Paint Product Opinion (keep heat out)

[oricha1984]

So a few years back, my parents flat roof house in Miami started to leak. I did some research and found this product:
All White Manufacturing Inc.

I used the primer, mesh, and the R400. It has been 5 years and it is still holding.
I have climbed on the roof during the hottest part of the day and the material stays COOL TO THE TOUCH. I'm guessing it reflects all of the heat.

Would something like this work on the bus for a paint job?


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[Tootalltechie]

A good flat roof job should last up to 15 yrs. There is product that has been suggested on here that reflects the sun and heat.

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[oricha1984]

Originally Posted by Tootalltechie

A good flat roof job should last up to 15 yrs. There is product that has been suggested on here that reflects the sun and heat.

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Any idea on how to find that info here?

I've heard that the best way to deal with hot weather is to prevent it from getting inside.

I'm thinking on using a white heat reflective paint, and what ever top end heat reflecting window tint is out there.

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[Tootalltechie]

Unfortunately I have not painted my bus yet. I can only suggest search for roof painting and a lot of reading.

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[superdave]

im using white oil based paint, some use bus kote, there are several products that work. Insulating Roof Paint for Buses, Mobile Home, RV
if your going to live in it pull your ceiling down and insulate.

[oricha1984]

Originally Posted by superdave

im using white oil based paint, some use bus kote, there are several products that work. Insulating Roof Paint for Buses, Mobile Home, RV
if your going to live in it pull your ceiling down and insulate.

I'm buying a short bus to convert as a camper. I won't be living in it; however, here in Florida is hot and humid.

I will keep this conversion simple. Maybe I ll go all fancy on my second bus.

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[cadillackid]

Ive driven my bus through florida alot.. (have an apartment in FL now too).. my ceiling gets HOT to the touch.. I said I wasnt going to pull down my ceiling and insulate but am rethinking that now I might .. right now im actively running my bus everywhere so it will be awhile till I do it..

my bus is painted a light beige color on the roof and is all stock.. I have 60,000 BTU of engine driven air-conditioning.. when its in the 90s and sunny and humid in florida its not exactly cold in the bus.. once the sun goes behind the cloud or if I park in the shade my interior then gets cold..

even I who said "never" may be tearing into my bus to insulate.. and i dont camp in my bus.. I drive it all over and only ever sleep in it a couple hours when i get sleepy..

-Christopher

[oricha1984]

Originally Posted by cadillackid

Ive driven my bus through florida alot.. (have an apartment in FL now too).. my ceiling gets HOT to the touch.. I said I wasnt going to pull down my ceiling and insulate but am rethinking that now I might .. right now im actively running my bus everywhere so it will be awhile till I do it..

my bus is painted a light beige color on the roof and is all stock.. I have 60,000 BTU of engine driven air-conditioning.. when its in the 90s and sunny and humid in florida its not exactly cold in the bus.. once the sun goes behind the cloud or if I park in the shade my interior then gets cold..

even I who said "never" may be tearing into my bus to insulate.. and i dont camp in my bus.. I drive it all over and only ever sleep in it a couple hours when i get sleepy..

-Christopher

Well, I just wanted to keep it simple.
I've thought about just removing the floors but ...
Maybe I ll just drive the bus around before doing anything to it so that I can have a better idea.

I'm thinking if that allwhite.com material stays cool, then it is only logical that no heat would come through the roof.

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[Scooternj]

Originally Posted by oricha1984

I'm buying a short bus to convert as a camper. I won't be living in it; however, here in Florida is hot and humid.

Hot and humid? Pull down the panels and replace the insulate with better R value than what the bus manufacturers call "insulation" in addition to paint. You'll appreciate it, and so will any cooling system you put onboard

[cadillackid]

also remember if you are using right now as your basis for whether to insulate or not.. that the sun angle is significantly reduced from what it is in the hard part of summer.. we are mid september so even in florida the sun intensity is reduced from the high months of may - july..

my plan for mine is to unbolt my ceiling panels carefully.. (mine are screwed in not riveted).. insulate and then replace them back into the bus.. (im not really into wood ceilings).. paint my roof white with bus kote, and then use cellular blinds on my windows and i think I'll do a lot better with cooling...

I dont want to tint my windows as i like the bright sunlight in many cases which I would lose if I tint.. so using cellular shades i can block the sun when need-be and allow it in when I want it.. plus maintain visibility for night-time rain driving.

-Christopher

[somewhereinusa]

I used buskote, it made a significant difference. Sitting in direct sun when it was yellow, it was very uncomfortable walking on the roof in stocking feet. After the buskote same conditions, you could comfortably lay your forearms on it. That says a lot to me. I didn't take any temp readings at the time.

I did take some readings inside this summer sitting in noon sun. Outside air temp over 90°. My bus has factory insulation and, at this point factory ceiling. Temp of ceiling was about 75° and of rib about 80°.

With the windows open, with any breeze at all it's more like sitting under a tree than in a tin box. I don't usually run the AC unless mumsywumsy is with me.

Dick

[FlyboyHPD]

There are several products on the market that will do what you want. The first has already been mentioned called Bus Kote by Insulating Roof Paint for Buses, Mobile Home, RV

The second product is called Tropi-Cool by Henry - Henry Tropi-Cool 4.75 Gal. 887 White 100% Silicone Roof Coating-HE887HS073 - The Home Depot

Both insulate and seal to help prevent leaks. Go with whatever costs less. Good luck.

