What's a good aluminum roof coating?
Preferably under $100 per gallon. We bought a 1972 16' travel trailer and would like to get a protective coating on the roof.
Forum Discussion
What's the thought behind "protecting" aluminum?
The natural oxide that forms on aluminum is pretty good, it's self healing and non porous (blocks oxygen and water) - unlike a paint or some other membrane that could hold water (and oxygen) close to the metal.
For keeping the insides cool, paint is working against you. Aluminum is one of the best reflectors there is, see here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reflectivity
White paint looks "brighter" to the eye because chemicals in the paint convert blue and violet light into yellow-green light, but it's actually absorbing more sunlight than bare aluminum, and that means more heat.
The natural oxide that forms on aluminum is pretty good, it's self healing and non porous (blocks oxygen and water) - unlike a paint or some other membrane that could hold water (and oxygen) close to the metal.
For keeping the insides cool, paint is working against you. Aluminum is one of the best reflectors there is, see here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reflectivity
White paint looks "brighter" to the eye because chemicals in the paint convert blue and violet light into yellow-green light, but it's actually absorbing more sunlight than bare aluminum, and that means more heat.
