Darci Kunard – Color Matching and Metal Roof Sealant

By Colin Sheehan, RCS Reporter. 

Why strong, high-performance sealant is crucial for the performance of metal roofing and siding. 

On Season 3, Episode 57 of Roofing Road Trips, Heidi J. Ellsworth visits with Darci Kunard from Franklin International/Titebond about their metal roofing sealants and the technology behind their color matching process. Established in 1935, Franklin International is among the largest privately held manufacturers of adhesives and sealants in the U.S. and is well known for their Titebond and WeatherMaster brands.  

Darci, an experienced marketer with a demonstrated history of success working in the building materials industry, shares what is happening with their color matching initiatives for roofing, siding and other products. With homeowners demanding stronger and more sustainable roofing options, as well as enhanced curb appeal, the performance of sealants and color matching has become a critical component to a contractor’s success. 

Darci has been in the sealant industry over 10 years and started working with Franklin International as a product manager before moving into a full-time sales role. Franklin has been especially busy this year launching four new products and preparing to launch even more in 2022. They also recently expanded into a new facility where they manufacture their high-quality caulks and sealants from raw materials to the final product. 

“We're doing an expansion of our caulks and sealants line, and it's just been really exciting,” said Darci.  

Franklin’s products come with an incredible selection of colors and are designed to be used with any surface. Their advanced polymer sealants, better known as WeatherMaster products, recently came out with a metal roofing sealant designed to meet the rising demand for metal roofs and consequently, the demand for sealants that perform well with metal. 

“Metal can be very difficult to stick to. The adhesion on it is extremely important because metal does expand and contract and those metal roofs move a lot,” said Darci. “So, you need a great sealant that can really hold on. And, our metal roof sealant is capable of sticking to kynar or any other type of coated metals.” 

This sealant also comes with a Miami Dade certification and can be used in freezing temperatures, rain and even standing water. To top it all off, the product comes in over 100 colors and can be matched to any type of metal.  

“So, there's metal siding, there's metal roofing, gutters, whatever you need it matched to, we're happy to match,” said Darci. “On our website, we have a way you can select your current metal manufacturer and see which color of our line will work for you.” 

Listen to the entire podcast to hear more from Darci and the technology behind Franklin International’s color matching sealants.