The summer weather can wreak havoc on your home, but especially your roof. After all, the roof of your home is closest to the sun and takes the brunt of her harmful UV rays. The heat from the sun’s UV rays will cause your roof to wear out prematurely by causing your roofing materials to breakdown quickly.

Here are some ways that you can keep your roof protected and in good shape this summer:

• Protective coatings. Adding a coating to your roof can help to improve its resistance to solar permeability. However, coatings are not appropriate for all roofs and it is important to have this assessed by a professional roofer. For instance, if you have a roof with a high slope that is old and worn, a coating might not be the best option.
• Roof mist. Installing a roof mist cooling system could help to lower the surface temperature of your roof, protecting your roofing materials from getting too hot. These systems work by spraying a light mist of water onto your roof in periodic bursts.
• Maintenance and regular repairs. The best prevention is maintenance. Making sure that you keep track of existing issues with your roof and have those issues repaired regularly so to avoid major problems from arising is the best way to keep your roof protected.
• Heat rises, and proper ventilation allows the heat that is rising to escape out of your home, rather than being trapped and absorbed by your roof. Extreme temperatures will cause your roofing materials to breakdown and degrade much faster.
• Differing roofing materials. Various types of roofing materials are more absorbing and/or resistant to the heat of the sun. Talk to a roofing specialist about the roofing materials that currently comprise your roof, and which alternatives might be available to lower the risk of damage.

The summer months should be a time of relaxing and spending time with family and friends, not worrying about the condition of your roof. Check into some of these preventative options for keeping your roof maintenance all year around.