The Few and the Fearless: A Blog About Roofers

Years ago, roofers would install a roof and basically leave it alone until it either needed to be replaced or extensively repaired. But these days, roofers are placing greater emphasis on preventative maintenance. In other words, they are encouraging homeowners to take better care of their roofs in order to extend the roof's life span and minimize the need for repairs. One type of roof maintenance you may want to consider is having various roof sprays and coatings applied to your roof. Here are three such types of sprays to consider.

Herbicide Sprays

Do you sometimes get moss growing on your roof? It loves to grow in shady areas, such as on parts of your roof that are overshadowed by trees. Maybe you don't have moss, but algae is an issue, leaving black streaks down your roof. There are herbicide sprays that your roofer can apply to your roof in order to prevent moss and algae from growing in the first place. Having your roof sprayed with such an herbicide once a year or so may keep you from having to spend so much time and money repeatedly having moss and algae removed.

UV Protection Sprays

Some sunshine is good for a roof since it dries the roof out after a rainstorm. But too much sunshine is just hard on a roof. The UV rays can be really damaging, causing the roof to become brittle and frail. The shingles may start curling and cracking before their time is up. Roofers can apply a special kind of spray that causes the roof to reflect more UV radiation rather than absorb it. This helps keep the roof from becoming prematurely brittle and bleaching out.

Cool Roof Sprays

A cool roof is one that is light-colored to ensure it reflects more heat rather than absorbing it. This leads to lower energy bills in the summer. If you have a roof that's not a cool roof, you can have it sprayed with a cool roof coating, which essentially makes it white or pale gray and reflective. Having such a spray applied is a good, eco-friendly move as it will reduce the burden on your AC unit and keep the top floor of your home cooler.

If you want your roof to last longer, talk to a roofing contractor about the sprays above. Which one is best will depend on the climate where you live and on your unique roof conditions.

Contact a roofing contractor to learn more.