More information for people who find this thread and are struggling with the same decision: Tropicool vs. Enviro White...
I am currently leaning toward enviro white. It seems to be less "sticky" when cured (they actually call it dirt/dust repellent), and from the manufacturer's literature, after three years, it has the highest reflectiveness of all their products. It's only a difference of 80% vs. 73% light reflection, but hey...
Here in Denver, the Tropicool is available at Home Depot (but not Lowes) for $80/gallon. The Enviro White is available at Lowes (but not Home Depot) for $40/gallon. So the Enviro White is half the price; I assume because tropicool is silicone. FWIW, these cans are also .9 gallons, not a full gallon.
Both products seem to require the same prep work, but have wildly different curing rates/requirements. Both products just need a tsp (non-filming) cleaned surface. The Enviro White makes mention of a proprietary primer/sealer, but also says it's not
required.
The Tropicool says it's "rain ready" in 15 minutes (that seems crazy!), and also says it's a one-coat application, though every review I've read mention multiple coats. Tropicool can also be applied from 35-120 degrees F, which is a huge temperature window.
The Enviro White is meant to applied in direct sun, with at least two hours of light before sunset. However, it should not be applied if the roof surface temp is over 140 degrees F. So in the Mile High sun, that's a pretty tricky window.
For anecdotal purposes... my Argosy roof currently reads anywhere from 120-130 degrees F. It was painted white years ago, so now is dirty white with lots of places where the paint is pocked. The silver (paint) end caps read about the same temperature at the roof apex, but even two feet from the high point read at 110 degrees. The vent covers read at 110 degrees, I assume because they are thinner aluminum and have cabin air on the other side (not trapped heat in the wall... it's 102 F in the cabin, by the way). The two stainless steel items on the roof register anywhere from 60-70 degrees... I assume the infrared thermometer can't get a reading on the reflective surface, because I can't put my hand on them without getting burnt. My Airstream (bare aluminum) won't register higher than 60-70 with the infrared gun either (though the exterior surface burns my hand), but the matte finish plumbing vent cover reads at about 125. The dark colored plastic Fantastic Fan vent cover reads 145. It's only 80 inside my Airstream, because that puppy is insulated like a mofo.
So...the Enviro White also wants at least two coats of alternating directions (n-s then e-w) with drying time in between the coats, but deally
within a two hour period. You can let the coats dry over longer periods of time, but they say it's preferred to apply the second coat within two hours. However, that time is obviously relative... in the Midwest paint can take
days to dry, and in the Colorado desert it usually takes around 10 seconds.
Tropicool makes a lot of mention of being good for high moisture areas. It can tolerate pooling up to 50 hours, but should not be used in areas where standing water will exist for long periods of time. Enviro White also says it can tolerate pooling for 48 hours, but it seems like the product is less resistant to moisture. The literature actually makes specific mention of Florida, the Bahamas, and hurricanes for Tropicool (thus the name, I guess).
When Sarge contacted Henry's, they said you should use Tropicool for RV's, but I think that's because they think all RV's are fiberglass boxes (flat roofs). From what I could tell by scouring the boards, I think more Airstream owners have used the Enviro White.
Magnet18 let me know that he used Enviro White, but applied it indoors and after six months it still hadn't fully cured. However, once it was in direct sunlight for a couple days it became hard like it should be.
So... it still seems like kind of crap shoot. I guess I should take comfort in the fact that both products have only satisfied customers (I also surveyed bus and RV forums and all had similar findings).
Without any evidence other than previous experience with silicone and acrylic in general, it also seems like Enviro White (elastomeric acrylic) will be easier to deal with in the future (as it degrades). I did come across a person on a bus forum complaining that the only thing that will re-cover Tropicool (silicone) is more tropicool, and even using the same product is sometimes tricky for touch ups (because nothing sticks to silicone).
Enviro White is half the price and seems to stay more reflective longer, with a slightly harder "hide," so even though the application is a little bit more critical (though not difficult), I think I will be going with Enviro White.
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