Sometimes our Just Leaks staff will receive calls asking if we can help maintain or repair their “tar” roofs. Although tar has historically been used with gravel on flat roofs, there is almost no tar in roofing anymore. That is why we have decided to talk about the evolution of tar roofs to acrylic coatings in today’s blog article.
Tar is a byproduct of coal when coal is processed into coke to fuel –smelting furnaces. Thanks to all the steel production in the Industrial Age, lots of coal was turned into coke, so there was plenty of tar, or coal tar, to use for other purposes. One use for tar was to use it as a waterproofing layer on roofs.
For a long time, tar was used on rooftops, but tar had its problems. First, because tar’s natural state is as a sticky liquid, it never really set completely. Second, tar is quite caustic and can cause harm to skin and lungs. Third, the hot sun would cause the tar to liquefy and run down the drains, so roofers began to use gravel on top of the tar to protect and stabilize the tar by holding it in place.
As petroleum surpassed coal as our primary energy source, tar was replaced by asphalt on roofs. Asphalt is a byproduct from when gasoline is removed from crude oil. Since asphalt became more common and cost effective, roofers switched to using asphalt and gravel on rooftops. However, many people still call their roof “tar and gravel”, even though it’s really asphalt and gravel that would protect a rooftop for 30 – 50 years. With that length of roof longevity, asphalt proved to be a significant improvement over tar.
In more recent years, asphalt and gravel is being replaced by something even better because the quality of the crude oil has declined. The asphalt is not as good as it used to be, and the roofs don’t last as long. What used to last for 30 – 50 years is lasting more like 20 years, so roofers searched for an even better waterproofing solution for rooftops. One of the best solutions available is acrylic coating systems.
Now, we can replace asphalt and gravel with white acrylic and polyester membrane roof systems from suppliers like National Coatings. White acrylic coatings protect the roof even better than asphalt, are less caustic, less costly, and deflect heat better thanks to advances in solar reflectant materials technology. Acrylic has many advantages, so it has become the modern solution for industrial rooftops. The National Coatings AcryPly Roof is Energy Star Certified and Title 24 Compliant.
At Just Leaks, we use the latest technologies and can help clients with the most modern solutions for their industrial roofing needs in San Jose, CA and the entire San Francisco Bay Area. If you have questions about your roof, or if you would like to consider the options made available by the newer fluid applied roof systems, please contact the Just Leaks team today.
Just Leaks, Incorporated
1101 South Winchester Boulevard, Suite H188
San Jose, California, 95128
Phone: (408) 249-4646
Fax: (408) 249-4645
Website: http://www.justleaks.com
President – scott@justleaks.com
Office Manager – norma@justleaks.com
Project Manager – craig@justleaks.com
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/pages/Just-Leaks-Inc/118006798258641