”

Those products include cleaners, caulks, fabrics, primers, coatings and specialty products in certain circumstances. Their 40+ years of successful manufacturing is an added bonus and peace of mind to have in your corner as well. If you have any interests in learning more about the fluid applied roofing industry then shoot us an email at RoofCoatingLife@gmail.com. We would gladly help you position yourself for success.

No matter how you slice or spray it the Fluid Applied Industry is growing and does not look to be slowing down. It is a huge opportunity for you as a Coatings contractor to capitalize on an industries growth. This allows you to provide services and solutions that will solve your clients problems.

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Spec’ing Products for Roofs

Ok bear with me this week is a Looooong post but worth it so read to the end. I recently read an article on the Facilitiesnet.com site/forum (great site BTW) that brought out a few topics that I feel can be expanded on. One of the topics was about which product should facility managers, architects, owners, engineers and contractors specify on a given building.

The author of that article broke it down into the 3 big categories as most do and based the decision more on existing substrates than on specific products & systems. While I agree I still feel there are more situations that the decision should be based more on the system as a whole not a single product or existing substrate.

My point is that there have been such improvements in technology in certain chemistrie’s that the window of differences is becoming very narrow.

The industry and the demands from the end user have dramatically changed what’s expected and what’s required from a fluid applied system. Here’s my $0.02 when we are talking Fluid Applied Roofing systems.

Yes in the consideration on which product/system to use, one should always take existing substrate into consideration. Also we should be looking deeper into the specs of a fluid system and how is it going to enhance or decrease the effectiveness of the existing system once its applied. Remember there are a whole lot of existing restoration opportunities that include: Metal, EPDM, CPA, PVC, TPO, Hypalon/CSPE, Spray foam, Mod Bit, BUR, concrete as well as multiple boardstocks. This is a lot of opportunity for error if not looked at with a open mind and a complete system approach.

Today most all of the quality roof coatings are pretty compatible with these substrates.

Acrylics with the use of a primer can pretty well be applied to all of the above and have great adhesion and long term performance, but do require do diligence on insuring positive drainage. Another concern or issue can be the way that certain substrates literally drink coatings such as Mod Bit, to the point that if aged to much it can take so much acrylic to get your specified mil thickness that a silicon or urethane would have been a better choice financially for the building owner.

Secondly Certain solvent based products for example are not typically spec’d for single ply’s such as EPDM or Mod Bit because of the reaction from the solvents and the EPDM/MB. Also remember that in some circumstances a primer is typically required and recommended to insure that no excessive bleed out happens that could cause dis-bonding/adhesion issues.

Now recently there has been a barrage of silicon manufactures start flooding the market with advertising and claims that it is the best all around product for fluid applied systems.

Now before you get to worked up realize we actually market our own silicon manufactured specifically for Conklin and only Conklin by the BASF company in a private labeling agreement. Unlike many other silicon companies who are having their products produced by 1 of the other 5-6 producers in the industry.

The number one problem with the ‘cure all’ approach is that silicon is being promoted with the so called easy way out, but doesn’t fix the problem. It is no different than putting brand new tires on a car that is severely out of alignment. Yep you have good tires that will do the job, and the cars going to drive fine, but guess what until you fix the front end alignment you basically put a fake facade on that car and will end up spending more money on tires and possibly other issues from the root cause.

Fluid applied roofing systems should be treated like any other system in the way that the NRCA regulations state for ponding water.

If the roof has more than 1/4” of water in an area after 72 hours it is deemed ponding and needs attention. Reasoning behind this is many layers deep.

  • 1: It can be a weight issue if the area is of large sq footage and the buildings dead load can’t handle the additional weight that the water adds to the overall dead load.
  • 2: It allows for enhanced degradation of the roofing system in place, no matter what the technology is. It does this via excessive dirt pick up, increased heat gain via UV absorption (bad for white roofs designed to be cool) and holds pollen, leaves, tree buds and debris that hold moisture and don’t allow for proper dry outs cycles between weather events.

There are products &/or methods that can be used to remedy those low spots whether it is a high build lightweight filler or spray foam or even internal drains, if there is a will there is typically a way to get the water off.

If our industry is going to continue to move forward and capture market share we have to have all hands on deck promoting and providing viable alternatives that follow Roofing Industry standards set forth. If we have manufacturers that are willing to promote a product even though it goes against the Industry standards I feel we are doing ourselves an injustice that will hurt us long term. 

Just as silicon in my opinion is incorrectly marketed as ponding water exempt, and even used by many reps as a stand alone selling point, you have the exact opposite on the acrylic side of the equation. Acrylics can not take standing water for the length of time that most roofs that have water ponding issues but hold up extremely well on slopes surfaces as long as due diligence is given to quality control & mil thickness. The Problem commonly seen in the acrylic industry is guys using a cheap product on any roof even if it has water drainage issues and premature failure is inevitable.

Urethanes are the black sheep of the family due to minimal resources placed into that chemistry.

But due to raw material outlooks and demands from the industry on sustainability the Urethane market share is growing very quickly and looks to continue its growth into the future. Urethane is ideal for Restaurant roof restorations and roofs with high levels of animal fats or chemical contamination plus gives no issues/concerns with re-coat’s within any reasonable time frame of weathering. Also from a ponding water standpoint quality urethanes will hold up as well as any of the Big 3 chemistry’s.

All in all the Fluid Applied Industry has lots to offer and has a solution for the vast majority of the existing roofs out there. But as with anything else in any industry there is seldom a 1 system cure-all that’s the best decision for every party involved, so let’s promote the Industry as it is needed to be which is a diversified, sustainable, evolving, problem solving industry that’s here to stay.

Chad Hedrick, owner of Roof Coating Life commits to helping 10 new Contractors succeed in the Fluid Applied Industry each year. He’s selective in this process because realistically, his time is limited. He offers his valuable time and best mentor ship to the guys who are serious about making 30%-50% profits with Roof Coatings. Check out the Requirements for working with Chad to see if you might qualify.
Get the FREE eBook “7 Unique Ways To Market Your Fluid Applied Roofing Business.” It’s packed with outside the box Marketing Strategies (Strategy #6 landed us 5 commercial projects last Summer!) that will help you best serve your clients and live the Roof Coating Life like a boss.