A roof surface that reflects the sun, on a deck that's ready to hold it.
Reflective coatings on RCC terraces, tiled and metal-sheet roofs, laid over a deck that has been cleaned back, dried, and had its cracks, junctions and outlets sorted, because a reflective coat only does its job while it stays bonded.
- Free site inspection
- Written, itemised quote
- 1-year workmanship warranty
- Same-day callback
At a glance
What does heat-reflective roof coating involve?
A light-coloured reflective coating applied to the top surface of a roof so it bounces sunlight back instead of absorbing it. The visible part is the white finish. Most of the work sits underneath it: cleaning the deck back to something sound, checking it's dry, repairing cracks and outlet junctions, priming for that substrate, then coating to a stated thickness.
When this is the answer, and when it is not.
Sending you to the wrong service wastes your money and our time. This is how to tell.
This is likely right if
- The terrace or roof is sound and drains properly, and you want the top surface to stop soaking up full sun
- An older reflective coat has weathered grey, is chalking off under the hand and needs stripping back and recoating
- A profiled metal-sheet roof over a workshop, godown or top-floor extension that takes sun all day
- Terrace waterproofing is already being done and you want the reflective finish specified as the top layer of the same job
Something else comes first if
- Water is already coming through to the room below, that's a leak, and the source has to be traced and waterproofed first. A reflective coat over an active leak seals moisture in and blisters off the deck
- The roof holds standing water after rain, ponding needs slope correction or a properly set outlet first, because a film sitting in water softens, lifts and peels at the edges
- The weathering course, china mosaic or brick-bat coba sounds hollow underfoot, that layer is already parting from the slab, and anything coated onto it comes away with it when it goes
What the service includes.
Roof survey and moisture check
We walk the whole roof, parapet junctions, khurra outlets, cracks, and hollow patches found by tapping, and check moisture in the deck. A slab still holding water will push the coating off from underneath.
Cleaning back to a sound surface
Moss and algae in the shaded corners, cement laitance, loose weathering course and chalking old coatings scraped and washed off, then the roof left to dry before anything else happens.
Crack and junction detailing
Cracks cut open and filled, the parapet-to-slab junction given a coved fillet, and reinforcing fabric bedded at outlets, joints and crack networks that are likely to keep moving.
Primer chosen for the substrate
Bare RCC, a weathering course, china mosaic, clay tiles and metal sheet all bond differently, and metal needs its rust and loose scale dealt with before any primer goes near it.
Reflective coats
Applied to the coat count and film thickness stated in your quotation, laid crosswise coat to coat, and carried up the parapet upstand rather than stopped short at the corner.
Drainage check and handover notes
We run water across the finished roof to watch it leave, walk it with you, and write down how the surface should be washed, a dirty reflective surface reflects less.
Not included, or quoted separately
- Structural repair of the slab, and any crack that needs a structural engineer's opinion on movement before it is covered
- Waterproofing membrane systems and damp source treatment, a reflective coating is not a waterproofing system, and this is quoted separately
- Shifting, lifting or re-fixing water tanks, solar panels, dish antennas, cabling and their supports on the roof
- Replacing broken clay tiles, corroded sheeting, fasteners, ridge pieces or rotten purlins
- Rainwater downpipe replacement, and clearing blockages below the roof outlet
The sequence.
Roof survey and moisture reading
We look for ponding marks, blocked outlets, hollow layers and existing cracks, and check whether the deck is dry. This decides whether a coating is even the right next step.
Honest recommendation and quotation
If the roof needs waterproofing or slope correction first, we say so before quoting the coating. The quotation is built on measured roof area, the substrate we found, and the preparation it needs.
Strip and clean
Growth, laitance, loose coating and unsound patches removed, the roof washed down, and then left to dry, a deck that's still holding water when the first coat goes on drives that moisture up under the film as the sun heats the slab, and the coating blisters and lets go in patches.
