Indoor Comfort
A hot roof acts like a radiator, increasing temperatures within the building and also around it, contributing to the “heat island” effect. Even when heavily insulated, flat and low-slope black roofs superheat to a sizzling 170° F on a 95° F day – and stay as much as 50 degrees hotter than ambient air temperatures even after dark. Indoors, elevated temperatures increase discomfort and risks to health while they put a greater burden on air conditioning systems.

Longer Roof Life
According to the Roof Coating Manufacturers Association, high temperatures can shorten the life of rubber, synthetic polymer, and especially asphalt roofing systems. The rate of degradation begins to accelerate even at a “modestly elevated” 140° F, causing “significant damage” and affecting both short- and long-term performance. Their rule of thumb for thermal aging is that service life is cut in half for every 18° F increase in temperature. Cool roof technology utilizing elastomeric coatings greatly reduces heat build-up where it starts.

Longer Lasting Protection
Elastomeric coatings from Rohm and Haas create a lasting white barrier to protect against bleed-through, especially important for asphalt roofing that sometimes migrates from the substrate to “bleed through” a traditional white coating. Rohm and Haas researchers developed Rhoplex™ EC-2540 roof mastic, which forms a chemical barrier beneath the coating to block asphaltic stains from coming through.

Bolster Adhesion to Asphaltic and Modified Bitumen
Before they have weathered, fresh asphaltic and modified bitumen roofing materials normally repel an aqueous coating, making it difficult for the coating to stick to them.  Rohm and Haas scientists have created a polymer that shares the hydrophobic (water-repelling) quality of the asphalt. Their patented polymer Lipacryl TM coating provides excellent adherence to fresh asphaltic surfaces, plus a high degree of bleed-through resistance.

Well Suited for EPDM
EPDM is an excellent roofing membrane: it’s extremely durable and waterproof, and it can withstand intense heat far better than asphaltic materials. Its main drawback is that it is a black roofing material, making it an intrinsically “hot” roof.  A white elastomeric roof coating would really round out EPDM’s benefits – but first it has to stick, since new EPDM roofs are slippery-smooth. Weathering makes older EPDM less slippery, but over time it accumulates a slick layer of algae, bird droppings, dirt and debris. To solve these issues Rohm and Haas developed a rinsable, water-based, solvent-free cleaner to prepare fresh EPDM surfaces to receive an elastomeric coating.