by Brianna Crandall — January 16, 2017 — Kemper System America announced last week that it is building on its strength in liquid-applied waterproofing with the acquisition of STS Coatings of Comfort, Texas, and its four major brands to address “more than waterproofing” across the building envelope.
“Specifiers want to work with strong suppliers that can solve multiple building envelope challenges, including walls and foundations, and this greatly extends our range,” says Richard Doornink, president and managing director, Kemper System America.
“These proven brands offer significant cost-performance advantages, and will continue to be available through existing and new distribution channels, including retail,” continued Doornink. “Liquid-applied products are easier to transport to the jobsite, are economic to install, and have the most flexibility for application to a wide variety of surfaces.”
The four brands are:
- Wall Guardian Air Barrier. This spray- or brush-applied water-based liquid air barrier system offers three benefits in one: air barrier, water barrier, and vapor retarder. It is for use in cavity-wall constructions, including CMU/brick veneer, steel stud, insulated (continuous insulation), and insulated tilt-up construction.
- Roof Guardian Technologies (RGT). These liquid-applied elastomeric roof-coating systems help prolong the life of roofs, including metal, smooth-surfaced BUR, polymer-modified asphalt and single-ply roof systems. The RGT line includes 12 products including two Cool Roof-rated systems, and two ENERGY STAR-certified systems.
- HeatBloc Ultra Radiant Barrier. This low-emissivity (low-e), water-based aluminum coating is engineered for attic spaces. Applied to the interior underside of the roof deck, it can block over 80% of radiant heat to reduce cooling requirements.
- GreatSeal Construction Sealants. This premium line of caulks and sealants is widely used on doors and windows, masonry, roofing and siding. All products in the GreatSeal line are 100% solids, with no solvents and very low volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and formulated for performance even in damp, dry or cold conditions down to 400 F.
Synergies
“There are obvious synergies with distribution and our existing lines, and we intend to build these in the marketplace,” Doornink said. “For example, Roof Guardian Technologies elastomeric coatings now make us competitive on many more building envelope projects with a much lower price point. In addition, HeatBloc moves us into retail, which blazes a trail for other opportunities.”
Doornink said the news is also in keeping with Kemper System America’s vision to become “More Than Waterproofing” for its building products customers for 2020. For more information on the companies, visit the Kemper System America or STS Coatings Web sites.