Repair and detail
Cracks filled, fillets formed at parapets and around outlets, fabric reinforcement bedded where the surface is likely to move, and shallow low spots filled and feathered towards the outlet. A roof that actually ponds needs slope correction or the outlet reset, and that's separate work we quote separately, a film left sitting under water softens and peels at the edges. (Add to excluded: "Slope correction, screed levelling and resetting roof outlets to remove ponding, quoted separately.").
Prime and coat
Primer suited to the substrate, then the reflective coats to the agreed count and thickness, with upstands and outlet mouths coated as carefully as the open field.
Water check and handover
We flood or hose the roof to confirm water reaches the outlets, walk it with you, close any touch-ups, and issue a written warranty with its conditions stated.
What moves the price on this job.
We do not publish a rate, because it would change once someone measured your property. These are the variables that decide it.
- Measured roof area including parapet upstands and turn-ups, not the plinth area of the building
- What's on top now, bare RCC, weathering course, china mosaic, clay tile or metal sheet, since each takes different preparation and a different primer
- How much cleaning and stripping the existing surface needs before anything can bond to it
- The extent of crack repair, fillet forming and outlet detailing found at the survey
- Coat count and film thickness, and whether reinforcing fabric is bedded at joints and crack networks
- Access and obstructions, service lift or staircase-only carry, and how much tankage, solar framing and ducting has to be worked around
Heat-Reflective Roof Coating — your questions.
Will this make the flat below cooler?
A light reflective surface returns more sunlight than a dark, absorbent one, so the roof holds less of what falls on it. What you actually feel inside depends on the slab, whether there's a false ceiling or insulation, ventilation, and how much sun your windows take. We won't put a figure on it, and it does nothing about heat coming in through walls and glazing.
Is a reflective coating the same as waterproofing?
No. Many reflective coatings are elastomeric and shed water, which makes them look like waterproofing, but they're a surface finish over a sound deck, not a layered membrane system with turn-ups and detailing built to keep water out. If the ceiling below is staining, the leak gets traced and waterproofed first, and the reflective coat goes on top of that work.
Can it go over china mosaic, weathering course or Mangalore tiles?
Usually yes, provided the layer under it is firmly stuck. We tap the surface first, anything hollow or drummy has already parted from the slab, and a coating bonded to it will lift when that layer goes. So the drummy patch comes off, or it is re-bedded first. Taking it off is part of our cleaning; re-bedding is repair to the layer under our coating, and that's measured at the survey and quoted separately.. Clay tiles are porous and brittle: a different primer, careful foot traffic, and any broken tiles taken out and replaced before we coat, never after. We don't do that tile replacement as part of this job, you either get it done first or we quote it separately, because coating over a cracked tile only hides it until the next monsoon finds it.
Can you coat during the monsoon?
We need a dry deck and a dry spell while the film sets. Rain on a coating that hasn't set streaks it or leaves it patchy, and a deck still holding water from the last shower blisters it from underneath. So we work to the forecast, check the surface for moisture before starting each day, and stop when the sky turns rather than pushing on.
Will it stay white?
No coating stays as bright as the day it went on. Dust, pre-monsoon grime and algae in the shaded corners settle on it, and a dirty reflective surface reflects less. Washing it down with water and a soft brush brings much of it back, no harsh scrubbing, which thins the film. The surface will need recoating in time, depending on exposure, foot traffic and cleaning.
Related services
- Terrace WaterproofingIf the terrace leaks or ponds, this is the work that has to come first.
- Dampness and Seepage TreatmentFor the stained top-floor ceiling that shows the roof is already letting water through.
- Roof Painting and RepaintingWhen you want the roof finished in a colour rather than a reflective system.
Let us look at your walls first.
Tell us about the property and we will set up a free colour and wall inspection. You get a written, itemised quotation afterwards, with no obligation to go ahead.
- We call you back the same day to get a picture of the property and the surfaces.
- We agree a time and come out for the free inspection.
- You get the written scope and itemised quotation.
- Nothing starts until you approve it.