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Silicone Versus Acrylic Roof Coatings: Which Is Best?

You’ve already made the wise decision to restore your commercial roof with a coating rather than a complete tear-off and rebuild. Now it’s time to decide which roof coating is best for the needs of your building.

When it comes to silicone coatings versus acrylic roof coatings, the choice comes down to your building’s drainage system and the risk of water ponding.  But first, let’s look at the pros of each roof coating.

Pros of Acrylic Roof Coatings

Acrylic roof coatings are among the best choices for industrial roofs.

Our acrylic roof coatings come with an 18-year warranty at the same cost you’d pay for a 10-year-warrantied silicone roof coating.

Acrylics are user-friendly, easy to clean up, can easily be recoated, and provide energy-efficient reflectivity. Our Conklin PUMA XL urethane modified acrylic coating can reflect up to 85% of the sun’s light, making it one of the most energy-efficient roof coatings available.

Cool roofing requires less maintenance than traditional roofing and helps subtract from the global carbon footprint.

Acrylic roof coatings can be installed on a variety of roof types including metal, modified bitumen (MB) or tar-and-gravel, single-ply, EPDM, built-up roofs, and spray polyurethane foam.

Acrylic roof coatings will retain their luster longer than a silicone roof coating.

Cons of Acrylic Roof Coatings

When it comes to buildings with excessive ponding, a silicone roof coating will hold up better than an acrylic roof coating.

Ponding is one of the main reasons an industrial roof might need to be repaired. It will occur on your building’s roof in areas where the slope of the roof is insufficient and/or rainwater is unable to drain into the gutters.

Pros of Silicone Roof Coatings

Silicone Roof Coatings are well suited for roofs that have ponding water. Silicone holds up well to moisture that might accumulate on a flat roof and sit unmoved or unevaporated for more than 48 hours.

Silicone also will help a building’s roof avoid algae and mold growth.  Silicone roof coatings can be installed on a variety of roof types including metal, modified bitumen (MB) or tar-and-gravel, single-ply, EPDM, built-up roofs, and spray polyurethane foam.

Lastly, silicone roof coatings provide reflective layers when you choose a white or lightly colored silicone. This can help reduce energy costs when trying to keep the inside of your building cool in warmer months.

Cons of Silicone Roof Coatings

Once a silicone roof coating is applied to your building, no other coating will adhere to it except more silicone.

Also, a silicone roof coating is as expensive as our 18-year acrylic system and yet carries only a 10-year warranty.

These roofing coatings are super slick, so if you anticipate any foot traffic occurring on your building’s roof, silicone isn’t one of the roof solutions to meet your needs.

Silicone coatings may start to yellow with age.

At the End, Acrylic Roof Coatings Win

Considering its longevity, an acrylic roof coating is likely your best choice in a commercial roof coating. Concentrate on proper slope and drainage on your building to avoid ponding issues and the choice between silicone and acrylic becomes even more apparent.

Acrylic roof coatings are the more cost-efficient, long-lasting, and effective method of commercial roof sealing.

Do you still want some help choosing which commercial coating to choose? Contact us and we’d be happy to schedule a consultation.

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