Paint 10yr old roof white?

Hey everyone, back with another newbie question here. When we bought our brownstone in November, the inspector said that we’d probably need to do roof work in the next year or so. The prior owners said that the roof was about 10yrs old. The roof is black, and it’s starting to get warmer, so I was thinking maybe I could diy paint it white to keep the house cooler with something this Lanco Ultra Silconizer Reflective Roof Coating:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Lanco-5-Gal-Ultra-Siliconizer-Reflective-Roof-Coating-RC905-2/202086637

Would doing something like this extend the useful life of the roof, or should I just leave it be and let a professional redo the roof and paint it white for me? I should note that since November there hasn’t been any leaks and we’d have had some pretty heavy rainstorms over the last 6 months of ownership.

Would love the hear everyone’s thoughts. Thanks!

Fort_Green_p_nut

in General Discussion 5 years ago

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restorationcontractor | 5 years ago

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Hard to tell from the three closeups, but it does not look too far gone that a roof coating wouldn’t extend the life of the roofing. It will also keep the roof cooler.
If you are doing it yourself make sure the roof is swept clean and is dry. Spot patch any bad spots. (you may have to recoat later as patches may bleed through). Proper prep. is the most important part of the job. I see you have moss that needs to be removed, a cast iron plate etc. get rid of all that. Tie up any of the cables that are running across the roof before you apply the coating and be careful they can be a tripping hazard.
Also your skylight would do well with a coat of cold galvanizing spray, or any Rustoleum paint.
See how the roof looks after one coat, sometimes you will need a second.
I have not used the Karnak 298 but would be interested to hear the results.
Hope that helps, if you would like to discuss in further detail let me know.

yudashasom | 5 years ago

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I think you’ll be okay coating it. I would flash any questionable spots.

Fort_Green_p_nut | 5 years ago

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@restorationcontractor: here’s what my roof looks like. [Main roof1](//muut.com/u/brownstoner/s3/:brownstoner:Ol26:mainroof1.jpg.jpg) [Main roof2](//muut.com/u/brownstoner/s3/:brownstoner:191N:mainroof2.jpg.jpg) [Extension roof](//muut.com/u/brownstoner/s3/:brownstoner:vfpw:extensionroof.jpg.jpg)

Wondering maybe i should use this or is it too late:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Karnak-5-Gal-SBS-Rubberized-Aluminum-Asphalt-Roof-Coating-298-5AF-HD/202268170

stevecym | 5 years ago

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see what no permitz says. now, there are different roofs. but the flat roofs in my neighborhood are all painted silver and when the are not painted and it begins to wear, you see the black coming through – my feeling is it is almost too late when you see the black coming through.

i just did my roof using the gardener aluminum fiber roof coat. i would not use their product as i have used the Karnack in the past and it stirred much easier and went on nicer. there is also a white product but i am not sure of the name and it is pricier than the karnack. their marketing made it sound really great though and i was tempted to try it.

also, i realized something as i did this. we were talking about using fiberglass tape and karnack 19 to patch open seams in a roof. during this conversation someone on here said “the roofers say the patches will not hold over time”. the day that person said that, i climbed up on my roof and inspected the patches and sure enough, the asphalt was wearing off the tape patch, revealing threads. as i painted my roof, i real ized that the roof will not hold over time either (unless it is painted) and realized if we patch our roofs with karnack and tape, we have to paint the patch and it too should last. no? i kept a quart of paint in case i do any patches, i can spot paint them. i was actually going to put a stand alone post about this realization on here for those of us involved in the previous conversation.

restorationcontractor | 5 years ago

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You didn’t say what type of roofing you had. Can you post a photo?
Any roofing material should last longer than 10 years, I would think either the seller lied to you, or it was a poor installation. A reflective coating is a great idea. We have used reflective asphaltic coatings many times over the years to extend the life of older roofs and reduce heat gain. We have not used the silicone coatings, I would be curious to see the results. The asphaltic coating can be finicky with temperatures and the roof must be clean.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Karnak-5-Gal-Fibered-Aluminum-Reflective-Rood-Coating-97-5AF/100292260

Fort_Green_p_nut | 5 years ago

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You guys are probably right. Seems like putting a silicone reflective coating now might be useless. I’ll probably have to get a roofer in to redo my roof first.

@no-permitz: did you put on the gaco s2000 yourself?

yudashasom | 5 years ago

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If you have a ten year old rubber roof that was never coated, then it’s probably beyond repair.

I like the newer silicon products. Some have very impressive warranties. But as Maggie said, depending on the type of repair, it might be more difficult. The product is designed to last, and repairs may or not be needed for 40-50 years – time will tell. And if you do need a repair, a full or spot re-coat would probably fix the issue.

I’ve used Gaco S2000 and have been pleased.

RobertGMarvin

in General Discussion 5 years ago

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OTOH if you’re applying a coating anyway a light color wouldn’t hurt

greenworks | 5 years ago

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Also, as per my live in engineer/sustainability expert, the benefits of light roofing in northern climes are debatable, and there are other things that can be done to improve the energy efficiency of your roof. We did do a light coating when we re-roofed but they may not have as much a benefit as everyone touts here in nyc.

Guest User | 5 years ago

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i’ve been told by roofers that some of these coatings can make it harder to make effective repairs when a roof develops a leak.

Guest User | 5 years ago

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i’ve been told by roofers that some of these coatings can make it harder to make effective repairs when a roof develops a leak.

RobertGMarvin

in General Discussion 5 years ago

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Get the flashing checked and apply a white or silver coating.