[MIZZOU]

Painted an old shed for mamma that someone had sided with shingles. One coat of 123 and one coat satin superpaint (because I had excess of both) and it still looks good 4 years later lol.

 

[Ole34]

Roof I did still looks good also.....I wish there was some kind of technical stuff we can look at as far as how long it will actually last an what effects it has but so far so good

 

[Wee Willy]

First, allow me to present some of my credentials. I am primarily a semi-retired 76-year old industrial sandblaster/painter. I am a Certified Natural Gas Transmission System Applicator and am a certified Applicator with the U. S. Corps of Engineers as well as others. I have done everything from bumper hitches to complete oilfield drilling rigs (the BIG ones) including being certified to remove (by both internal and external sand blasting) and dispose of NORM (Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material) from drill pipe on the big rigs. In the 1980s I was one chosen by the Cool Roof Initiative to work with 3M Corporation’s engineering and research staff in the incorporation of and testing of Ceramic and Borosilicate microspheres into roof coatings. (Yes, the work quite well.) Later I did research into VHT (Very High Temperature) insulative industrial coatings using the same materials in coatings certified up to 1,555°F.

As an outgrowth of the above, I have coated many roofs and then followed the weathering, insulative quality and the maintenance of these roofs over several years. Based upon this, in my estimation asphalt shingle roofs (or any other for than matter) present no particular problem to coat and maintain. Neither are wood, stucco or brick sidings. I finally settled on using an exterior acrylic latex coating in all these applications and have used both air and air-assisted airless systems, simple sprayer (like a wash-down sprayer) and rollers to apply them. To pre-clean the roof I use Tri-Sodium Phosphate solutions with a fresh water rinse. If there is a mold problem I use a diluted Clorox wash and fresh-water rinse. Prior to application I use a paint conditioner to assist in flow-out whether using microsphere-filled coatings or straight coatings. If there is a fungal or algae problem in the area of the job, I add zinc oxide to the paint. If I want to add additional reflectance I add Rutile Titanium Dioxide to the coating prior to application. If the goal is a reflective roof, the primary top coat needs to be re-top coated every 5-8 years to maintain the primary level of the original system. One additional benefit in my area, East-Central Louisiana, is that this coating package will “wick” under the asphalt shingles and glue them down into a solid sheet that in the past has withstood 120 mile-per-hour hurricane winds as long as the substrate holds. It also greatly reduces the fire hazard of a normal asphalt shingle roof.

 

[Damon T]

I was checking into this (Yeah I know an old dug up thread) We came across this product made specifically for Asphalt shingles. GacoRoof.

Has any one used this product?

http://www.gacoretail.com/gacoroof.html

My buddy is doing his RV roof with this product this weekend. Looks like good stuff

 

[Wee Willy]

Might I make a couple of suggestions: First, the GacoRoof Coating is a very good choice for motor homes and mobile homes (trailers of all sizes) as is almost any elastomeric roof coating because their roofs are relatively flat and they flex in the case of motor homes while in transit and on mobile homes due to wind, etc... If you will go towww.[B]oxco.com/[/B] you will find unwoven fabrics as "splits" of whatever width you desire. Use 6-inch wide material to seal all seams by first laying down a heavy 8-10 inch wide stripe of coating, imbedding the unwoven fabric in it and then coating over it. Do this BEFORE you coat the roof ... also seal around all roof penetrations such as vent jacks, etc, with the same method. Then coat the whole roof covering the reinforced areas with another coat. The unwoven fabric will allow the necessary "flexing" as the vehicle or mobile home is in transit or under weather streses. This will save you a world of problems and possible leak damage to the interiors.

 

[jprefect]

Learn something new every day.

Epoxy will stick to just about everything, but does terrible in the UV (chalks over like stain). So, maybe an epoxy primer and a urethane (like porch and floor) top coat.

Never done it though, so consider it an experiment.

EDIT:
You know what, Wee Willy's response is top notch. This is the guy to listen to.

 

[Wee Willy]

Epoxy on a shingle roof is not a very good idea. I have sprayed everything from Coal Tar Epoxy on roofs, barges and drilling rigs to every type epoxy you can imagine on just about every metal known and it is wonderful in its place. I did try it on roofs in a ponding water scenario and it was not a good idea. For one thing, the thinner-of-choice and the favored clean-up material back then for commercial applications is MEK (methyl ethyl ketone) which is a very dangerous fire hazard, a medical/health hazard and will melt just about every hydrocarbon known to man including asphalt. Just about everything you cal clean up epoxies with is just one step down the ladder from MEK. Another problem is pot life; epoxies are reaction cure coatings. The warmer the temperature the faster it sets up/cures plugging lines and guns. Water-based coatings, on the other hand, have none of these problems; you clean up with plain water. The problem with this class of coating is that in a ponding situation it softens and then is penetrated. (See previous post and read the specs for GacoRoof and other roof-specific coatings.) The other problem with epoxies on roofs is cracking under the stresses mentioned for mobile homes, motor homes and small camper trailers. The absence of elasticity after curing, and increasing with age and exposure to UV makes it prone to develop spider-web cracks and later through penetration leading to leaks. Almost any elastomeric coating will out perform epoxy by many magnitudes of measurement. I do npot endorse any above others since each has its positive traits, but Cool Roof Elastomeric Roof Coating is a generally good choice here in the Sunny South (East-Central Louisiana for me) and elsewhere. I have used it across the South, in the British and American Virgin Islands, the desert Southwest and even shipped some to Dubai in the mid-East some years ago. You can tint it if you like but it will probably void your warranty. There are many choices of colors in the newer iterations if a client so desires. The Heat Island Effect website (http://www.epa.gov/heatisland/) and others sites related to this study will lead you to the appropriate choices for your particular application. If one does opt for an epoxy roof coating, I would recommend that they look into a fiberglass chopper gun that will allow you to feed fiberglass roving into the coating stream as you “paint” the roof and then roll it out into what is in effect a fiberglass roof exactly like the hull of a fiberglass boat hull. It certainly stops the water problem but as stated previously is crack-prone and outrageously expensive. Apologies to all for the length of my posts.

