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Pro's and Cons of Urethane and Granules on roofs Post New Topic | Post Reply

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Posted: Apr 24, 2011 02:02 PM
Pro's and Cons of Urethane and Granules on roofs
We have been spraying a lot more urethanes these days and I have an upcoming project where the owner is giving me the okay to go with either urethane or silicone and granules embedded in the top coat.

Any pro's or cons to using urethane and embedding granules into the top coat?

Will this be a little more durable than Silicone? It does open up the door to a much better color chart than just gray, white or tan
that is available in silicone!

Steve
Dennis Davidson
Posted: Apr 25, 2011 07:59 AM
Hello Steve

I've used granules on a lot of roofs using acrylics, urethane and silicone. I've also had the opportunity to see a lot of granules installed by other foam contractors. In almost every situation the granulated roof system has been very successful. It is much more durable to foot traffic, pond areas will dry faster and the roofs seem to last longer with fewer noticeable defects. The down side is it's more expensive, requires additional equipment and labor and (as with all things) it must be done correctly. Dust from the granules is your biggest enemy. Make all your passes in to the wind so most of the dust is blown away and not on the deck your spraying to. As far as durability, it's the urethane hands down. Urethane/granules are used on heavy traffic surfaces like parking decks.
Also, the additional protection that granules will provide from flying debris should be a good selling tool in your area.
One final thought, if the roof has good slope then silicone/granules is fine. If it's flat, go with the urethane w/wo granules.

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