The sun bakes the oils out of asphalt shingles, and roof rejuvenation puts oil back in. Once the roof is clean, we spray it with a plant-based treatment. The shingles soak it up, so they bend instead of crack.
Think of a garden hose left out in the yard for a few Texas summers. It goes stiff. Then it splits. A shingle ages the same way, just slower and higher up.
Why shingles go stiff
A shingle is mostly asphalt with a coat of sandy grit on top. That asphalt holds light oils, and those oils keep the shingle bendy.
Heat and sunlight cook them out, year after year. Houston’s main airport hits 90 degrees or more on about 102 days a year, going by its 1991 to 2020 averages. As the oils leave, the shingle dries. Then it shrinks, curls at the edges and starts shedding grit.
What we do about it
- Chris checks the roof and takes photos at the free roof assessment. There’s no point treating a roof that’s past saving. Oil can’t put grit back on a bald spot or close a hole.
- We clean the roof with a soft wash. If your roof has black streaks, that’s algae, and the oil should land on shingle, not on algae. Soft wash means low pressure. A pressure washer would blast off the grit.
- We spray the treatment over every slope.
- It soaks in. Bright Green Roof’s products page says it’s made to “replenish the bitumen within the asphalt shingle.” Bitumen is the black, sticky part of asphalt.
The product is 100% active, not mixed with water. That means every drop on your roof is treatment.
Why a plant-based oil? And what does the USDA label on it mean? Our page on bio-based roof treatments covers both. For the long version of the steps above, read how roof rejuvenation works. To book the free assessment, call or text (281) 466-7436.