When you want to apply liquid rubber on your roof, keep in mind that it is a 3 to 6 hrs process, excluding the surface preparation time. Once the liquid EPDM Rubber is applied, it takes around 16 to 20 hours to dry up. Therefore careful planning should be done taking into consideration the weather conditions as well, i.e. one should plan to work on days when the rain is not expected because although Liquid Roof will immediately waterproof, even when wet, avoid heavy rain until it is completely dry to the touch which means 16 – 20 hours after application. To be on the safe side, one can say that a full cure will be achieved in 4 – 10 days after application, in consistent 70 deg. F.
A lot of liquid coatings can be seen in market but when we talk of liquid roof, its spray and application characteristics are found to be very unique and different from the other coatings. Before applying the liquid rubber, comes the surface preparation which is also a mandatory step. Surface preparation and cleaning is done to make sure that there are no holes, gaps, seams and tears on the roof and if there, they should be repaired before application. Also any potential weak areas should be reinforced and asphalts or silicone type of caulking on the roof/surface should be removed as well. The roof should be thoroughly dried prior to applying Liquid Rubber EPDM after cleaning.
Although Liquid Rubber has a heavy consistency, it will self level and penetrate small crevices and pores. However before applying, catalyzing the liquid rubber with a pre-measured catalyst according to instructions is very important. The liquid roof can be sprayed or even applied with a paint brush to areas which are small and difficult to access e.g. chimneys, roof flashing, pipes, fish ponds etc. A squeegee and a roller can also be employed specially for flat surfaces where the usual practice is to pour the material, spreading with a squeegee and then leveling it with a short nap roller. Also a single application is recommended rather than applying multiple coats. For obtaining efficient results, a 20 mil layer of the liquid roof should be applied.