With all the confusing jargon when it comes to roof coatings, it’s important to know the advantages and disadvantages to various types of products so you know exactly what kind of coating is needed for the job. Many of our products have the label “fibered” or “Non-fibered”. While this seems simple enough, there can be some confusion as to when to use one versus the other. To make a product fibered, we add cellulose or fiberglass fibers, plasticizers, and other additives to create a product with unusually strong bonding and penetrating qualities. Fiber is also used to control viscosity. This prevents coatings from running on steeply pitched surfaces and insures that adequate film build can be accomplished. They also provide internal reinforcement to the coating, which results in greater strength in the dried coating and helps bridge and seal hair-line cracks. So with all these advantages to adding fibers to the product, why would someone use a non-fibered product?
The only advantage to a non-fibered product is that it will spread further on a roof so one wouldn’t have to use as much product. However, because it spreads thinner, it doesn’t give as much protection. Overall, we would recommend a fibered product over a non-fibered product because the advantages outweigh the cost. While a non-fibered product may be cheaper to complete a job, the protection it will provide is minimal compared to our fibered products. By spending a few more bucks a pail, you will get protection that will last longer than a non-fibered and you will end up saving more money in the long run.