Bus Kote

[bluebird90]

Are there any other distributors of Bus kote roof coatings other than Hy-Tech?
I went to order from them online and was floored by the shipping costs. $175.00 for a 5 gal bucket? What the hell are they smoking? Other places charge 1/3rd that for the same size container.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by bluebird90

Are there any other distributors of Bus kote roof coatings other than Hy-Tech?
I went to order from them online and was floored by the shipping costs. $175.00 for a 5 gal bucket? What the hell are they smoking? Other places charge 1/3rd that for the same size container.

Flat white rustoleum is $25 a gallon. A gallon will do the whole roof, its pretty thin.
A tube of 3M seam sealant is $15 at autozone. For $55 or so you could totally seal it up right and paint it. Weekend project.

[IWC Bus]

RoofCoatingSupply.com

Sent from my VS835 using Tapatalk

[bluebird90]

The purpose of bus kote is not to just paint, It is a thick elastomeric insulating roof coating.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by bluebird90

The purpose of bus kote is not to just paint, It is a thick elastomeric insulating roof coating.

Yeah, and after a while it peels, yellows, and stuff sticks to it.
Its an expensive placebo type solution to actually fixing the leaks and painting it.

[bluebird90]

This has nothing to do with leaks. Buskote has insulating properties against heat and cold, prevents condensation of the ceiling and when applied properly does not peel or yellow. This stuff is made especially for bus roofs. Please check out the product before making claims like that. This is a proven roof coating, and still doesn,t answer me origional guestion.

[oricha1984]

this topic comes up often.
People usually ask about what to paint their bus with in regards to reflecting heat.
I would assume if you are worry about cold weather, then a good/proper interior insulation is the answer.
A few members have done tests to verify that the cheap stuff works as well (or better) than the expensive stuff.
No idea if there is a cheaper way to get the product you were initially asking.
good luck

[bluebird90]

My issue isn't the product price but the shipping cost. other places i have checked for similar stuff are charging 1/3 the shipping.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by bluebird90

This has nothing to do with leaks. Buskote has insulating properties against heat and cold, prevents condensation of the ceiling and when applied properly does not peel or yellow. This stuff is made especially for bus roofs. Please check out the product before making claims like that. This is a proven roof coating, and still doesn,t answer me origional guestion.

This comes up so much. No need to get all bent out of shape dude. I'm VERY familiar with it.
Its just elsastomeric roof paint with placebo "nasa beads".
Just trying to save you a bunch of money, but you know what they say about leading horses to water.

[karrlot]

I was bound and determined to use Bus Kote. Then I started researching and came across a post on here where someone did an actual experiment measuring the ability of different paints to reduce the temperature of the metal. I think they found that mixing sawdust into paint worked better than buskote.

[bluebird90]

O K, how about some recommendations on a coating that would work as well. Anyone have good results with a particular product? Remember I want some insulating properties. I,m in the PNW and do not want to tear my ceiling down or reduce headroom inside. It's low enough already.

[EastCoastCB]

No paint has any R value. Its all about reflectivity. Flat white is king. Regular white second to that.
Thats why buskote only comes in white.

[bluebird90]

If you are talking about plain paint you are correct. However these elastemeric roof coatings (think rubber or silicone ) do have insulating qualities, The nasa beads create mini air pockets, remember air is the greatest insulator.
I have noticed a marked improvement in both heat and cooling in my neighbors travel trailer he covered with a home depot brand covering. ( don't remember the product) My main concern has been helping prevent condensation on the ceiling when it's real cold.
If you have had a negitive experience with bus kote please share it. A lot of people are using it and you may help others including myself avoid the bad experience you have.

[bluebird90]

Doesn't flat white attract a lot of dirt?

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by bluebird90

Doesn't flat white attract a lot of dirt?

no. Its just white paint. Elastomeric attracts dirt, yellows, and peels.

[Tango]

I have a friend here in Houston who has been using white elastomeric paint on all his 20' tall, sculpted concrete heads of the presidents (yes...he has done them all...four sets of them) and has never had any problems with delaminating or yellowing and cement media is one of the most difficult surfaces there is to achieve adhesion to. Not sure what brand, but knowing David...it was cheap stuff.

He did the same on a seven story tall statue of Sam Houston. Most have been sitting out in South Texas weather for years. One set is up near Mt. Rushmore.

David Adickes (Still working his ass off in an un-air conditioned studio at 92...One of my Heroes)

[Iceni John]

I bought the ThermaCells insulating powder from Hy-Tech and mixed it into Rustoleum gloss white enamel. Two coats of that, and because it left a rough suede-like surface I then painted two more coats of plain Rustoleum without the pixie dust to make a smoother surface. I think it makes some difference, but it's difficult to quantify exactly how much because most of my roof is now covered by solar PV panels - very little direct sunlight hits my roof at all. The powder was cheap, so I thought why not use it if there's no downside? Anything that reduces interior temperatures is worthwhile!

And I still don't understand the rationale behind using flat white paint instead of gloss white paint for maximum solar reflectivity. Can anyone here refer me to verifiable scientific testing that proves flat's superiority in reflecting light and radiated heat? Heresay and conjecture isn't what I'm looking for!

John

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by Tango

I have a friend here in Houston who has been using white elastomeric paint on all his 20' tall, sculpted concrete heads of the presidents (yes...he has done them all...four sets of them) and has never had any problems with delaminating or yellowing and cement media is one of the most difficult surfaces there is to achieve adhesion to. Not sure what brand, but knowing David...it was cheap stuff.

He did the same on a seven story tall statue of Sam Houston. Most have been sitting out in South Texas weather for years. One set is up near Mt. Rushmore.

David Adickes (Still working his ass off in an un-air conditioned studio at 92...One of my Heroes)

Amazing work he does! You know I LOVE sculpture!

But look at em- that's nicotine yellow. Did they start out bright white?
Also- here in FL I've been on many a roof painted with elastomeric, and it will peel and yellow. And stuff will stick to it.

[wunderhut]

I'm skeptical to the point where I'm not going to spend extra money for ceramic beads.
"Insulating" Paint Merchants Dupe Gullible Homeowners | GreenBuildingAdvisor.com

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by wunderhut

I'm skeptical to the point where I'm not going to spend extra money for ceramic beads.
"Insulating" Paint Merchants Dupe Gullible Homeowners | GreenBuildingAdvisor.com

Nice find. I posted the same link in a discussion just like this one last year some time.