The term liquid roofing has become quite popular over the last few years, so we thought we’d explore the topic a bit more.
What is liquid roofing?
Also called “liquid applied roofing” or “fluid roofing”, liquid roofing is basically another term for a roof coating. It is suitable for all types of roofing — flat, pitched, domed etc. Liquid roofing is used to add an extra layer of protection for several purposes:
It’s not unusual to find all of the above advantages in one liquid coating.
Liquid roofing can be composed of a wide variety of materials including acrylic, aluminum, rubberized aluminum, polyurethane, asphalt, polymers, cement, granules, rock and more. Liquid roofing or coatings tend to be extremely durable and elastomeric, meaning that the materials resemble rubber and bounce back after an impact from hailstones or debris.
The newest technology is a liquid roofing membrane that takes the place of the roofing sheets or some of the layers in BUR or modified bitumen roofing. Liquid roofing is always used in conjunction with other types of roofing materials — foam, metal, asphalt, modified bitumen, BUR, shake, tile, etc. Other than spray foam, the technology to simply spray on a roof hasn’t been invented yet, but many manufacturers are working on new products that do, in fact, spray on a complete roof system.
The process of liquid roofing is an extremely cost-effective method of making a new or existing roofs waterproof, damage resistant and more energy efficient. It can provide up to 25 years of life on a roof depending on the materials used. Stone-coated metal roofing (the stone coating is a liquid roof coating) can actually last through an owner’s lifetime and pass on to the next generation.
