with our freeze-thaw cycles, it’s just not holding up.
I’ve seen coatings fail in harsh winters, but I wonder if substrate prep gets overlooked. If there’s hidden moisture or debris, even the best elastomeric won’t bond right. Sometimes folks skip primer or don’t let things dry out fully between coats. Not saying that’s your case, but I’ve inspected roofs where those steps made all the difference—even in tough climates like northern Illinois. Still, I get the frustration. Yearly patching isn’t sustainable for most people.
I wonder if substrate prep gets overlooked. If there’s hidden moisture or debris, even the best elastomeric won’t bond right.
That’s a fair point, but even with perfect prep, some coatings just aren’t engineered for repeated freeze-thaw cycles. I’ve seen properly primed, bone-dry surfaces still end up with peeling after a couple rough winters in Wisconsin. The expansion and contraction stresses are brutal on any membrane. Honestly, I think the materials themselves need to catch up to the climate challenges—sometimes it’s not just about the install process.
Freeze-thaw cycles are a nightmare for coatings, no doubt. I’ve seen elastomerics that claim “all-weather flexibility” just crack and peel like old paint after a couple Midwest winters. Prep matters, but you can’t prep your way out of a bad formula. Some of these products just aren’t built for the real world—especially when temps swing 40 degrees in a day. Manufacturers need to stop pretending every roof lives in California...
