Clear waterproofer for asphalt shingles?

[dcarrb]

Anybody know if such a product exists?

Thanks,
dcb

[Stevebsy]

To fix a leak you mean? I recall buying something like that for a former house to stop a leak. Looks a little ugly, but better than rain in the kitchen..

Can't remember the name, but it's out there...

[dcarrb]

Thanks for your reply, but I should have been more specific. I'm thinking more of a Thompson's Water Seal-type product, one that poses no risk to the structure of the shingles. Some sort of sprayable clear acrylic, maybe. Not a gloppy, mop-on product.

My roof is sound and not leaking but showing it's age, and I just got to wondering if I could extend its life a few years by shelling-out a couple hundred bucks for sort of waterproofer. Like Scotchgard, you know? Figured Thompson's wouldn't be a good idea. A quick Google turned-up nothing useful, and I've obviously not done any real research. Just thought I'd throw it out and see if the good folks here have any ideas.

dcb

[bwb3]

I have no personal experience but Somay and Enviroseal Roof-Guard 101 are used quite a bit in Florida Somay colors your shingles white. Has been around since 1984.
Gene

[sicksubie]

I know that I am only 20, but I own my own roofing company and have seen products out there, but they are for the most part stuff that I wouldn't touch. There is a spray that you can put on, but that is more for chimneys that are cracked and leak ( I have a special "secret" way to fix that ). Do you have only one layer of shingles on your roof now? If so you can do a layover and that shouldn't be too expensive, but if you have 2 layers then you will have to strip and lay a whole new roof.

[dcarrb]

I have two layers of shingles with a rolled-felt underlayment, so yeah, I'll have to shell-out for removal and disposal next time around. ($$$) Not really concerned about leaking in the short term, but the shingles have reached the age where their waterproof nature is failing a bit (think of an old canvas tent that kind-of soaks water into the fabric), allowing clumps of moss to grow in shady areas. I'm not going to go for some crank "miracle" roof goop; just wondered if there might exist some clear Thompson's/Scotchgard-type waterproofing product out there that would be safe for spray application on shingles.

The kind gentleman in the paint department at Home Depot eyed me warily and said, "Roofing supplies, aisle one..."

Thanks for the input.

dcb

[sicksubie]

You might want to get the moss off your roof. That eats away at your shingles and kills their lifespan.

[dcarrb]

Hey, what I'd really like is a New England slate roof.

On second thought, my little old house would probably collapse under the weight.

dcb

[sicksubie]

$2000 a square, buddy.

[sicksubie]

How handy are you? It's not that hard to roof. What kind of house do you have?

[benebob]

$2000 a square, buddy.

Oh and the quality isn't nearly as good as 75 years ago since most of the slate is gone.

I'd steer him towards one of the many "fake slates" out there it'll give the life of 95% of the slate today, the look and cost what $500 a square or so.

I'll give ya the same advice I gave SVXfiles regarding his felt that was ripped and torn from windstorms. Spend the money to get it fixed before you have leaks otherwise you'll spend 2x as much once it does start to leak fixing the water damage and also replacing the roof.

Sickie is right, shingle roofing isn't that hard provided you are in excellent shape, have no fear and have a couple days to blow in a row. Getting rid of the old yourself might be a way to save cost though.

[dcarrb]

Single-story, small three-bedroom with attached 1-car garage, lean-to back porch, fairly shallow pitch, only three valleys. When the time comes, I do hope to find someone willing to knock-off a few bucks if I do some of the grunt work. I can drive a nail but this isn't a job I'd tackle alone. Ripping off the old stuff and carting it to a dumpster, that I can do.

Two thousand bucks; man, I've always wondered about that. The name on my mailbox post is painted on an old slate shingle from Vermont.

Good point about waiting too long and ending-up paying more. Gonna have to give this a bit more consideration.

Thanks again, guys.

dcb

[mohrds]

There is a spray that you can put on, but that is more for chimneys that are cracked and leak ( I have a special "secret" way to fix that ).

Replace the bad bricks and install new flashing? :D That's no secret. ;)