NEW - Elastomeric Roof Coating for TPO roofing

Elastomeric roof coatings have been used for many years as a cost-effective means of maintaining, repairing and extending the useful life of many types of commercial roofing substrates, including sprayed polyurethane foam, rubber (EPDM), asphalt, modified bitumen and metal.  Until now, a major exception has been thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) roofs, a popular roofing system first introduced commercially to the U.S. market in 1990.  As some of the earlier TPO roofing systems have begun to show signs of natural wear and tear, the challenge has been developing a viable waterborne (hydrophilic) elastomeric roof coating formulation with sufficient adhesion to the amorphous, water-resistant (hydrophobic) polyolefin surface of weathered TPO roofing membranes that also meets ASTM performance standards and withstands harsh outdoor environments.

The weathered TPO adhesion challenge was to overcome adhesion problems by using a hydrophilic polyacid dispersant, matching the contact angle of the formulation to that of the weathered TPO surface, and by incorporating three separate adhesion technologies to create an acrylic polymer emulsion binder, which ultimately can be used to manufacture an elastomeric roof coating with exceptional TPO adhesion.

After nearly three years of field testing using two formulation prototypes at three different sites, the successful acrylic polymer emulsion was commercialized as RHOPLEX EC-3100.  The new binder opens the door to manufacturing elastomeric roof basecoats that fully adhere to TPO substrates and cost-effectively extend the useful life of ageing TPO roofing systems by five to 10 years or longer.

Based on the outstanding results obtained in the field, Dow commercialized Candidate #2 as RHOPLEX EC 3100, an all-acrylic polymer designed primarily for use in pigmented elastomeric basecoats to provide adhesion to weathered TPO roofing membranes.  When a coating formulated with RHOPLEX EC-3100 is applied to a suitably cleaned, weathered TPO membrane, and then coated with a durable acrylic elastomeric topcoat, the resulting ASTM D 6083-compliant coating can extend the life of an existing TPO roof by 10 years or longer.  Designed for use over TPO roofing membranes that have been weathered at least four years, a properly formulated coatings system that includes RHOPLEX EC-3100 provides:

·         Excellent adhesion to weathered TPO roof substrates;

·         Excellent blister resistance under extended wet conditions on weathered TPO;

·         A barrier to ultraviolent light;

·         Good reflectivity of solar energy, which can help reduce cooling costs;

·         Excellent flexibility at temperatures as low as 0°C or 32°F; and

·         Application by spray, brush or roller at one gallon/square per coat in two coats.

Please call us – Duracool Inc. 800-232-9606 regarding pricing and availability.

(Ref: Paint and Coatings Magazine – May 2011)