When it comes to home maintenance, the one part of the house that’s most often ignored is also the part that’s least visible to you, the roof. Typically, most homeowners don’t think of their roof too often when doing home projects. That is until you discover a leak when you notice water dripping down into one of your rooms. Luckily, a roof sealant is perfect for helping prevent leaks, repair leaks and extend the life of your roof.
As the name suggests, a roof sealant creates a layer that seals off the roof and protects it. But what does it protect your roof from, exactly? Well, that added layer of protection will help against extreme weather and other things like debris. No matter if the sky is hitting your roof with the brightest sun or the heaviest rain, a quality option will protect your roofing materials from it and give them added weather resistance.
A good one can also offer you loads of other benefits. Not only will it protect your roof, saving you from expensive roof repair costs, but it’ll also protect your home and keep it comfortable to live in. Here are the top five benefits of roof sealants:
Waterproofing: A sealant will waterproof your roof and prevent moisture from seeping into your home.
UV Protection: Additionally, a roof sealant will also offer your home protection from UV rays that come with the sunlight.
Cooler Temperatures: And what happens when UV rays bounce off instead of hitting your roof directly? Your home becomes much cooler, which then lowers your cooling costs and saves you money.
Fire Resistance: They also help you by making it harder for your roof to burn, keeping you, your family, and your property safer at all times.
Top 10 Roof Sealants For Leaks
Now that we understand how a roof sealant can benefit you and your home, let’s take a look at the top roof sealants you can buy.
Sashco ‘Through The Roof!’ Waterproof Sealant
Behind that catchy name is one powerful roof sealant. The Sashco ‘Through The Roof!’ Waterproof Sealant can seal a leak on your roof pretty quickly, which is great when you'd like to put an immediate stop to water seeping through. This sealant can even work in standing water.
Why does this matter? Well, because it means that you don't have to wait for your roof to dry before applying it. Just get up there and use this sealant to solve your problems immediately.
Sashco also did a good job of making this sealant easy to apply. The sealant blends easily with your roof, so you won't end up turning it into an eyesore after applying the product. Best of all, you can even paint over it, since paint sticks to the sealant perfectly.
Durability is essential when it comes to roof sealants. After all, you don't want to climb up there every few months just to apply a new coat. Luckily Sashco's 'Through The Roof!' has a long durability life, and it'll stay elastic and watertight the entire time.
GE Metal Silicone 2 Specialty Sealant
General Electric, more commonly known as GE, also has its own line of sealant and adhesive products. For this list, we're looking at an excellent roof sealant called the Metal Silicone 2 Specialty Sealant.
This product is a little specialized compared to most of the others on this list. As you can tell from the name, this sealant works mainly on metal roofing and other metal substrates around your roof. That includes gutters, flashing, and maybe even your window's metal frames if it has them.
Since it's specially-designed for metal surfaces, this sealant won't cause any blemishes on such surfaces. Better yet, it'll stick to both porous and non-porous surfaces, no matter if they're wet or dry. Just as all top options do, a layer of this roof sealant product will also bounce the sun's rays off the surface more efficiently, minimizing the heat inside the building itself.
If you're worried about mold, you'll be glad to know that this sealant is entirely mold-resistant. According to GE, they're confident that this product will stay mold-free for up to 10 years.
There is one downside, though. Unlike some of the other sealants mentioned on this list, you can't paint over this one. For it to work effectively, it needs to be the uppermost layer on whatever surface you apply it to. Combine this sealant for metal roofs, with other protective products like gutter guards for metal roofs and your roof will have a very long life span.
Flex Seal Spray Rubber Sealant Coating
If you watch a lot of TV, you've definitely seen the brand 'Flex Seal' sold on shopping channels or on infomercials. Well, in case you didn’t know they also make sealants you can use for your roof.
You don't even need a roller or a brush to apply it, just spray it on like a can of spray paint. Inside, the can is filled with a rubberized sealant coating that comes out as a liquid. Once you spray it on your roof, the liquid will seep into any holes or cracks, stopping any existing roof leaks and preventing new ones from happening. When it dries, you get a waterproof but also flexible roof coating.
Best of all it comes in 12 different colors. Even if you have a bright blue-colored roof, there's a Flex Seal Spray Rubber Sealant that'll match it perfectly.
True to the Flex Seal brand, you can use this product for a bunch of other stuff as well. Other than coating your roof, you can use it on gutters, home skylights, PVC pipes and so much more.
Liquid Rubber RV Roof Coating
The Liquid Rubber USA is specially made for RVs! If you're the kind of person that's environmentally-conscious, then you're going to love this product.
This sealant is entirely water-based. It doesn't have any solvents or VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) mixed into it. That means you won't have to worry about your kids or pets breathing in dangerous fumes from being around it too much. Plus, without all those harmful chemicals, you can use this sealant indoors and outdoors, and it's totally non-flammable.
Application is easy with just a brush or a roller that you can get at any hardware store. Since it's so easy to apply you won't have to hire anyone to do it for you. All you've got to do is roll it on and wait for it to cure in just 72 hours (a little longer, if it's cold and damp out).
Once the roof sealant is cured on your RV's roof, you get a layer that becomes a solar-reflective and waterproof membrane. Heat rays from the sun will bounce right off, keeping the inside of your RV cool throughout the day. As an indirect side effect of that, you'll be able to spend less on cooling in the long run too.
Liquid Rubber Waterproof Sealant To Prevent Leaks
This is the second Liquid Rubber product that you'll see on this list. That's simply because they make a whole range of sealants suited to many different needs.
There are a lot of similarities between these two products. Just like the one before, this waterproof sealant is also entirely water-based and environmentally friendly. It's highly flexible and easy to apply, but it also works in a number of different applications.
