Roof paint.

[John Z]

Does anyone know what kind of paint was used on the roof, back in the day? Did they use an automotive type paint, house paint, or a type of Kool-kote/Roof-coat rubberized covering?

What products have you used recently for the roof and color stripe; and how are the results?

[mung]

I plan on using some kind of cool coat, possibly as soon as this weekend if the rain stops.  Contrary to the past few weeks Florida actually gets a lot of sun and anything that will help keep the roof cooler is a must.

[John Z]

I just finished putting on the kool-coat a few days ago. My concern now is the texture of the finish. Directions say to use a 3/4"nap roller, which left an "egg shell" or "pebbly" type of finish. I can see already it holds the bits of dirt and pine needles. I am afraid I will have moss growing in no time. As for cooling, I think the only benefit is from the reflectivity. Next I want to do the color stripes and wonder what kind of paint to use.

[pennuja]

I plan on using some kind of cool coat, possibly as soon as this weekend if the rain stops.  Contrary to the past few weeks Florida actually gets a lot of sun and anything that will help keep the roof cooler is a must.

I am going to do the same I have read that you can get something at Home Depot for around $60 that will do the whole roof, I just hope that the peeling paint that is on there will come off easily.

[pennuja]

I just finished putting on the kool-coat a few days ago. My concern now is the texture of the finish. Directions say to use a 3/4"nap roller, which left an "egg shell" or "pebbly" type of finish. I can see already it holds the bits of dirt and pine needles. I am afraid I will have moss growing in no time. As for cooling, I think the only benefit is from the reflectivity. Next I want to do the color stripes and wonder what kind of paint to use.

I am going to "try" to do the stripes on mine as well, I am going to try the tip and roll method using thinned Rustoleum or something like that. I am only going to do the stripe where it currently is and it is about a foot tall, it does not need to be perfect but my only concern is floating junk in the air hitting it when it is wet that always ruins things I paint around here.

[Iceni John]

My roof paint was badly peeling, so I took it all off down to bare metal, sanded, degreased, etch-primered, recaulked all the seams, primered, sanded, then two coats of Rustoleum gloss white with Thermacells ceramic insulation added, then two more coats of plain Rustoleum to smooth the surface.   I brushed on the Mar-Hyde etching primer, but rolled on with a short-nap 4" roller the primer and top coats.   A LOT of work, but it now keeps the interior cooler than before.   Hand-scraping paint off 400 sq.ft. of roof and 1,630-plus rivets was not fun!

John

[Oonrahnjay]

     I did the Bus-Kote 3-part system.  Good sanding (not obsessive about it, tho), then their primer, two coats of white and the clear sealer.  After the two coats of white (sprayed - I had weekend access to a not-really-paint-booth bay), it was pretty grainy and I was worried about dirt etc. sticking to it but the clear sealer did a good job of smoothing it out.  I wish I had recorded 3PM ceiling level temp for a week of clear days before I did it and then the same number for a week after and compared the averages.  I'm convinced it's cooler.  If it will stick on, I'll be very happy with it.

[PP]

To the original question, I don't have a clue what paint was used on your roof. But to the comments since, I have used Henry's mobile home elastic roof coating for the last 8 years and I found it took 4 gals to put on the original coat and a follow up every other year takes less than a gallon and keeps the roof cool and looking good. I put it on with a 3" soft bristle paint brush that you find in the dollar shop for a buck and the lines flatten out before it dries leaving it relatively smooth. I wash the roof yearly with a mild bleach solution and a soft car wash brush to keep moss from growing on it. Walmart carries the Henry's product for under $15. a gallon or $50. for a fiver. The key is to put it on thick and let it flow out smooth. A coat of wax goes
HTH Will

[John Z]

Bruce, you did a much more thorough job of prep than I did. I had called the manufacturer and they said to just scrape it and sweep it. So I knocked the loose flakes off and painted. I'm sure your job will outlast mine. Will, I like your maintenance schedule, and will probably do the same, wash annually and recoat every other year. After reading up on the new 100% acrylics I may just try a good house paint for the color stripe.

[Oonrahnjay]

Bruce, you did a much more thorough job of prep than I did.  ...

     Oh, not really.  But my bus roof had been painted with a pretty heavy coat of ordinary NAPA standard white body paint and it wasn't weathering well.  I redid it before it actually cracked or flaked but it was very powdery on the surface and had been contaminated by tree sap, dust and dirt that has been dissolved in dew and rain water, and the chemicals from tree leaves, etc..  It seemed a good idea to do a "coarse sand" to take off most of the thickness of that layer.  I think it was a good smooth thin coat that was left in most places (went down to the metal in a few places of course) but it was a quick hit instead of a real prep.  But I think that it was a good base for the BusKote primer.

[John Z]

I guess we will know what kind of a job we did in a couple years. I may look into the clear sealer you used. I like the idea of it smoothing out the surface a bit. I had a problem waiting for the right weather to put on the kool-cote. They say it should be at least 65, and stay that warm for 48 hours with no rain. That hardly ever happens in northern Minnesota, unless your indoors! The house paint for the stripe can be put on down to 35 degrees. That's Minnesota friendly paint!

[Dave5Cs]

zinc chromate that's what was originally on Bus roofs because of Electrolysis with the aluminum roofs. Marine primer like Toplac and then Imron type paint over that with ceramic roof treatment in that and a top coat over that would be good these days.

[belfert]

My aluminum roof appears to have been painted with regular automotive paint.  They even clear coated it.  Mine is a 1995 so what they did in the 60s, 70s, or 80s may be totally different.

[eagle19952]

zinc chromate that's what was originally on Bus roofs because of Electrolysis with the aluminum roofs. Marine primer like Toplac and then Imron type paint over that with ceramic roof treatment in that and a top coat over that would be good these days.

zinc chromate...is that kind of white and wears powdery ?  ... (thats the best i can describe it)

[Jim Eh.]

zinc chromate that's what was originally on Bus roofs because of Electrolysis with the aluminum roofs. Marine primer like Toplac and then Imron type paint over that with ceramic roof treatment in that and a top coat over that would be good these days.

I used to prime window panels for buses (transit) with zinc chromate. It's kind of limey-puke green. 
I am finding it harder to get my hands on it locally nowadays. They do not sell it in aerosol cans here any more. Still available in gallons but expensive.