Reflective Coating System Restores Florida Condo Tower’s Roof

The original roof’s warranty had expired and the building was experiencing leaks.

St. Raphael at Pelican Bay is a 20-story luxury condominium with 164 tower units and 14 private villas offering sweeping views of the Gulf of Mexico. Located in Naples, Florida, the roof of the condominium is exposed to harsh heat from the sun and it must withstand the tropical storms that sometimes strike the area.

Built in 2000, the condo’s original 14,000 square foot modified bitumen granulated roof was nearing the end of its service life. The 15-year warranty had expired, and they were experiencing leaks, granule loss and the membrane was becoming dry and brittle. Having installed the original roof, West Coast Florida Enterprises, Inc. (WCFE) was invited to bid on the roof job.

WCFE Estimator Victor Littlejohn explained, “One of the board members for the HOA owns a roofing company in Ohio and he actually had installed the KARNAK 298 Alumin-R system before. They knew what they wanted, and he had already specified the job.”

KARNAK 298 Alumin-R is a premium grade, single component, SBS rubber modified asphalt reflective coating specially formulated with aluminum pigment to be used as a reflective elastomeric coating. Its reflectivity and cool roof ratings made it an ideal choice to reflect the hot, Florida sun and help reduce the cooling load for building residents.

Before the restoration began, Littlejohn brought in a third-party to do a moisture scan on the roof. “We needed to make sure the insulation was dry, which is a requirement for us to be able to provide them with the KARNAK labor and material warranty,” he said.

Once they were satisfied that the insulation was in good shape, they started the work by repairing all the leaks. After the leaks were sealed, the crew cleaned the roof using KARNAK 799 Wash n Prep and pressure washed the roof.  Next came the detail work. “We sealed all flashing, penetrations and drains using KARNAK 229 AR Elastomeric trowel grade with the 5540 Resat Mat,” described Littlejohn. “Then we used the 229 AR Elastomeric brush grade to coat the existing modified membrane and applied it a three gallons per 100 square feet.”

KARNAK 229 AR Elastomeric is a single component, rubber reinforced asphalt that forms a highly elastomeric waterproof coating as well as an air barrier. After the 229 AR was cured, the crew performed a light cleanup and then applied the final rubberized reflective coating using KARNAK 298 Alumin-R, sprayed on at a rate of two gallons per square. Residents at St. Raphael are now protected by an energy-efficient, reflective KARNAK roof that meets Miami-Dade County standards for performance.

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