Rawlins Paints Blog Industrial Paint Tips, Guidelines & DIY Articles
If you’re considering doing some renovation work on your roof, then you’ll want to read this.
Solar and Heat reflective roof paints can help to lessen energy costs and simply improve the aesthetics of the roof, and help extend the life of your roof in 3 ways:
- They work to reflect sunlight away from the surface which helps reduce the transfer of heat into the building, whether a residential home, commercial office, or factories and warehouses.
- They decrease thermal contraction and expansion of roof membranes which, in turn:
- Helps to manage and stop leaks.
Leaky roofing that does not perform how it should do can cause huge problems for your property. Make sure that when you’re doing any maintenance work on your roof that you have the right tools at your disposal.
Why Use Reflective Paint?
Well, let us tell you what it is first. Reflective paints reduce solar heat gain on darker coloured roofs. Because of the dark colour, roofing can absorb heat causing you problems in the future. By reducing the roof temperatures on a property, in summer you’ll find that you don’t spend as much money on air-con. You’ll be saving energy which is always a benefit!
You should use a paint such as Blackfriar Professional Solar Reflective Paint on a dark roof. This paint can be used on stable felt, bitumen, metal, concrete, brick and more roof surfaces, so it’s extremely versatile. After you use this paint, you’ll be left with a white, water-based finish that will give your roof solar reflectivity. It’s the ideal product to use if you want to add solar reflectivity to a new roof.
This special paint will reflect the sunlight that falls on the roof and disperse the heat from the roof. It can also help you to resist surface fungal growth, that’s two in one! If you really love a two in one, this is a self-priming two coat system as well.
View our full Solar Reflective Paint ranges
What About Old Roofs?
If you’re not setting out new roofing, you may just be looking to repair some old roofing. For this we suggest APOC 576 Premium Silicone Roof Coating. We love this paint because it’s a fantastic product for low-sloped roofs and flat roofs that is 100% silicone and guarantees protection and waterproofing for 20 years. You can apply this at any time of year (from +1°C to +48°C ), and you’ll have a rain-safe roof after just 15 minutes! Even if you have a problem with permanently ponding water. But let’s get to the reflective part.
APOC Roof Restoration Systems dramatically cool roofs, lower heat transfer to buildings, reduce energy consumption and ultimately extend the life of your roof.
Solar reflective roof paints for solar panelled roofing
Now you know why you should bother with heat reflective paint. Time to get started on that roof maintenance or new roof project!
If you have any questions about what paints you should use on your roof you can leave a comment below, or ask a question on the product page itself through the FAQ section. Our technical team are always available by phone on 0113 2455450 (option 2) or send a message to [email protected] for advice on the best product for your requirements, application techniques, etc.
This is some great information, and I appreciate your point that reflecting roof paints can help you save energy. My roof is made of metal, and it’s a fairly dark color, so I’m sure it absorbs a lot of heat, especially during the summer. I’d like to save as much energy as possible, so I’ll definitely look into having cool roof coating applied. Thanks for the great post!
I didn’t know that reflective paint was used on roofs. It looks like a great way to help cut back on energy costs. If you put this paint on a new roof how long can you expect it to last? Thanks for sharing this information!
Hi April,
It depends on which product you choose to use as to how long it will last. The two products specifically mentioned in this blog post are Blackfriar Professional Solar Reflective Paint and GacoPro Roof Coating, assuming the correct preparation and application of these coatings is carried out you would expect the Blackfriar Professional products to last up to 5 years and GacoPro 20 years.
What can one do to a conservatory roof to make it cooler in summer and again warmer in winter????
Hi we have a small fibre glass roof on our south facing conservatory and rather than having tinted glass can you use any of your products on our roof.
Hi Olive,
Thank you very much for reading our blog and for getting in touch. Assuming the roof is a sound GRP System, Eagle CoolTop can be applied to reduce heat build up.
However if the substrate differs from the above, feel free to get in touch with our Technical Team on 0113 2455450 (option 2) or send a message to [email protected] for specific advice.
I hope this helps and please feel free to get in touch if you have any further questions.
Many thanks
Stuart
Thanks useful.
I had no idea that reflective paint helps resist surface fungal growth. I can see why this would be a good thing to know if you are wanting a way to save on your energy bill and reduce any chance of fungus growing on your roof. My wife and I have been talking about ways we can save on our energy bill during the summer. I’ll have to mention this to her tonight.
Thanks, This is great information.
If you are applying the reflective paint to an existing flat felt covered roof, how will this affect the fire rating designation if , for example the existing bitumen felt roof has an AA rating?
Good morning Paul,
Unfortunately at present none of our Solar Reflective Roof Coatings have any fire performance testing, we do however have Rust-Oleum Mathys Dacfill HZ and certain Tor Elastaseal products with fire testing which are for use on flat roofs but are not available in a solar reflective finish.
Best regards.
Mark
Hi. Can any of these paint be used on asbestos roofs?
Thanks
Hi Ingus,
Both products mentioned in this blog are suitable for asbestos – Blackfriar Professional Solar Reflective Paint and GacoPro Roof Coating.
Best regards.