 

[I paint paint]

No apology necessary at all. Keep posting. That kind of info is what we are here for!

 

[Red dog]

I sprayed a State Farm insurance building roof back in the mid '90's. Went from black to red. I used a flat acrylic exterior. The roof was free from mildew so I just blew it off and sprayed it. It has faded a lot but it's still there and it's still red.....lol

 

[Wee Willy]

Here in the Deep South mildew is a major cosmetic problem that becomes an economic problem as well. The trees “weep” sap as they leaf out there is a breaking of the surface areas budding areas and emitting sap, This coats the roof with a fine covering of what amounts to sugar water that immediately is infested with mold spores that turn black as the mature leaving unsightly black streaking. Therefore, the most popular color is very dark grey or black. Then the weather turn warm and the roofs heat up often reaching 186-200+ °F. This creates an attic temperature literally hot enough to cook meat. The response is to greatly increase attic insulation that only slows the thermal migration into the living space tremendously increasing the air conditioning costs. In some cases a home with minimal insulation and of 3,000 square feet will receive an electric bill for $500 or more with 80% being for climate control of the interior. A highly reflective roof of white exterior latex enamel with drop this by 40-45% while the same roof coated with the same coating plus the APPROPRIATE dry solids volume of borosilicate microspheres will drop the monthly costs, all else being equal, by 60-65% as proven by extended testing. However, the mildew staining problem returns decreasing the beneficial properties of the reflective and/or insulative roof. The simple expedient of asking the paint vender to “dose” the paint with an appropriate charge of Zinc Oxide instead of an equal volume of tinting additives negates this problem. The alternative is to add mildewcides that will slowly leach out of the coating and contaminate the surrounding area, i.e., the area where your children will play each day for years. The additional Zinc Oxide solves both of these problems. On one of the other homes we own, now used as my office, I coated part of one exterior walls that is heavily shades by pecan trees, the major contributor to this problem, with the exact same paint but part with and part without the additional Zinc Oxide mentioned above. After over seven (7) years the area coated with the altered paint is clear of mildew and staining and the rest is noticeably stained by and covered with mildew. Of course, where this is not a problem the above does not unerringly apply.

 

[I paint paint]

That's a great post Wee Willy. If I am reading it correctly, you're saying if someone wants to greatly increase the mildew resistance of an exterior latex paint, whether applied to roof or siding, the solution is to simply ask a paint retailer to "dose the paint with an appropriate charge of zinc oxide?"

So this is common for paint contractors to do near you? And the kids at the paint counter do this often enough no special order is required?

I wonder if any paint vendors outside of the deep south are doing this?

 

[Wee Willy]

Once again probably overly long and detailed but: Thanks for the complement, I Paint Paint. I came up with this method while working with a company that furnishes paint components, including pigments, to the paint industry. We were discussing the mildew problem and what mildewcides were available. He told me what others are using and directed me to the MSDS (Material safety Data Sheet) for these additives and then we discussed alternatives. He, and not I, was the inspiration for this technique.

At the same time I was testing the addition of Rutile Titanium Dioxide to the paints to increase the reflectance and he suggested that I replace part of the Rutile with Zinc Oxide for the mildew problem. I tried it, the results were definitely positive and from then on it was part of my testing paradigm and remains so. Needless to say that I met with resistance from the paint retailers at first with opinions that any deviation from the standard formulation would void any product liability. This was from Sherwin Williams and others. However, after over 25 years with Tnemec (www.TNEMEC.com), they never hesitated when tagged for industrial coatings. To be honest, for the Latex-based paints, I have used Wal-Mart for years … sometimes specifying 55-gallon drums. Many times I furnished the Rutile and Zinc Oxide in appropriate pigment grades and in this case usually blended the final formulation myself. As far as I know I was and remain the only one who ever tested this in this area but one supplier of insulative roof coatings still uses it in some of their products. When still active in the industry, I often blended and sold the finished coating to others. The material had the Rutile, Zinc Oxide and microspheres in a blend-and-spray (or roller) state.

