UNIQUE COMPANY & PRODUCT
In 2017, the Schubert brothers decided to join all forces and start a business. Since childhood, they have worked together in the family business. After they each went their separate ways in different areas of expertise, the idea of starting a new business together came to them in 2017. Christiaan Schubert: “At Cool Roof Coatings, we renovate black roofs by applying a white silicone coating directly over the existing roofing material. GE, the inventor of silicone chemistry, first applied their product to a roof in New York back in 1967. Since then, millions of square meters of roof area worldwide have been coated with the waterproof silicone Enduris layer.”

Not only permanent waterproofing, but also sustainability plays an increasing role in the renovation market. Christiaan: “White roofs have a cooling effect both on the outside and on the inside. Whereas flat black roofs can reach temperatures of 70 to 80 degrees, white roofs often do not get warmer than 30 to 40 degrees. This has a big positive effect on cooling loads, on the efficiency of solar panels and it creates a cooler, more comfortable indoor climate.”

“In the US, the concept of white roofs, officially ‘Cool Roof,’ is already widely used and is even mandatory in some states. With the developments in the Netherlands in the areas of energy conservation, sustainability and climate, we saw this as a great opportunity to apply this concept in the Netherlands as well, especially since all traditional roofing materials are largely hydrocarbon (fossil fuel) based. Enduris silicone is based on silicon (quartz sand) and almost entirely fossil-free,” Christiaan says.

The term “coating” has traditionally had a skeptical reputation in the Netherlands. The thinking is often that a coating cannot function as well as a fossil roofing and installations often go wrong. Christiaan: “For us, this was the biggest challenge. Even though GE is the inventor, one of the biggest brands in the world and the product has been used all over the world for more than 55 years, people in the Netherlands remained skeptical. We had to gain trust and show that the quality and guarantees far exceed all existing products. We succeeded with great success. Where we started with roofs of 2,000 m2, we now renovate roofs of 100,000m2. Currently, collaborations are being established in all provinces with selected installers who – after training and education – can receive a Cool Roof Coatings Hallmark that stands for guaranteed quality.”