Should You Get Reflective Roof Paint?
As Australia's summers get hotter and more housing is built in warmer regions, the need to keep the interiors of these buildings cool becomes more urgent than ever. One way to help your home is to coat your roof with reflective/cool-roof/solar roof paint. This light-coloured layer helps reduce the amount of heat that can transfer through your roof and through whatever structure is coated with the paint. It's gotten good results, but whether your specific roof is ready for it, is another matter.
Make Sure It Works on the Type of Roof You Have
Many of these paints work on a number of roofing materials, but you want to verify that what your roof uses is acceptable. For example, you often see pictures of people coating metal roofs with these paints—but if you have an asphalt shingle roof, will the paint stick to the surface? The paint needs to stay in place, and if the roofing material your home uses isn't appropriate, then the paint could flake or peel off.
Restore, Repair or Replace Your Roof First
These paints are often touted as a way to restore older roofing that is not as cosmetically appealing as it used to be. However, whether that works really depends on why the roof needs to be restored. If you're covering up a rust stain, for example, that's not something you want to cover with paint until you've actually repaired that section of the roof, either by getting all the rust off, if it was surface rust only or by replacing that section, if the rust was actually in the roofing metal itself. Clean dirty roofs before adding anything, too; if there is dirt or if there are leaves and other debris on the roof, the paint won't hold. The roof needs to be in good condition with nothing on it that could prevent the paint from adhering to the surface.
Have It Professionally Added
Finally, if you do repair your roof to the point where you can add one of these paints, have the job done professionally. If the painters damage the roof, for example, you won't be responsible, and the painters can work with the roofing repair company you contact to determine the extent of the damage.
These cool-roof paints can be very helpful if applied correctly. A roofing company can help you get your current roof into shape and ready for paint application.
For more information, contact a local roofing company.