Mark
Hi, I’ve a log cabin that’s got a black roof made from an EPDM sheet, it’s very waterproof, but really heats up in the summer. I’ve been looking for a suitable lighter shade paint that I could use to reduce the solar gain and just come across this article. From what I’ve seen on the internet, acrylic based paint is the preferred paint as it doesn’t interact with the EPDM membrane like some rubber/solvent based paints. Do you know if this is suitable for EPDM, or would you have any alternative recommendations?
Hi Matt,
Thanks for getting in touch – we recommend using GacoPro Roof Coating for EPDM. The product page has data sheets and application guides under the “attachments” section, but if you need any further help then feel free to come back to us through here or via our technical support team on 0113 2455450 (option 2) or send a message to [email protected].
Good luck with the cabin!
Hi,
Thanks for this info. We have lead sheathed flat roofs south facing which attracts a lot of heat during the summer months, which of the 2 products you mentioned be best ?
Hi Peter,
Thank you for your question. The product we would recommend for this application would be Gaco Pro Roof Coating.
Although not white or aluminium, it is a very light grey and performs better in terms of heat reflection than the majority of other coatings because of its chemical structure.
This goes against the common way of thinking which says colours reflect, however this has been proven to not be the case when it comes to silicone roof coatings – the roof will reflect heat up to 70% better and be almost cool to the touch after applying GacoPro.
I hope that helps, feel free to get in touch if you have any further questions.
Many thanks
Stuart
I have a forest green colored metal roof on my addition and open patio. Its gets EXTREMELY hot in summertime. Even with fans you can not enjoy patio. I was told its because of the color if metal. If I paint it white or light grey will this cool it down and reflect sun. How do I do this.
Hi Michelle,
Many thanks for getting in touch. By painting the metal in a reflective colour/paint this will help in reducing the heat build up by reflecting some of the solar gain.
We would recommend either painting the whole roof with Rust-Oleum Mathys Noxyde in White if it is pitched, or use GacoPro Roof Coating if the roof is flat or has very little pitch.
I hope this helps and please feel free to get in touch if you have any further questions.
Many thanks
Stuart
Hi, I’ve got a felt roof that’s ~15 years old and the loft bedroom gets very hot in summer easily 10 degrees hotter than outside and the Mrs would like to get an air conditioner. I think most of our problem is the flat black felt roof. I’ll probably replace the roof in a couple of years and hpoing but would like to try painting white first to help me decide whether I should replace it with a white finish.
I am looking at “Britannia Aquashield High Build” I wouldn’t be willing to use anything more expensive given it’s really more for a trial. Just hesistating as your instruction says “Aged bitumen can be liable to crack, therefore further advice must be taken” but assume that only relates to roofs that are already leaking?
Hi Sam,
Many thanks for getting in touch. If the felt is currently sound then it will be fine to apply Aquashield High Build on to this – aged bitumen coatings and felt do become brittle but if the existing roof isn’t at that stage then the addition of the coating will aid in delaying the onset of any of these issues. Cracking is usually more common with older thick bitumen based coatings rather than felt.
I hope this helps, and please feel free to get in touch if you have any further questions.
Thanks again
Stuart
Hi
Will the reflective paint stop my flat roof with fibreglass finish creaking ?
Hi Ray,
Thank you very much for your question.
I’m afraid we couldn’t guarantee that reflective paint would stop the creaking on your flat roof, as this is caused by changes in temperature making it both expand and contract. Painting with a solar reflective paint may aid in reducing some of the heat build up but we couldn’t say for certain it would stop the creaking.
I hope this helps, please feel free to get in touch with any further questions.
Many thanks
Stuart
Do the solar roof coating come in gray or light tan?
Good afternoon,
Many thanks for your question. By nature most Solar Reflective coatings are available in white or aluminium. However, GacoPro Roof Coating is available in Light Grey. GacoPro is a professional-grade, waterproof and solar-reflective coating.
I hope this helps and please feel free to get in touch if you have any further questions.
Many thanks
Stuart
I am going to extend my roof line with a lean to structure for a porch and will be using corrugated tin for roofing. Will your reflective paint work on this roof ?
Good afternoon,
Thank you very much for reading our blog and for your question. Providing the substrate is suitable and is prepared correctly then yes, solar reflective paint can be used.
Gaco Gacopro could be a good product for this use as it adheres to most substrates, however, if you could confirm the material that the roof is made from, we would be happy to advise further.
Many thanks and I hope this helps
Stuart
Hi, we’re doing an experiment on simple homes with corrugated roofs painted white to reduce interior temperatures. The corrugated roofs will be brand new (replacing existing panels) and painted white. What is the difference in terms of durability when simply applying paint without a primer, and using a primer plus white paint? Additionally, you mention to another person here that GacoPro is better for them for heat reduction. In our case using corrugated metal, is that the same advice you would give, of would white paint offer better heat-reducing ability?
Hi Mark,
Thank you very much for taking the time to read our blog and for your question. For this type of application the primer is mainly functional and it really depends on the material being painted, it wouldn’t necessarily aid durability.
If you could please you possibly come back to us with what type of metal is to be painted (aluminium, galvanised steel, plastisol coated etc.), our technical team could offer some more concrete guidance.
GacoPro Roof Coating is a great product because it is silicone-based and has excellent adhesion properties to almost all substrates without the need for a primer, we only offer GacoPro in Light Grey now but this would still offer some solar reflective properties.
I hope this helps and please feel free to get in touch if you have any further questions.
Many thanks
Stuart