Are you having issues with your commercial roof and not sure of the best way to go about repairing, or replacing it? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. The first thing you should do is call a local roofing company for a roof inspection. This will allow you to have a better understanding of the current health of the roof, opportunities to repair and life expectancy. If it is determined that you need a new roofing system, this can be very taxing on your budget. This is what makes roof coatings so attractive. With commercial roof coatings, you can typically extend the life of your roof by up to 20 years, at a fraction of the cost of commercial roof replacement!
Castagra Ecodur Commercial Roof Coatings
When it comes to commercial roof coatings, there are many options to choose from. One that has been gaining more attention as of late is Catasgra’s Ecodur product. The inspiration for the product arrived from a will to create a viable solution, but without relying on the use of plastic. Plastics are derived mainly from petroleum and can be taxing on the economy and the environment.
Castagra co-founder Peter Noosen had long searched for a more eco-friendly solution. Peter aimed to use widely abundant raw materials, and ultimately found that a mixture of gypsum and castor oil created a wildly successful waterproofing coating solution. Gypsum and castor oil are much more readily available, sustainable, and eco-friendly than plastics. This is especially important with what we have seen as far as supply chain breakdowns as a result of COVID.
Some of the challenges with other commercial roof coatings are how long they take to cure upon install, how hard they cure, and in some cases, toxicity. Castagra’s Ecodur roof coating has been applied to multiple industries. In prior non-roofing uses, it was used to coat a $300,000,000 fracking vessel, a construction water-retention pond, commercial parking garages, and more.
The coating of the ship deck was the real proof of concept that helped launch Castagra’s Ecodur line into the limelight. Between traffic, rapid change in weather and salt water, ship decks have perpetually had the issue of how to protect the deck of the vessel. Ecodur proved to be the most effective after a year long study!
Eco-friendly Roof Coating
As mentioned above, the primary motivation for the creation of Ecodur was to find a more environmentally friendly way to coat different surfaces. Castagra’s Ecodur is not only eco-friendly, but also NSF61 certified. What does this mean to you? It means that there are no toxic chemicals that need to be considered during the application, or thereafter.
In fact, it can be applied to drinking water delivery systems, without concern of contamination! It is important to note that this does not impact the integrity of the roof coating in a negative way. Per Castagra, they have conducted over 10,000 tests to prove the efficacy of their Ecodur roof coating and continuously improve it. A few examples of the tests include but are not limited to: Waterproofing tests, Long-term UV tests, Saltwater emersion tests, Chemical resistance tests, Abrasion tests, and fire resistance tests.
The bottom line is: while Castagra Ecodur roof coatings are eco-friendly, they are also more durable than many other roof coating solutions. Ecodur is waterproof and able to withstand unlimited ponding water, and is unharmed by harsh UV rays. Ecodur also adheres much easier to existing roof surfaces than other types of roof coatings, and cures into a hard final surface that can withstand nearly any debris falling onto the roof.
Eco-friendly Composition
The combination of gypsum and castor oil proved to be the winning combination to create an eco-friendly coating! Gypsum is commonly used in plaster, drywall, blackboards and chalk. It is also frequently used as a fertilizer in the agricultural sector. For commercial roofing systems, gypsum makes sense due to its inherent properties that help insulate, fire resistance and also impact resistance! This is especially important in areas of the United States that are at risk for extreme weather, such as hail storms.
Castor oil is produced by extracting the oil from the seed of the Ricinus communis plant. This vegetable oil is often used in cosmetic products due to its non-toxic nature. Coupling this with gypsum has proven to be a winning combination for Castagra’s Ecodur roof coating!
Castagra Ecodur Installation – What to expect
The first step is to clear the roof of any loose debris. This can typically be done via a walkthrough and a quick sweep of the roof’s surface. Be sure to devote a bit of extra time to areas where there are penetrations, curbs etc…
From there, you’ll want to take note of any buildup, such as grease or caked up dirt. Typically, a power wash will not be necessary, but under these conditions, power washing might be prudent. A wire brush can be helpful in areas where build up is present.
Once these steps are complete, use a leaf blower to remove any loose debris.
We recommend walking through once more to ensure there are no loose debris and that all areas are dry, clean and tight.
Process of Detailing & Premix
One of the benefits of Castagra Ecodur is the ability for it to quickly cure once applied. Having all necessary tools on site for the coating application and your team members working together is a must, given its limited pot life.
Once this is complete, we will create a mixing station with a tarp and several industrial mixing buckets. This is a very important step, as to ensure consistency throughout and proper application.
Once part A of the premix is homogenous, we will mix in part b.
Using rollers, brushes and other applicators, we then coat parapets, curbs and other penetrations. You will notice we coat vent pipes to approximately one inch inside the pipe and HVAC and sunlight curbs to approximately ¼ inch.
Once complete we begin to poor and roll the Castagra Ecodur coating to the rest of the roof’s surface. Special attention should be paid to any pooling areas.
Topcoat
If your commercial roof requires a topcoat, Ecodur will need to cure overnight. In this instance, a follow up visit for the topcoat application would be scheduled. Ecodur can accept many topcoats including silicone, acrylic, or Castagra’s Soladur topcoat product.
Warranty
Upon completion of your roof coating project, a representative from Castagra will inspect the work that was done to make sure it meets the company’s warranty requirements. Castagra certified applicators are able to offer 10 and 20 year no-dollar-limit (“NDL”) warranties with an approved manufacturer inspection. At the end of the 10 or 20 year warranty period, another coat can be applied to extend the warranty even further and get more life out of the existing roof!
How to Choose the Correct Commercial Roof Coating?
With many options available on the market, it is important to choose a commercial roof coating that fits the needs of your specific building. We always recommend reaching out to a licensed and insured commercial roofing contractor to inspect your roof and figure out the best solution for your roof coating project.
