You must be here because you are waiting on some bitumen paint to dry, or you’re about to start painting with it and want to know when you will be able to apply a second coat of the paint. Or maybe even paint over the top of it. So how long does bitumen paint take to dry? Let’s have a look.
How long does bitumen paint take to dry?
Everbuild Black Jack is one of the most popular bitumen paints and it takes 24 hours to dry and should be left 24 hours between coats. Bostik Bitumen Paint takes 6 hours to be touch dry and 24 hours to be fully dry. The manufacturer recommends waiting 24 hours between coats.
The data above is taken from the technical specification sheets for each paint, so it is as accurate as can be. From this, I think we can deduce that you should be leaving bitumen paints 24 hours between coats.
What is Bitumen Paint?
Bitument paint is a thick, almost tar-like black paint that is mainly used for waterproofing roofs. It is an effective general-purpose roof coating that is resistant to wash-off by rain almost immediately and is therefore ideally suited for use in adverse weather conditions. The product is specifically designed for general waterproofing in all roofing applications, guttering (non-plastic) and structural steelwork. Dries to a tough black coating.
Bitument paint is also often used when re-felting a shed roof. The bitumen paint is used to bond the felting.
How to apply bitumen paint?
Bitumen paint should be applied with a paintbrush. I would definitely recommend using a cheap or scrap brush that you aren’t too attached to. This stuff is hard to get off a paintbrush so I would be inclined to just throw the brush away after use.
It is normally advised to apply two coats, waiting for 24 hours between coats to allow the paint to fully dry.
Surfaces
Bitumen paint can be used on a range of surfaces including:
- Asphalt roofs.
- Built-up felt roofs.
- Concrete roof decks.
- Asbestos-Cement sheeting.
- Metal sheeting, including iron, steel, zinc and lead.
- Slates, tiles
Wood Protection
Bitument paint is also commonly used as a wood preserver. Wood posts that are going into the ground can be painted with bitumen up to the ground level to help prolong their life span.
Application Temperature
5°C to 30°C. Surfaces must be free from ice.
Thank you, that was a really helpful article. It adds to my working theory, If in doubt leave it for 24h to dry. I love it when they say but it ONLY takes 6 hours to be a bit dry.