Enhancing building performance with fluid-applied systems

By Hannah Ford. 

The extensive benefits and development process of fluid-applied systems.  

In this Roofing Road Trips® podcast episode, Heidi J. Ellsworth visits with Jamie Atkins and Chris Underwood of Kool Seal and Uniflex. They discuss new and innovative roofing products entering the marketplace.  

Kool Seal specializes in reflective roof coatings that reduce interior temperature and save energy. Uniflex Shine created the roofing industry’s first fluid-applied coating in 1946. Together, Kool Seal and Uniflex make up a portion of the Sherwin-Williams roofing brands. “We always like to tout the fluid-applied systems versus traditional roofing. And there's always a significant savings when you go with the fluid applied option. The fluid-applied option, when you apply that, is just as good as putting on a roof and can work from that from a technical perspective and certification perspective,” says Chris. “You can save a tremendous amount of money when you go to one of your building owners and they're contemplating what they want to do in terms of repairing or replacing a roof.” 

Fluid applied systems are increasing in popularity among roofers as substrate costs increase. They add a solid layer of protection and prevent heat damage and UV radiation. “A fluid system is the fastest growing ... It's really a substrate. It's a substrate just like TPO. It's the fastest growing substrate in the industry now and it provides the most cost savings. And the great thing about the fluid applied systems is you could put them over all of the other substrates that they're competing against,” Chris shares.  

Uniflex and Kool Seal make it a priority to address customer needs with their selection of fluid coatings. “We've just introduced a new professional-grade rust inhibitive primer. This product is perfect anywhere you have metal where corrosion is an issue. So once again, it was just looking at what are our needs out there for our customers and trying to find what will satisfy those needs,” Jamie says. As part of their development process, the team considers the feedback of their customers. They aim to give roofers the products that they want.  

During Kool Seal and Uniflex’s product development processes, they make sure to test the products in the most effective ways. “When we launch products, we always get a chance to put these in the hands of contractors for them to test,” says Chris. “But it's just part of our launch process, we want to make sure that we're getting real-world feedback before we launch these products. We have done that with all the products that we launch.” Their products are tested on roofs by real roofers to make sure they are of the highest quality.  

So far, their feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. “I mean, they love the systems that work together. Very easy to apply. They're providing the aesthetic, the look that they want. A very good feel when they're putting it down. We've done a good job of being able to maintain that consistency throughout all the products and through the brands,” explains Chris. These fluid-applied coatings are a staple choice for many roofers worldwide. They prevent extensive damage to roofs, are cost effective and roofer approved. 

Read the transcript or Listen to the podcast to learn more about Kool Seal & Uniflex.