Roof coatings are useful materials that can shore up roof parts vulnerable to water damage and other problems. This protection also extends to roofing details such as flashing and roof penetrations.
Follow our detailed guide to using Polyglass roof coatings to reinforce various roof details:
Repairing and reinforcing details
Before installing any roof coatings, the roofing system must be repaired with appropriate roofing material and cleaned thoroughly.
Step One: For a typical three gallons per square meter application, apply a Polyglass base coat in the area to be repaired at the rate of 24 wet mils.
Step Two: Immediately embed the PolyBrite® Reinforcing Polyester fabric into the wet coating. Completely saturate reinforcing mesh with an additional coding at the rate of 24 to 30 wet mils.
Step Three: Apply PolyBrite Reinforcing Polyester fabric and mastic to all repaired areas, penetrations, curbs, and rooftop equipment in this manner.
Field adhesion test
Following repair and reinforcing, use a field adhesion test to evaluate the primer requirements of your roof surface. Here’s a quick guide to performing these tests.
Step One: Apply the desired coating to a thoroughly cleaned substrate, followed by a PolyBrite Reinforcing Polyester Fabric strip. Then apply a second coat to saturate the reinforcing mesh. The strip of mesh should be approximately two inches wide and six inches long.
Step Two: Leave two inches of mesh uncoated to pull after product application and cure. We recommend a minimum dry time of 24 hours before the reinforcing polyester fabric strip is pulled.
Step Three: If the coating comes off the substrate clean, adhesive failure occurs, and a primer will likely be required. If the coating is left on the surface, the primer may not be required.
Consult with Polyglass technical services if you have questions regarding the field adhesion test results.
How to install roof coating details
Below, we’ll take you through a series of roof coating installation guides for roofing details.
Ensure all Polyglass products are mixed properly before installation. Mix all products following Polyglass published instructions. Use a heavy-duty three-quarter-inch corded electric drill and paddle mixer. Mix material from the bottom up to ensure all solids are evenly blended.
How to address inside corner details
Step One: Cut the flashing fabric into manageable 12-inch pieces.
Step Two: Cut a triangle out of the bottom or center of the fabric, three to four inches tall and approximately one inch wide at the base. Position the fabric as close to the center as possible so that the fabric will lay flat when bent.
Step Three: Fold the fabric counter-clockwise using the peak of the fabric as the center axis and when ready, unfold it into an inside corner.
Step Four: Thoroughly clean the area and apply a generous coat of a Polyglass base coat. Cover enough area so that reinforcing polyester fabric can be properly embedded into the wet base coat.
Step Five: Use the pre-cut 12 by 12-inch fabric and fold to fit the corner. Once the fabric has adhered to one side of the corner, let the fabric unfold and adhere to the opposite side. Use your hands and brush to secure the fabric.
Step Six: Apply an additional coat where the fabric overlaps. The fabric should always be fully embedded into the wet base coat.
Step Seven: Once the fabric is secured to the substrate, apply a saturation coat to cover the fabric from above.
How to address outside corner details
Step One: Cut the flashing fabric into manageable 12-inch pieces. The outside corner detail will require two pieces of fabric.
Step Two: The first piece will only need a single cut three to four inches from the bottom of the fabric as close to the center as you can manage.
Step Three: The second part of this detail requires a smaller piece of fabric. Fold a six-by-six-inch piece of fabric in half. Then cut a 45 degree diagonal, starting at one of the corners where the fabric meets. Unfold and use to cover the remainder of the outside corner.
Step Four: Thoroughly clean the area and apply a generous coat of a Polyglass base coat. Cover enough area so that reinforcing polyester fabric can be fully embedded into the wet base coat.
Step Five: Outside corner details require additional coats where fabrics overlap. Once applied, secure with hands and brush.
Step Six: Apply one last coat to saturate over the details fully. Once all details are completed, they can be connected using 12-inch wide polyester fabric. Repeat coating and fabric embedding steps.
How to address pipe penetration details
The flashing featured here can be used on any round details such as pipes, stands, drains, and scuppers. When flashing penetrations, you will also need to install a target over the finger flashing.
