Sound membrane taking the heat
CovaTherm reflective coating
Small spend, instant comfort, longer waterproofing life.
ASPHALT ROOF COATING
Reflective Roof Coating for asphalt and bitumen membranes
Cool your asphalt roof by 8 to 10°C and add years to its waterproofing — no tear-off, no replacement.
-8 to -10°C
under the roof
+8 to 10 years
of waterproofing life
€20-25/m²
versus €80-100
Sprayed safely, rigs stay on the ground
Works on bare and mineral-surfaced bitumen
Lasts 8 to 10 years
No downtime for your operation
Why act now
A black asphalt roof is a radiator bolted to your building.
It soaks up every bit of sun
A dark asphalt membrane can hit 80°C at the surface in summer. That heat drives straight through the roof and pushes up the temperature inside.
It ages faster
UV and thermal shock make the bitumen chalk, then crack. The hotter the membrane runs, the faster it goes.
It hits your comfort and your bills
Under a roof that runs hot, teams struggle and the AC, if you have it, runs flat out.
The good news: you can treat the cause without touching the structure.
The Covalba solution
Your roof reflects the sun instead of soaking it up.
On an asphalt membrane, the CovaTherm system goes straight over the existing waterproofing — a light reflective coating that bounces back up to 90% of the sun. The membrane stops running hot, the building stays comfortable, and the waterproofing is shielded from UV. If it is already worn, CovaSeal 20 restores the waterproofing and cools the roof in one pass.
The 3-layer system
- Bonding primer matched to bitumen
- CovaTherm 8 polyurethane base coat
- CovaTherm 20 top coat for the long haul
What you gain
Cooler underneath, tougher on top.
Up to 8 to 10°C cooler under the roof, from the first summer.
A cooler building
Heat stops coming through the roof. The top floors are livable again without running more AC.
Longer waterproofing life
Shielded from UV and thermal shock, your membrane gains 8 to 10 years.
A lower bill
On air-conditioned buildings, the cooling units work less.
A big job pushed back
You put off the roof replacement — a much heavier spend.
The smart call
Put off re-roofing without taking the building offline.
As long as the membrane holds up, a reflective roof coating takes the heat out and protects the waterproofing for a fraction of what re-roofing costs.
| Covalba reflective coating | New white membrane | Insulation + waterproofing replacement | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Investment | ~112,500 EUR (22.5 EUR/m2) | ~450,000 EUR (90 EUR/m2) | ~750,000 EUR (150 EUR/m2) |
| Life | 8-10 years | 15-20 years | 20+ years |
| Deferred investment | reference | up to +337,500 EUR | up to +637,500 EUR |
| Activity during the work | maintained | interrupted | interrupted |
Investment
Covalba reflective coating~112,500 EUR (22.5 EUR/m2)
New white membrane~450,000 EUR (90 EUR/m2)
Insulation + waterproofing replacement~750,000 EUR (150 EUR/m2)
Life
Covalba reflective coating8-10 years
New white membrane15-20 years
Insulation + waterproofing replacement20+ years
Deferred investment
Covalba reflective coatingreference
New white membraneup to +337,500 EUR
Insulation + waterproofing replacementup to +637,500 EUR
Activity during the work
Covalba reflective coatingmaintained
New white membraneinterrupted
Insulation + waterproofing replacementinterrupted
The logic is simple: less heat this summer, and a big expense pushed down the road.
Aging membrane
CovaSeal 20
Restores the waterproofing and cools the roof for about a quarter of the price of a new membrane.
Active leaks
Fix the detail points, then CovaSeal 20 — or a new membrane if it is too far gone
We won't coat over failed waterproofing, and we'll tell you so straight.
Not enough insulation
A reflective coating for summer, weighed against a full re-roof if insulation is the real issue
The coating handles summer heat; it does not replace insulation.
Take the heat out without re-roofing your asphalt roof.
Tell us about your roof. We'll help you check the membrane, size up the thermal gain, and figure out whether CovaTherm is enough or the waterproofing needs to come first.
What it works on
A fit for your membrane, after a technical check.
The system goes on most asphalt membranes: bare bitumen, mineral-surfaced (self-protected), and multi-layer. It starts with a look at the waterproofing and the detail points. We clean the roof, fix the detail points if needed, then the primer locks in adhesion before we coat.
01
Étape 01
Technical check
Membrane condition, detail points, thermal targets.
02
Étape 02
Prep
Pressure-wash and repair the weak spots.
03
Étape 03
Safe application
Sprayed from the ground; only the hoses go up.
04
Étape 04
Inspection
Quality check and follow-up over time.
Rigs stay at the foot of the building, nothing on the roof. No risk to the structure or the waterproofing when a trained, properly equipped crew does the work.
Real results
Measured in the field.
-7.5°C
on surface temperature
+8 to 10 years
of waterproofing life kept
80%
of CovaTherm jobs are on asphalt membranes
FAQ
Your questions, our answers.
Take the heat out of your asphalt roof without redoing it.
CovaTherm protects your membrane, drops the heat under the roof, and pushes back a heavy re-roof for as long as the waterproofing holds.
Talk to an expert80% of our jobs on asphalt membranesNo commitment
Tout comprendre sur le sujet.
The asphalt (bitumen) membrane is the most common waterproofing on the flat roofs of industrial and commercial buildings. Tough and proven, it has one flaw: its dark color makes it a heat trap.
Why an asphalt membrane roof runs hot
Bitumen is dark, and a dark surface soaks up most of the sun that hits it. At the height of summer, an asphalt membrane can hit 80°C at the surface. That heat then drives through the roof and spreads inside.
How a reflective roof coating works on asphalt membranes
A reflective roof coating is a light, high-reflectance finish laid straight over the existing waterproofing. The CovaTherm system does exactly that: primer, polyurethane base coat, and a finishing top coat.
Reflective coating or new waterproofing: the smart call
A new membrane runs €80 to €100/m², and up to €150/m² if you redo the insulation. A reflective roof coating sits around €20 to €25/m² and pushes the replacement back.
When to choose CovaSeal 20
When the waterproofing ages, chalks, or shows microcracks but no leaks, CovaSeal 20 reinforces it and cools the roof in one pass.
A principle backed by research
Labs have studied reflective roofs for decades. Those numbers explain the gains we measure on large industrial roofs.
Protection that lasts
The CovaTherm system — polyurethane with a finishing varnish — is built to hold its performance for 8 to 10 years. That longevity is what turns a reflective coating into an investment.
Sources et références
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Heat Island Group, Reflective Roofs https://heatisland.lbl.gov/coolscience/cool-roofs
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Using Reflective Roofs to Reduce Heat Islands https://www.epa.gov/heatislands/using-cool-roofs-reduce-heat-islands
- EPA, Reducing Urban Heat Islands: Compendium of Strategies, Reflective Roofs https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2014-06/documents/coolroofscompendium.pdf
- U.S. EPA, Heat Island Effect: reflective roofs https://www.epa.gov/heatislands