Roof Coatings: An Added Layer of Protection for Your Roof and Your Wallet

By Dani Sheehan. 

See how roof coatings serve as another resource for increasing the life of your roof and other ways it can save you money. 

With the recent launch of CoatingsCoffeeShop™, the topic of roof coatings is buzzing. In a recent AskARoofer Podcast episode, Megan Ellsworth and Lauren White sat down with Sara Jonas, vice president of marketing at ICP Building Solutions Group, to learn more about roof coatings and see how they are expanding to the residential market. You won’t want to miss this opportunity to see if coatings are the next big thing for your home or building’s roof. 

Roof coatings typically work best in low-slope roofing. In areas like the southwest, where low-slope roofs are popular, and temperatures are extremely hot, Sara says the biggest benefit of coatings is improving energy efficiency. She breaks it down rather simply, “If you go step on an asphalt road and it’s this hot sunny day, it’s going to be hot. Right? It’s going to feel hot on your feet because that black surface is absorbing the heat from the sun.” She continues, “If you coat that road with a white coating, it’s actually going to reflect that. So the surface temperature is going to be much cooler than it would be if it were blacktop.” According to a study from Lawrence Berkely National Laboratory, using a roof coating can save a homeowner or building owner about 20% in annual cooling costs. 

Coatings also play an important role in roof maintenance. Regardless of the roofing material, it’s good practice to have a contractor inspect your home or building’s roof quarterly to ensure there are no leaks or potential issues. Roof coatings “protect the membranes that are underneath it... It gives you more longevity for the life of that roof preventing a full tear off and all those materials going in the landfill sooner than maybe they need to.”  

Not every roof is a good candidate for restoration, but in many cases, coatings can save money through a decreased energy bill and an increased life of the roof. Finding a contractor who is a certified applicator can help assess your roof for problem areas and determine if a coating is the right fit. 

Listen to the full podcast episode or read the transcript to continue learning about roof coatings and how they can potentially benefit you as a home or building owner.