Rethinking fluid-applied systems

By Emma Peterson. 

Western Colloid’s Greg Hlavaty explains why it’s time to think about fluid-applied systems as membranes.  

Fluid-applied roof coating systems have long been compared to traditional membrane systems. However, as fluid-applied grows more popular for its efficient application, durability and versatility, there has been a push for a mindset shift. Some professionals are arguing that the industry should start thinking of fluid-applied systems as membranes, rather than categorizing them as something else. To learn more about these divisive opinions on classifications and why it matters, Megan Ellsworth sat down with Greg Hlavaty of Western Colloid for an episode of CoatingsTalk™.  

The push to think about fluid-applied systems as membranes is largely due to the need to raise standards in the coatings industry. Greg mentioned that he has seen a lot of fluid-applied coatings pitched as “miracles in a bucket,” which is incorrect. He explained, “Too often terms like band-aid technology or miracle in a bucket have been used in the coatings industry. This isn’t accurate and often leads to specifications that are written just to sell a product. By thinking of them as membranes, you foster the creation of good specifications.” These specifications include everything from how much product needs to be put down for efficient function to what tests need to be conducted to approve the product.  

The result of writing better specifications for fluid-applied systems? Equal or even better performance rates than traditional membranes at an often more cost-effective price tag. Greg shared an example, explaining, “Here at Western Colloid, we have many FM4470 Class 1 rated systems. That's kind of the gold standard in the roofing industry and you don't have a single ply membrane or a modified bitumen that can have a better rating than that.” 

At the end of the day, by thinking about and specifying fluid-applied systems like a membrane, contractors can open up a whole world of opportunity for their businesses. Greg put it best, sharing, “Properly specified fluid-applied is durable and high-performance. And for contractors, you don't have to have a fleet of trucks and a crew of 500 to put on a fluid-applied roof. With a crew of three to six guys, a pickup truck and a trailer, you can go toe-to-toe with the biggest contractors out there and eventually make 20-30 million dollars a year in coatings.” 

Listen to the whole episode or Watch the recording to learn more about why fluid-applied systems should be thought about like traditional membranes.