The cool roof movement in Hawaii has spread like a brush fire in August. Everywhere you look, elegant white roofs are cooling down their residents all over Honolulu. Air conditioning bills are often reduced by 25 percent or more. Roofs that used to be torn off and replaced are now being protected from destructive UV and infrared rays for the lifetime of the structure.

But what happens if your homeowners association won’t allow a white roof? Perhaps you have a million-dollar ocean view that is obscured by the glare from the first-story roof below you. Or maybe you just want to fit into a neighborhood that has mostly dark-colored roofs. Does that mean you have to suffer through yet another hot summer?

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Now you don’t have to. NXT Cool Zone® has developed a tough, fade-resistant roof paint that keeps your roof cool even when using dark colors like charcoal gray or brick red. How does the company do this? By using modern nanotechnology, it developed an infrared heat shield that keeps heat from penetrating the roof. The proprietary formula keeps the company’s paint from fading in the sun. As a world leader in roof paint for 42 years, it has restored more than 750,000 roofs worldwide and offers a 12-year warranty. The company started off in Australia, where metal and concrete tiles are the most popular form of roofing. Later, it expanded to Southern California, where it has experienced rapid growth because its products comply with tough cool-roof standards of California Code of Regulations’ Title 24. Now, the Cool Roof Store has brought this product to Hawaii.

Monier Tile roofs

This is the most popular roof being restored worldwide because it is so expensive to replace when its protective glaze has burnt off. With NXT Cool Zone®, you can choose from three different primers that can be used to seal up the weathered tile, depending on how bad the surface is. If it is down to bare concrete, the company recommends its Master Primer to start with. Then apply two finish coats and you’re done.

Metal roofs

Whether they are corrugated panels or shingles, these types of roofing are perfect candidates for a renovation. All panel laps are covered with a special butyl rubber tape to prevent leaks. Then a metal primer is sprayed or rolled on to stop the rust. Finally, two coats of NXT Cool Zone® are applied to create a hard, shiny infared heat shield that resists dirt pickup, mold and mildew.

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NXT Cool Zone® is enhanced with surface cleaning nanotechnology for improved dirt resistance and water beading. The result is a next-generation, high-performance roof coating with superior durability that is heat-reflective, 100 percent waterproof and has a guaranteed long-lasting beautiful appearance.

Asphalt roofs

Whether you have asphalt/composition shingles or any sort of flat roof, you can waterproof it with an elastomeric coating such as Hawaiian SunGuard Ceramic or Apoc Sta-KOOL. The advantage of these coatings is that you can tint them to a large variety of custom colors ranging from light pastels to medium hues. Unlike NXT Cool Zone®, though, you can’t use truly dark colors because there may be too much heat buildup in the home — or premature fading. However, if you simply want your sloped roof to blend into the neighborhood, a beautiful medium tone will work nicely.

Until recently, silicone coatings such as GacoRoof have only come in white, tan or gray. However, Gaco has come out with a number of beautiful colors that will help beautify your roof and come with its famous 50-year material warranty.

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To see all these exciting new technologies in action, come to the Cool Roof Store at 575 Cooke St. in Kakaako. Talk to the paint-splattered experts who help customers save money by selecting the right coating for their roofs. One size does not fit all. If you need a licensed contractor to install it for you-with a long warranty, they can help with that too. Call them at 591-1900 for a free quote.

contact // 591-1900
address // 575 Cooke St.
web // www.leakmaster.com