In the instance of borosilicate microsphere loaded insulative coatings, I buy the paint in bulk, order a supply of microspheres directly from 3M and blend the final formulation myself. I do this because of the requirements of carefully proportioning the microspheres and carrier/paint in order to maintain the correct microspheres-to-dry film volume in order to maximize the insulative values and not degrade the integrity of the multi-layered coating package.

Again, I am no longer in the commercial sandblasting and painting business but kept one sandblast rig that I built many years ago (complete with a fully “air conditioned” suit and helmet) and from time to time either furnish blended coatings with or without microspheres to others on a limited basis. My two first choices are either flat latex enamel for roofs and sidings and sometimes Kool Seal White Elastomeric Roof Coating if that is the best choice for the particular project. I endorse neither over other products; they are my personal choices. If I “dose” the commercial product I personally guarantee it.

 

[kdpaint]

I like this guy. I've learned more in 3 posts from him than in 1000 from many other members...no disrespect intended....

 

[Wee Willy]

Thank you, kdpaint. But remember that all this was learned over a period of several decades filled with many, many failures, false starts, wrong conclusions and sometimes down right stupidity or hardening of the cranial housing. But one thing that I learned early on was that if knowledge is not shared and passed on during one's lifetime it will all evaporate upon their demise. So if you know something that will make it easier for the younger set, pass it on. So in closing I pose this eternal philosophical question:
Question: "Why are we here; what is our purpose in Life?"
Answer: "To raise and train our replacements."

 

[DrakeB]

It use to cost $50/square for roofing shingles. Now the minimum price is $100/square for shingles alone. More like in the $120 range. Have to remember all that bitumen, all that tar etc that goes into making shingles, felt paper, ice&water membrane - that's all tied to the price of crude, which ain't cheap these days!

Reading through this thread, and not sure if anyone replied to this, but you can get perfectly decent shingles (Tamko Heritage, for instance) for around $ 85/square without too much trouble. It'd probably be cheaper in some places; possibly a bit more. But I do around that price and I'm just a small town, independent lumber yard with very little buying power.

Not that IWB and starter and vents and felt and... isn't expensive.

Edit: Dammit... old post. I lose.

 

[DrakeB]

Question: "Why are we here; what is our purpose in Life?"
Answer: "To raise and train our replacements."

That's kind of a bleak answer to the question. If you extrapolate from your answer, it basically comes down the "the furthering of our species," which is just another way of saying "following the biological imperative," which, in turn, essentially means our life has no more meaning than that of an ant. And while that's arguably true, it brings me back to my original point- a bit bleak.

 

[SemiproJohn]

That's kind of a bleak answer to the question. If you extrapolate from your answer, it basically comes down the "the furthering of our species," which is just another way of saying "following the biological imperative," which, in turn, essentially means our life has no more meaning than that of an ant. And while that's arguably true, it brings me back to my original point- a bit bleak.

Well, it could be bleaker...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PQ6335puOc

 

[Wee Willy]

Woodford; please take this as just a statement of an old man’s personal opinion: No, instead of bleakness and gloom mine is a very bright and exciting outlook. As both a Christian (but absolutely NOT prejudiced against any religion, or lack thereof, that does not threaten others, and especially me and mine) and a member of the Western Cherokee Nation, I believe that our existence is part of a journey and that each one of us does our part. But if only one of my ancestors had learned to knap flint spear points and had taught none of his family or friends to do so then we would still be chasing big hairy elephantine creatures all over the landscape with sharp sticks. Instead, each generation passes their beliefs, morals, prejudices or passions on to the next generation; they build on it and then repeat the process. Thus does mankind progress. But if ONE generation fails in this then all that their forefathers have achieved on a social scale is lost forever. As an example, part of my family did not teach their children the history of our people and the unique elements of that history and their part is therefore lost to all. If this is extrapolated to the community scale, then part of the community’s heritage is lost. This can be projected forward to the national and then global scale. This is called the Ozymandian Paradox that says that no matter what advances anyone, be they monarch or peasant, achieves, it and they are doomed to inevitable decay and loss to later humanity. My personal idea is that the way to circumvent this is to teach your children your cumulative values before you die, which is inevitable. As for myself, my journey has been anything but bleak. Instead, it has been 76 years of absolute enjoyment as we, my wife, friends, family and a few enemies have had, as I always term it, “One HELL of a ride!” And when my time comes I will be able to look back over my whole life and say in truth that there is no one I need to go back and tell that I love them, no one who I have maliciously wronged, no one that I have hurt without just cause, and nothing that I really wanted to do and never tried … often more than once. That does not appear to be bleak at all, at least to me. And part of that is that I have consciously taught what I know to our younger companions on our journey.

Sorry for the sermon, which I will abandon at this point without passing the collection plate, but this is what you get when you cross a philosopher and an engineer. {:>)

 

[Wee Willy]

Semipro John: How did you know that this is one of my many favorite actors in character and he never takes himself overly seriously! And he appears to always be enjoying life in the deal.

 

[I paint paint]

I like this guy. I've learned more in 3 posts from him than in 1000 from many other members...no disrespect intended....

Well you better come up with an intelligent paint chemistry question or two. Thread is devolving into death talk and youtube clips...