Inside the chemistry driving today’s roof coating decisions

By Jesse Sanchez. 

As contractors weigh the benefits of acrylic and silicone coatings, CertainTeed guides decisions through chemistry, performance and long-term roof behavior. 

Choosing between acrylic and silicone coatings is no longer a simple price comparison. For CertainTeed, the conversation starts with what each product’s chemistry will do over time, not just how it sprays, rolls or prices out on bid day. That perspective is shaped daily by Gabe Lane, a technical lead in CertainTeed’s Commercial Building and Infrastructure group, who supports the company’s SmartCoat and Flintlastic lines and spoke on this episode of Roofing Road Trips®. Gabe splits the country with two other technical specialists to “make sure that our customers and our applicators have all the attention they need” and he often begins with a basic distinction that shapes everything that follows. Acrylics are organic. Silicones are inorganic. Shelf life, weathering and even dirt pickup start there. 

With acrylics, Gabe urges contractors to treat dates on the lid as a hard stop, especially in cold climates. “If I have an acrylic pail that's been sitting for too long and it's past its expiration date, if I open it up, it's going to smell like a spoiled food that you would open up from your refrigerator,” he said. Once cold has depolymerized the material, “no matter how much you mix, they're not going to go back together with a mixer. That's not how it works.” 

Silicone ages differently but deserves the same consideration. “Silicone is inorganic, so if I get a pail of silicone that's gone past its expiration date, I open that up, it still smells like silicone,” Gabe continues, “Same deal, though. Don't push the expiration date and say, ‘oh, I'm just over a little bit. No, you don't do that with chicken, don't do that with coating.’” 

From there, Gabe quickly moves contractors to real-world exposure. Acrylics “do a thing that's called sloughing, which means that the sun will break down the acrylic surface and then rain can wash it away.” In hot, wet climates like Florida, he said, “you can lose up to a mil and a half of acrylic in the course of a year,” which makes film build and warranty thickness a critical conversation on long-term acrylic systems. 

Silicone avoids that loss and is inert to the sun, giving it an edge on roofs that see intense UV and ponding water. Aesthetically, though, Gabe is clear that acrylic often looks cleaner because it constantly sheds its top layer, while silicone “is able to grab dirt and it holds dirt and it just gets dirty.” CertainTeed’s practical answer is to manage expectations with color. “If you're in an area where it doesn't have to be bright white, then let's put down some tan or let's put down some gray, because that's the way the silicone's going to look in a few months.” 

In the end, the choice between acrylic and silicone is less about preference and more about understanding what the roof will face once the crew leaves the site. CertainTeed’s guidance reflects that reality, grounding every recommendation in chemistry, climate and long-term performance rather than surface assumptions. By breaking down how each material behaves in storage, on the deck and under years of sun and rain, Gabe gives contractors a clearer path to systems that last and warranties that hold. 

Listen to the podcast to learn more about CertainTeed’s commercial roof coating chemistries and guidance on acrylic versus silicone!