Modern cementitious roofing products are a world away today from the poor reputation earlier products developed in the 1970’s when awareness grew of the dangers of the asbestos content in many of them.
Today, at the top end, a lot of science has gone into making them not only totally safe with no asbestos content, but also in how they are made to perform better. Synthetic and cellulose fibers today provide considerable robustness which is also combined with a high degree of flame retarding effect.
On the solid side, they come as sheets and panels and some manufacturers even offer colors. Coatings offer similar attributes, including fiber content as a reinforcement. Acrylic polymer and Portland Cement deliver on water protection and plenty of adhesion on concrete and steel surfaces.
But, the story with aging cementitious roofs is a different one altogether. In places like Arizona, the state has billions of square feet of flat cementitious roofs that have aged badly and many are at the point where owners and managers are facing possible expensive tear downs.
“This is where our veggie-plastic Ecodur liquid coatings come to the fore,” says Castagra Products CEO, Peter Roosen, who first created the formulation some 25 years ago. “We don’t just coat, we provide radical life extension itself.
“Deteriorating cementitious roofs are some of the hardest to provide adequate remedial work for. You would think elastomeric coatings would be ideal but that’s not the case. It seems our Ecodur, with its triple strength adhesion compared to most coatings, is really one of the very few effective solutions. I certainly think its relatively high gypsum content has a lot to do with its success.”
Roosen explained that while the castor oil content with its highly complex fatty acids provides the grip, strength and flexibility, it is the gypsum which gives it its high UV and chemical robustness. “Essentially Ecodur is a plasticized soft rock and therein lies its secret to high performance, particularly on roofs and especially cementitious ones.”
He said the other consideration these days is the growing importance of cool coats which lower HVAC costs in sunny states like Arizona where UV levels are often very high in summer.
“White’s usually the number one choice for reflectivity, but not every substrate or primer works well enough with them. Ecodur has turned out to be, for instance, the toughest bleed through blocker on the market today and certainly an ideal primer for not only this ability but also as a base for getting the maximum performance out of cool coatings, particularly acrylics which we favor.
“Today, building owners and managers have grasped the economic importance of using the right products on their roofs to get maximum life, but they invariably still demand least cost with it all. Again, another big win for Ecodur is it’s one of the cheapest coatings on the market.”
Roosen pointed out that Ecodur is also sprayable and foamable and no solvents are involved at any stage. “It important to have all the bases covered when it comes to roof coating products as this is one of the most competitive market places and certainly one of the harshest in the world when you also take into weather extremes.
“That’s why we love Arizona where we are headquartered. It’s probably the best place in the world to demonstrate your coatings are not just cosmetic but also matchless on performance,” concluded Roosen.
