How to repair your roof in the winter

Roof repair seems to come to a grinding halt during the winter months. Some people grab the tar and plug the hole so to speak. With tar products it is simply plugging since asphalt cannot stick to a wet surface. Asphalt is made from petroleum and animal pigment. When the petroleum evaporates the asphalt will begin to crack. During the hot summer months it melts, sticks to your shoes, and evaporates. Asphalt emulsions are cheap but end up cracking the same way. White coatings purchased in stores are also generally cheap and will simply not dry during the cold winter months and you can experience substantial wash off during application.

Ames Research Laboratories has developed a time tested coating called Super Elasto-Barrier. Super Elasto-Barrier is a waterborne, liquid dual-rubber coating that is formulated for cooler weather applications. This product makes winter time roofing easy. It appears to have many successes on setting up on clear days even down to -30°F (-34°C). Does that seem remarkable to you? It certainly should! We don’t recommend that you just go out and do this unless it is absolutely necessary, but you certainly will have better opportunities to do some roofing maintenance on large roofs in the winter time with this product if you follow the proper guidelines.

Super Elasto-Barrier is designed to reach a whopping 90 degrees F when in direct contact with the sun at -30°F (-34°C) or below. So the product reacts, cross-links and can set-up in many marginally cold weather situations. Obviously if you are pushing the envelope on roofing you are on your own when you get into trouble. Here are some helpful hints when you get into trouble and you are forced to perform a winter time application.

Be sure to follow the Ames criteria set forth below.
There are certain conditions required to meet the criteria.

1. First use Super Elasto-Barrier as your primary coating.
2. There must be sun contact on the surface for at least two hours.
3. The roof must have good pitch and be well drained. It must not have standing water. Do not apply in standing water areas in the winter time. Chances are they are wet and will be difficult to dry.
4. The roof may have some morning dew on it that must be rolled/mixed into the coating. The coating will accept a small amount of water mixed into the wet film.
5. A small drying test should be done prior to all of the application before proceeding. Be sure the product works to your satisfaction before proceeding.
6. There must be no forecast of imminent weather for a few days. Work for that goal in your applications just in case something goes wrong.
7. Start your application during a clear day early in the morning between 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM and finish by 2:00 PM. Be sure there is no fog and there is a ten degree differential between dew point and temperature. Check your weather station.
8. Top coat with white or light grey reflective coating (Maximum Stretch, Iron Coat, or Snow Seal) in the spring to further protect your roof.

Follow those rules and you should have a successful application.