[somewhereinusa]

I used the buskote because, right or wrong, the ceramic beads makes sense to me. I did everything as they recommend, which in my case included two different primers because of the aluminum involved. I also used their clear coat on top. It was expensive mainly because of the shipping from Florida, they don't have any dealers, you have to buy from them.

I sprayed mine which meant I had to buy an airless paint sprayer (more tools ) but, if I were to do it again I would roll it on. The buskote comes out rough anyway. The primers and clear coat are clear and the consistency of water and hard to spray and get on evenly (at least for me)

I'm sure just painting it white, using any paint would make a difference. I'm quite happy with mine in spite of the expense.

Dick

[jazty]

Here's an old thread about Hytech's insulating beads in elastomeric paint vs plain elastomeric paint (Henry's Solarflex): http://www.skoolie.net/forums/f13/in...se-9291-7.html. Both products are elastomeric (rubberized) roofing paint. I applied the Henry's on my bus roof for a total of $100. $70 for the paint and $30 for the rollers and paint brushes. All bought locally. And it works great!

As far as I can tell, the colour makes the biggest difference. A white roof is inherently going to reject thermal radiation better than an orange roof. The rough texture of the rubberized roofing paint also seems to help vs a shiny paint job. The insulating beads? Well, in my opinion they're a waste of money. Just apply another couple coats of elastomeric paint and you'll end up with the same thermal results and a nicer, more durable paint job for the same investment.

[cadillackid]

my roof is a light beige and my interior ceiling temp still reaches well above 100 in the sun..

i think im going to roll on some Bus-Kote and do my blinds then decide if i need to pull my ceiling down still..

I was looking for a rollable product as I dont have the facilities to spray.. my bus storage unit in ohio allows for performing some tasks to your vehicle but the explicitly prohibit spray painting.. (for reasons of other vehicles being in the vicinity).. the one in florida flat out says no work period other than basically tasks required to prepare an RV for a trip.. no exterior work period other than washing at their wash station..

how far down do most of you take it? a line just above the bus windows?

-Christopher

[Crozz]

I used AMES Maximum Stretch and seam tape on my roof. When it was over 95 outside the roof of my bus was cool to the touch where the yellow was fairly warm to hot. I used a 5 gallon bucket of the stuff from amazon. I posted about it in my bus thread.

If you want more info let me know.

[jazty]

Originally Posted by cadillackid

my roof is a light beige and my interior ceiling temp still reaches well above 100 in the sun..

Yeah, beige would heat up plenty good, especially clear coated. It's a strange thing that a school district even bothered ordering such a thing! Those goofs should have gone white or just left it all yellow!

I took my paint to just below the drip rail so, yes, above the windows. I think Somewhereinuse brought the elastomeric roofing paint all the way down to the first rub rail.

Originally Posted by cadillackid

I was looking for a rollable product as I dont have the facilities to spray..

All the elastomeric paints I've researched (including Bus-Kote and Henry's Solarflex, the two most popular) are rollable, water based products. Real easy to clean up, but make sure there's no rain in the forecast for the week! There was one poor soul who had every bit of the paint job wash off during a rain storm since it wasn't cured I had to build a tarp tent to do my bus roof and kept it on for a week and a half after applying the paint to be certain the paint wasn't going anywhere!

[cadillackid]

Originally Posted by jazty

Yeah, beige would heat up plenty good, especially clear coated. It's a strange thing that a school district even bothered ordering such a thing! Those goofs should have gone white or just left it all yellow!

I took my paint to just below the drip rail so, yes, above the windows. I think Somewhereinuse brought the elastomeric roofing paint all the way down to the first rub rail.



All the elastomeric paints I've researched (including Bus-Kote and Henry's Solarflex, the two most popular) are rollable, water based products. Real easy to clean up, but make sure there's no rain in the forecast for the week! There was one poor soul who had every bit of the paint job wash off during a rain storm since it wasn't cured I had to build a tarp tent to do my bus roof and kept it on for a week and a half after applying the paint to be certain the paint wasn't going anywhere!

light beige is the color I had the upper half of the bus painted when I bought it.. and yeah its a base coat / clear coat

my bus storage unit in ohio is under roof so no issues there for getting rained on, I'll likely do it in october ..weather is usually mild (60s)and dry in october in ohio so a perfect time to paint the roof of a bus in the shade..

-Christopher

[jazty]

Originally Posted by cadillackid

light beige is the color I had the upper half of the bus painted when I bought it.. and yeah its a base coat / clear coat

Sorry Christopher.. I don't think you're a goof. Put my foot in my mouth there... I just thought that if a school district did the paint job that it would be strange...

[cadillackid]

Originally Posted by jazty

Sorry Christopher.. I don't think you're a goof. Put my foot in my mouth there... I just thought that if a school district did the paint job that it would be strange...

I never thought about roof color other than i knew I wasnted a 2 tone color bus.. I didnt know then about roof paints.. so I had the bus dealer paint the bus a dark lower and a light beige upper .. I had them do it as i dont have the facilities or knowledge to know how to paint a bus and they do so I did it before i drove the bus home..

now im learning (so yeah i probably was a goof lolol).. and yeah kind of goofy if a school did it just because schools are usually yellow / white or all yellow.. churches in my area paint their busses all different colors.. and the sheriff paints theirs all solid black.. (cant imagine how hot that is inside).. the sheriff;s newest IC does have a white roof.. funny thing the sheriff buys all their busses air conditioned.. so the convicts ride in air-conditioned comfort while the honor students roast.. seems backwards but oh well..

-Christopher