Roofing sealants can be used for routine maintenance and small touch-ups or repairs. Sealant application is a perfect DIY remedy for hail damage, isolated leaks, and other minor issues. Sealants can also be applied to make a roof’s flashing, vents, pipes, skylights, chimneys, gutters, and other components more weather resistant.
Homeowners who are up for a DIY project sometimes prefer to take care of smaller projects on their own – especially if the weather is still bad and the roof is likely to get more damaged.
It’s a great way to temporarily fix a roof until you can get professional roofers over for a permanent repair.
What Kind of Roofing Sealants Are Available?
Roofing sealant is available in tape, liquid, and spray forms. Tape sealants are best for patching up small spots. Some tapes won’t seal if they overlap, meaning the spot should be small enough to fit within its dimensions.
Liquid sealants can be applied with a brush, broom, roller, or squeegee or through a nozzle or caulking equipment. These products can cover small to large areas.
Spray sealants are similar to liquids but applied from a can. Sprays are better for repairing small areas only.
These sealants often work best with certain types of projects.
- Larger roofing damage is best repaired with liquid rubber coating
- Smaller leaks and damage can use tape or spray sealant
- Flashing usually has to be repaired with flashing sealant or wet/dry roof repair
- Edges, vents, pipes, etc. need flashing sealant, self-leveling sealant, or controlled nozzle-based sealant products
That’s a general overview only. Multi-purpose sealants are available that can fix a range of issues.
Here’s a look at seven products that can be trusted to repair a roof.
- LR Liquid Rubber Waterproof Sealant
LR Liquid Rubber Waterproof Sealant is a water-based, UV-stable sealant with all-purpose, multi-surface applications. Liquid Rubber is a flexible, heavy-duty sealant that can be applied to small spots or large areas.
It can be used on all sorts of roofs and other household areas like gutters, basements, foundations, planter boxes, and more.
This sealant is appropriate for use on metal, wood, concrete, and all standard roofing types. You can get it in black or a colored version which is often preferred for metal roofs. In our opinion, this is the best overall sealant.
- LR Liquid Rubber Seam Tape
LR Liquid Rubber Seam Tape is a waterproof peel-and-stick tape used to seal up roof tears, seams, copings, flashing, skylights, gutters, vents, and more. It’s sturdy enough to block water and humidity while shoring up the area’s strength.
This seam tape is super versatile and can be used on shingles, tile, aluminum, galvanized steel, other metals, wood, fiberglass, concrete, masonry, and a lot more roofing materials.
This tape is reliable and very easy to use. It’s even strong enough for commercial applications and you can overlap the tape to ensure a better seal.
It does have a few drawbacks. One is that seam tape is only effective if you know exactly where the leak is. This product also isn’t UV-stable and will degrade over time unless covered with another sealant.
LR Liquid Rubber is also a premium brand with a price tag that matches.
Pros:
- Perfect for spot damage and small leaks
- Perfect for temporary repairs
- No other tools are necessary
- Clean, mess-free application
Cons:
- Not UV stable (will degrade unless)
- Needs to be sealed with UV-stable liquid sealant if used for longer-term repairs
- Only good for small spots
- Can’t patch an entire area and may miss leaky paces
- Gorilla Waterproof Patch and Seal Tape: Value and Best for Small Repairs
Gorilla Waterproof Patch & Seal Tape is a second option that might deliver more value. This is a UV-resistant tape that seals against water, moisture, and air.
Unlike LR Seam Tape, Gorilla’s version can’t be used on seams, shouldn’t overlap itself, and might not adhere well to water-repellant or silicone materials. However, it can be used to seal holes, cracks, gaps, and tears on a range of roofing materials.
This is a more budget brand, but its UV resistance can make it the better option – as long as the damage can be patched without an overlap.
Pros:
- UV-resistance
- Best for small spots
Cons:
- Can’t overlap the tape
- Loctite PL Roof and Flashing Sealant
Loctite Roof and Flashing Polyurethane Sealant creates permanent seals around flashing, gaps, and joints on roofs and chimneys. These seals are waterproof, weatherproof, ozone-resistant, and highly UV-resistant. The cured product can flex, shift, and move at ± 25% without sagging or corroding.
This product can be used on asphalt, aluminum, fiberglass, metal, brick, wood, concrete, stucco, and other materials. Along with sealing flashing, it can also be used for shingle tabbing or to cover roofing nails.
Homeowners can use this professional-grade sealant for quick flashing and joint touchups that are durable and long-lasting. It doesn’t need a primer and comes in a user-friendly nozzle for a mess-free application.
Pros:
- Easy to use
- Can be painted over
- UV and ozone-resistant
Cons:
- Doesn’t adhere well to oil or oil-based caulking products, sealants, or fillers.
- Doesn’t adhere well to alcohol-based materials or solvents
- Dicor Self-Leveling Lap Sealant
Dicor Self-Leveling Lap Sealant is a multi-purpose product that can be used to fill joints and voids along roof edges, air vents, pipes, and screw heads.
This is a UV-stable sealant that adheres to aluminum, mortar, wood, vinyl, galvanized metal, fiberglass, and concrete.
Dicor’s product is available in gallon containers or in tubes – which are best for DIY repairs.
Pros:
- A convenient way to seal gaps, penetrations, or leaks along the roof’s edges, vents, and pipes.
- UV-stable and doesn’t require additional sealants
- Low-maintenance, self-leveling application
Cons:
- Only comes in white
- Flex Seal Liquid Rubber in a Can
Flex Seal Liquid Rubber in a Can is a waterproof, multi-purpose liquid rubber sealant conveniently packaged into a spray can.
This sealant adheres to wood, metal, tile, concrete, masonry, fabric, glass, plastic, aluminum, porcelain, drywall, rubber, cement, certain types of vinyl, and more.
It can be used on roofs and gutters along with other indoor and outdoor surfaces including furniture, bathrooms, foundations, pools, boats, cars, and RVs. This makes it a great choice for homeowners doing infrequent roof repairs.
Pros:
- UV-resistant and weather resistant
- Flexible
- Paintable and comes in black, white, or clear
- Works on a range of surfaces
Cons:
- Should be applied while wearing face and eye protection, gloves, and protective clothing
- Rust-Oleum® Wet or Dry Roof Repair
Rust-Oleum® Wet or Dry Roof Repair is a flashing repair product that can be applied to wet or dry surfaces in all seasons.
It’s made from fibered, asphalt-based cement and can be used to repair roof flashings at valleys, parapet walls, gravel stops, stacks, vents, monitors, and similar applications.
It can also be used around skylights or to seal cracks in chimneys and foundations.
Pros:
- Can be applied to wet surfaces and in all weather
Cons:
- Limited to repairing flashing or chimney and foundation cracks
DIY the Small Stuff and Contact us for any big roofing jobs
If you’re an avid DIY-er, it’s a good idea to have some roofing sealant around. Sealants can be used to quickly repair post-storm damage and keep the home weatherproof.
But eventually, it will be time to bring in the professionals. When it is, give us a call at Canopy Roof & Solar. No roofing project is too big or small for our team to take on.
You can call us out to check things out after a storm, repair small hail damage, and get emergency roofing work done. Reach out to us now.
