PROPERLY STORING SILICONE ROOF COATINGS
The shelf life on our high solids silicone roof coatings is two years*. That means you need to properly store it and prepare it after potentially 24 months on a shelf. This can be a confusing process, so we’d like to outline how to properly store it.
How to Properly Store Silicone Roof Coatings
When you receive your shipment of silicone roof coatings, they need to be stored in the proper conditions. These are simple conditions, but if you don’t meet them your coating can be adversely affected. Before opening, the material should be stored in a dry place with temperatures between 40 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. This is a large enough range that you shouldn’t have any problem meeting the requirements but is still something you should be aware of. If you keep your silicone roof coating material between those temperatures and keep the area dry, you’ll have great coating when you open the container.
How to Properly Prepare Silicone Roof Coatings After Storage
After properly storing your material until you’re ready to use it, what do you need to do to prepare the coating for use? Open the container and use a power mixer to stir the material and get it completely mixed. As with paints, epoxies, and any other roof coating, the material can settle and separate during storage. There’s nothing wrong with the material, it just needs a quick mixing. To make sure your material is thoroughly mixed, we only recommend a power mixer.
How to Properly Store Leftover Silicone Roof Coatings
The most important thing to note about storing silicone is how to re-store it after opening and using only a portion of the material. With a two-year shelf life, it’s entirely possible, even probable, that you will have leftover material to save for future projects. So what can you do to reuse your leftover coatings? There are three steps:
1. Upon job completion, pour a thin layer of mineral spirits into the top of the container. This acts as a moisture barrier and will prevent the material from reacting with moisture in the air to cure.
The importance of mineral spirits, despite being listed here, is negligible. If you don’t pour mineral spirits into the bucket, the top 1/8-1/4 inch of silicone will cure up. Once that material cures, it forms a moisture barrier between it and the rest of the material. So even if you don’t use mineral spirits, you’ll only lose a tiny fraction of the material. When you re-open the container, simply peel the cured silicone off and you have perfectly good coating underneath.
2. After pouring mineral spirits into the container, store it in a location as described earlier.
Your storage location should be dry, and between 40 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Seal the container tight, so no air can enter, and ensure the material is clearly marked.
3. When ready to use the partial material, follow the steps described earlier.
Open the container, remove any cured skin on top, then use a drill mixer to thoroughly mix the material before use. Just like that, you’re ready to go.
Conclusion
Silicone roof coatings are extremely versatile and easy to use on roofs. They are, not surprisingly, versatile and easy to store as well. There aren’t a lot of things you can do to mess up silicone at any stage in its life. If you have questions about how to store material, contact us today. We’re always ready to chat.
