Roof sealants are very helpful in protecting the top of the house against damages caused by rainfall and other environmental elements. It helps to prevent leakages and also keeps water away from inside your home. Metal roofs need to be sealed and coated consistently. Whenever it rains, or a heavy wind blows, to protect yourself and household from disaster, you must seal your roof.
The best roof sealants are made of silicone, acrylic, or urethane, and are prepared to reflect heat on the exterior of the rooftop, and this helps to fight against elements that might cause damages or leakages.
The most popular options are the reflective white silicone sealants. They are durable, weather-resistant, highly reflective, and also have cooling properties.
Almost all types of roofing can be sealed, including those made from metal, flat panels, BUR systems, and a lot more. Sealing a roof isn’t as tricky as it sounds with a dedicated mind; it can be done in a couple of hours.
It would help if you found out how to get it done because it can go a long way in protecting your home against damages.
Benefits of Roof Sealants
There a lot of benefits that come with applying a roof sealant and they include
- It helps to increase energy efficiency and lower cost.
- It helps to protect the home against rainfall and other damaging elements.
- The best sealants help to beautify the building structure
- It helps in keeping the roofing structure cool.
- It encourages an environment-friendly structure.
Let’s quickly brisk through these benefits of using them.
Reduced Temperature
A perfect roofing sealant like the reflective white silicon, instead of absorbing heat it reflects it, and because of this, the whole building stays cooler for a longer time.
Protection
Most of the options available don’t just reflect heat, it also protects the home against leakage, and other damaging elements, like hurricanes and heavy wind. The roof sealant prevents the roof from decaying that eventually leads to leaks.
The Environmentally-friendly Aspect
The reflective silicon sealant decreases emissions because it restricts the use of HVAC units. A lot of the sealants out there are VOC-free, and they produce no or little environmental contaminants.
Now that the benefits have been covered, what are the steps involved in applying a sealant to your roof?
Step 1: Preparation
The first step in applying a sealant is to prepare the surface. Make sure you take time to clean the roof, use a hose, or a washer, and also, you need a push broom. The need for doing this is to make sure that you remove as much debris as you possibly can. This would give the roof a smooth surface before the sealant is applied. Once cleaning is complete, let it dry out before you begin.
Now that the roof has been washed and swept and is now free of debris, you need to cover all edges and seams with a patching cement using a paintbrush. You need to cover these areas because these areas are where most of the leaking happens. Make sure the patching cement dries off, for a period of one or two hours before you begin sealing.
Step 2: Application
Once the edges and cracks have been covered, and the roof has been cleaned, you can begin applying your sealant. Be sure to check the manufacturers guide if a primer is necessary. When spreading the coating on the roof, ensure that you use a long paint roller or a brush.
Do not try doing all the entire area at once, apply on 6 to 10 areas, and do this continuously until you end up working the whole roof. Make sure the coating is evenly spread with a thick coat.
Step 3: Finishing
Now that your sealant has been applied. You need to let it dry out and heal. The time it would take to dry completely will vary depending on the product you used, or the conditions of your environment. You need not worry about this since it is the responsibility of the manufacturer to pass this information to you.
Once your sealant is completely dried out, and you wish to color it, you can add a colored coating to it. An excellent roof sealant can help reduce damages to your home and add years to its life span.
