Liquid Roof Coatings and Liquid Rubber

http://roofcoating.nezie.com/

Kool Seal 63-600-5 Premium White Elastomeric...
$102.99
Formulated with 100% acrylic elastomeric resin. The coating forms a thick rubber like blanket of protection that expands and contracts with roofs. It remains flexible from 30 F. to 160 F. for long lasting protection and provides superior reflectivity to lower interior temperatures and save energy. Designed to be durable in any climate. Helps absorb sound. Higher solids for better coverage. Environmentally compliant. Recommended for metal, concrete, urethane and polystyrene foam, brick, flat and barrel cement tiles, and aged aluminum coatings. You must use Kool Seal Kool Lastik Primer, model

• Kool Seal, 5 Gallon
• Premium White Elastomeric Roof Coating
• Energy Saving Up To 35%
• Desiged To Be Durable In Any Climate
• Higher Solids For Better Coverage

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful.
It works. Period
By Henry Lamb (hlamb88937@aol.com)
I have used this for many years. The elastomeric that is guaranteed for 10 years is like white rubber when it dries. It never cracked for me. If it is dry, a person can barely tear a piece of it with bare hands. Its great for leaks on flat roofs.

Henry HE287SF871 5 Gallon SolarFlex Roof Coat...
$125.85
"HENRY" SOLARFLEX 287 SF ELASTOMERIC ROOF COATING *5 gallons *Southern formula *Coverage: apply 2.0 to 2.50 gallons per roofing square (2 applications of 1.0-1.25 gallons per roofing square) (roofing square = 100 sq ft) *Brilliant white *Resists mildew in humid climates *Rich top-quality non-fibered elastomeric *Reflects up to 80% *Brush, roller or spray application *Excellent UV resistance *Cool roof rating council rated product ID 0620-0007 *Meets Energy Star guidelines for energy efficiency *Pail

• "HENRY" SOLARFLEX 287 SF ELASTOMERIC ROOF COATING
• 5 gallons
• Southern formula
• Coverage: apply 2.0 to 2.50 gallons per roofing square (2 applications of 1.0-1.25 gallons per roofing square) (roofing square = 100 sq ft)
• Brilliant white

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful.
Painting your roof white to cool your house sounds crazy, but it works!
By A. Doss
We live in a Townhouse in Los Angeles, with the bedrooms on the top floor. When we put our daughter down for afternoon naps in her room, even with the air conditioning on, her southern exposed room was pretty hot. We tinted her windows. Put up cellular shades to help reflect and insulate heat from the window. Installed a ceiling fan. But even with setting up the "remote control" for the thermostat in her room, the AC would have to repeatedly turn on to keep her room cool. There was as much as a 6 degree difference between the upstairs and downstairs. Even with the thermostat set to 77 in our daughter's room, the baby monitor would beep with the alert that the temperature was bouncing over 80 between "AC cycles".

There's no attic or crawl space, so, we couldn't easily add insulation or a reflective barrier without tearing down portions of the ceiling, so we opted to get Henry's 687 (aka Enviro-White) which is a step up from the 587 and 287 elastomeric "cool roof" coatings.

Application was done on a late Friday afternoon, with paint roller on an extension pole. We found it easier to pour out the paint directly onto the roof and spread it with the roller. I wouldn't bother with paint trays.

We've only applied 1 coat over our daughter's bedroom and master....just to compare. I didn't want to buy a lot of paint and work up a sweat on the roof, only to have it be a bust.

Over the weekend, the temperature in those two rooms dropped 2-3 degrees. The AC unit powers on less frequently and the baby monitor never once "squawked" above 80 degrees.

While a 2-3 degree drop sounds like nothing, it really is. But the real test was when I walked back out on the roof, around 3PM...a good few hours of Southern California sun beating down on my flat roof, outside temp was mid 80's.

I'd put one hand on the painted part, the other on the unpainted part. The unpainted part was warm to the touch, uncomfortably so if you held your hand there for a few seconds. The painted portion, was actually cool to the touch. I couldn't believe it. I went around the roof testing this over and over again. The unpainted tar paper was hot...not boiling, but really, really hot. You wouldn't want to keep your hand on it longer than 10 seconds...and kneeling down on it...felt like your knee was cooking.

The painted portion was cooler than the ambient air outside. It was cool to the touch...now, it's bright (it's reflecting sunlight back at you) and you shouldn't expect this paint to 'fix leaks'. It's important that your roof is sound/patched and clean before applying this stuff.

But, I found this paint to be easy to apply, it's pliable/gummy, which I'm guessing is to keep it from cracking when it expands and contracts from the hot days and cool nights.

In short, I had read a lot about the theory behind painting your roof white. And while I'd rather wear a white shirt than a black shirt in the sun, I didn't want to paint my roof white with a paint that would come off or wasn't very durable. This paint was designed for it...and, while seemingly simplistic in theory, it actually works. I'll find out in the coming months if it impacts my energy costs, but for a couple hundred bucks, it was a cheap and effective solution to make a warm room much more bearable.

I'll buy a couple more buckets to finish the roof and apply a second coat.