Step One: Ensure that the pre-cut fabric is long enough to fully cover and overlap the pipe by a minimum of three inches.
Step Two: Fold the fabric evenly at approximately one inch in width. Make just two, three- to four-inch cuts to accomplish the finger flashing.
Step Three: When working on a pipe penetration, drape a piece of fabric over the pipe and trace the diameter of the penetration.
Step Four: With the circle drawn, fold the fabric in half, then make a series of five cuts: one vertical, two diagonals, and two horizontal. Ensure the cuts are slightly larger than the diameter of the pipe.
Step Five: Apply a generous coat of a Polyglass base coat at the horizontal to vertical transition and work your way out on and around the penetration. This is the most critical part of the flashing. Make sure to cover a slightly larger area than the fabric piece being used.
Step Six: Press the fabric at the transition point and work around the pipe. When fabric overlap is reached, apply an additional coat over the fabric to secure a good bond. Use your hand and brush to ensure the fabric is tight on the pipe and substrate, then apply an additional coat to the fabric. Do not move the fabric during coating application.
Step Seven: Install a target over the finger flashing to complete this detail. Apply more base coat over the fabric at the overlap location. Lay the pre-cut piece of fabric in place, securing it as tightly as possible to the penetration.
Step Eight: Apply another coat over the entire target. Allow to dry and apply a surface coat.
How to install fabric roof reinforcement
Step One: Align polyester fabric in the desired direction. Mark the outside perimeter of the fabric with the base code extending approximately one inch outside the width of the fabric.
Step Two: Apply the base coat in the area between the marked perimeter and out from the fabric.
Step Three: Roll the fabric into the base coat and immediately saturate the fabric from above using the same base coat material. Continue this process until the entire roof is encapsulated.
Step Four: All fabric overlap should be a minimum of three inches. The 40-inch fabric has a red line three inches from the edge, indicating where the overlap should be. Once dry, the roof is ready for a topcoat.
How to address metal seam flashing details
Step One: Thoroughly clean the area, then apply two coats of PolyBrite® 77 Premium SEBS Cement at the vertical seam at a minimum of two-inch on each side at a rate of three gallons per square.
Step Two: Apply additional dabs of product over screw heads for complete encapsulation.
Step Three: Apply two coats of PolyBrite 77 Premium SEBS Cement at the horizontal seam at a minimum of two inches on each side at a rate of three gallons per square.
Step Four: Allow PolyBrite 77 Premium SEBS Cement to cure before overcoating with acrylic surface coating. Silicone is not compatible with this product.
How to install POLYSLOPE
POLYSLOPE is a reinforced cementitious compound designed to create an auxiliary slope over a variety of roofing substrates such as modified bitumen, built-up roofs, concrete roofs, plywood, and single-ply roof systems.
Step One: Pour 1.2 to 1.3 gallons of water into a clean bucket and slowly add 50 pounds of POLYSLOPE.
Step Two: Mix for approximately three minutes with a low-speed mixer and paddle for lump-free homogeneous consistency. Do not mix manually.
Step Three: Using a pointed trowel or screed board, evenly spread material onto the repair section of the roof.
Step Four: Allow POLYSLOPE to dry for 48 hours before applying a coating over the surface.
Product Summary
PolyBrite® Reinforcing Polyester
This lightweight, high-performance polyester fabric is designed for reinforcing seam mastics on metal roofing projects. PolyBrite Reinforcing Polyester is flexible enough to be easily applied over corrugations.
PolyBrite® 77
PolyBrite 77 is a premium thermoplastic SEBS rubber cement coating and mastic designed for waterproofing a variety of structural surfaces.
POLYSLOPE
POLYSLOPE is a water-repellent fiber reinforced cementitious skim mortar designed to create an auxiliary slope on a roof to facilitate positive water drainage. It works with various roofing surfaces, including built-up roofs, concrete, modified bitumen, plywood, and single-ply roof systems.
For more information on proper Polyglass roof coatings installation, contact your Polyglass technical services representative.