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My neighbor swore by reflective paint for our Arizona roof
Our neighbor Gary, who's lived here since the 90s, told me to paint our flat roof with a reflective white coating last spring. I thought he was just being cheap, but after a July with our AC running half as much as last year, I gotta admit he was right. We spent about $200 on the paint and rollers, and our attic temp dropped by a good 15 degrees on the worst days. Has anyone else tried that cool roof paint stuff in the desert? I'm thinking of doing the south-facing walls next.
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miles_robinson209d ago
Gary's probably a good dude but that reflective paint is overhyped for walls. I tried it on my south-facing wall here in Phoenix two summers ago and barely noticed a difference inside. The roof makes sense because the sun hits it directly all day and heat just radiates down into the attic. But walls have insulation and drywall in the way so the paint can only do so much. You'd be better off planting some shade trees or putting up a shade sail on that side. Save your 200 bucks for something that actually moves the needle.
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grant1559d agoMost Upvoted
Tried it on my garage door once and my wife asked if I was trying to light the neighborhood on fire with the glare. Honestly think the only thing that paint really reflects is my poor decision making skills.
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grant1559d agoMost Upvoted
Man, have you ever just stood there after doing something like that and wondered what possessed you? I painted a strip of my driveway with that stuff once thinking it would melt snow faster. All it did was blind everyone walking past and my neighbor's dog wouldn't stop barking at the glare. I ended up pressure washing it off three days later. Sometimes we just gotta laugh at ourselves and move on. At least your wife still lets you make decisions around the house, right?
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