Other than using it on a flat roof for your home, you can also use it in your gutters, ponds, and planters as well. That's the great thing about roof coating products like this one. You get loads of value for your money by being able to use it for so many different applications.
Flexibility is also a key strength of it. This product will expand and contract following the environmental temperature, without getting destroyed easily. Whether you use this indoors or outdoors, this sealant is safe enough for you, your kids, pets, and even plants.
Pro Guard Liquid Roof
With just a single coat of Pro Guard Liquid Roof, you'll have excellent protection against even standing water. The product works quickly and becomes waterproof the moment you apply it to the roof. There's no need for extensive drying or curing times before that happens.
Once the layer of sealant is on there, it'll stand up to even the most extreme weather conditions. As mentioned before, it's entirely waterproof. But on top of that, it doesn't chalk or shrink, and even freezing temperatures won't damage it. As an aside, another way of helping your roof deal with freezing temperatures is by using roof & gutter heating cables. Like many great options, this one does a great job of staying flexible even in the long-run.
As long as you have this sealant on the roof of your RV, trailer, or mobile home, you'll keep heat reflected off of it, thanks to the fact that it's resistant to both UV rays from the sun and ozone as well.
Dicor Rubber Roof Sealant
The Dicor Rubber Roof Sealant is great for creating a seal around your roof's edges. In addition to that, it also works well to around air vents, vent pipes, and even screw heads. Even if you just buy this product to fix a small leak, you'll be able to use it for several other applications as well.
One thing that makes this product so great is that it's compatible with any type of roofing material. It'll stick very well to aluminum, mortar, wood, vinyl, or galvanized metal. Even if you apply this to concrete, it'll still adhere well to the surface.
The sealant itself is UV stabilized, so it won't break down when it's exposed to the sun. It won't deteriorate or even discolor itself, nor will it do that to whatever roofing material you apply it to. Once applied, it'll stay flexible by expanding and contracting according to the temperatures it's exposed to.
Of course, being a sealant means that it'll keep water and moisture from seeping into any little holes or spaces. You'll get nothing but peace of mind with this choice.
Liquid Rubber Seam Tape
Liquid Rubber's Seam Tape can be used as a sealant to plug up any roof leaks.
This product comes in a roll that's easy for you to just peel and stick wherever you need it to be. You can seal roof joints, tears, flashings, gutters, or any other part of your roof that needs to be sealed and protected from the environment.
Since this sealant comes in the form of a tape, its ability to stick to different surfaces is a crucial factor. The brand made a tape that's able to adhere to all sorts of different materials you'd find on your roof. Whether its metal roofing, tiles, wood, steel, shingles, PVC pipes, or more, this tape will stick to it and seal it right up for you.
Once the tape is on and the seal is formed, it'll protect your roof from water and the sun's UV rays, as you'd expect it to. Still, this product goes above and beyond, it'll even protect your roof from salt, thermal cycling, and strong chemicals.
Loctite Roof and Flashing Sealant
This is a great general-use product that will help you greatly with general roof repairs. Whether you're fixing a small leak or trying to seal a large section of your roof, you'll find that Loctite's sealant works well even against harsh weather conditions.
A key strength of it is how effectively it resists cracking. That comes as a result of its incredible flexibility. It expands and contracts according to the temperatures around your roof. That flexibility is also crucial for any small movement in the roof itself. Plus, it doesn't deteriorate under the sun's strong rays or even when it freezes.
This product keeps out water and prevents moisture from seeping through. As a result, you don't have to worry about water leaks happening or about mold growing. Also, just like a lot of the other roof sealants on this list, this one also resists UV rays from the sun.
EternaBond RoofSeal Sealant Tape
This thick sealant tape is UV stable, which means it'll stand even the harshest of the sun's rays.
Even after you've applied it to your roof, it stays incredibly flexible. It'll expand and contract according to the weather, so it doesn't tear or crack no matter how rough the weather might get.
Applying it is also very easy. There's very minimal preparation needed for the roof's surface before applying the tape. Plus, since it's in tape form, you can cut it and shape it however you need it to fit perfectly on your roof.
The adhesive on this tape is also pretty strong stuff. Apparently, EternaBond produces this tape with its MicroSealant Technology, which consists of synthetic resins, thermoplastics, and non-curing rubber with primer built into it. On top of that, the adhesive also has a silicone lining that prevents it from sticking to other surfaces before you've actually applied it.
Once you're ready to apply it, though, it'll stick to just about any material you may find on your roof. Once it's there, it'll stay there and protect that part of your roof for a long, long time.
Roof Sealant Buying Guide
Now that we’ve seen the ten best roof sealants you can buy, let’s talk about how to pick a quality one. Here are a few quick tips on what to consider when choosing a sealant to use on your roof:
- Consider The Color Blending - This might not seem like such a big deal at first, but it’s an often-overlooked factor when choosing the right roof sealant for your home. As you’ve seen on this list, some sealants blend very well with any roof color. Some products, like the one by Flex Seal, come in many different colors for you to choose from. Choose carefully, so that it doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb for all your neighbors to see. Instead, make sure the color matches or blends well with your roof’s existing color.
- Buy The Right Amount - Some products come in large cans, while others might come in tubes instead. Try your best to estimate how much you’ll need for your roof, whether it's for a small leak or to coat a whole area. If you buy too much, you’ll have to store what’s left somewhere in your home. But if you buy too little and run out mid-way through the application process, you’ll have to rush to get more.
- Consider The Form - Some come in liquid form, while others might be in the form of a spray and some roof sealants even come in tape form. Each one will require applying it differently, and they’ll be suited for different applications. Don’t forget to assess your needs carefully before deciding which roof sealant product is best for you.
