Can I Use CryoPaint on Vehicles?

CryoPaint is a passive daytime radiative cooling paint. It reflects 94% of sunlight and has 90% emissivity in the 8 to 13 µm atmospheric transparency window, radiating heat straight out to the cold sky. That only happens where the surface can actually see the sky.

• Great fits: RV roofs (including TPO membrane), van and box-truck roofs, trailer tops, cargo container tops, cab roofs, and A/C shrouds.
• Not worth painting: hoods at a steep angle, doors, fenders, and other vertical panels. They see mostly ground and buildings, not sky, so the radiative effect is small.
• Apply only to sturdy, rigid surfaces. CryoPaint is not for fabrics, tarps, awnings, or anything that rolls, folds, or creases.
• What it looks like: a matte white. The official color is Beyond White, and it is diffuse like a cloud rather than like a mirror - no gloss, no metallic shine, and no glare for other drivers. Nothing can be added over it to make it shine.

Interior benefit follows the roof. A cooler roof means far less heat driven down into the cabin or living space, which is why RV owners are the most common vehicle customers. See the physics on How It Works.

Over a white primer, CryoPaint bonds to a vehicle roof the same way it bonds to a metal building roof. Prep is what decides adhesion.

Basic surface-prep sequence for metal: scuffed, cleaned, masked, primed, then CryoPainted - in that order.

Always use a primer. Lay down any off-the-shelf matte white primer on bare metal, glossy, or hydrophobic surfaces. It is not strictly required, but nearly every time a customer has an issue, it traces back to skipping primer, and a white primer is required for warranty coverage. Use a water-based primer on plastics such as A/C shrouds; skip solvent-based primers, which can attack the plastic. Treat any rust before priming.

How much paint: 1 oz / sq ft is the minimum, 2 oz / sq ft is what we recommend, and 3 oz / sq ft is the maximum for peak performance. More paint means more cooling. Corrugated or ribbed roofs need 30% to 50% more than a flat surface, so 1.3 oz / sq ft to 1½ oz / sq ft depending on rib depth, since the three-dimensional profile adds real surface area versus a flat top-down measurement.

Rate when spraying: hit your target rate in a single continuous wet layer. If it is hot, windy, or very dry, split it into two or more thinner coats (for example ½ oz / sq ft, wait 30 to 45 minutes, then another ½ oz / sq ft) so the film does not flash-dry and crack.

Rate when rolling: pour the paint into a roller tray, load the roller from the tray, and roll it onto the surface; do not dump or pour paint directly onto the surface and try to smooth it out with the roller. A 3/8-inch nap polyester roller lays down about 0.3 oz / sq ft per coat, so the rolled minimum is 3.5 coats (three to build the film, then a half coat to finish the surface and empty the roller, a solid 1 oz / sq ft laid down; buy at 1¼ oz / sq ft to cover tray and roller loss), and about 6 to 7 total coats gives the best rolled performance. Wait 30 to 45 minutes between coats; spreading them over two or three days is fine. If you have leftover paint, use it - thicker coats perform better and last longer.

Tools: a cart-style true airless sprayer gives the smoothest, most uniform finish and is what we recommend. Run the largest tip your machine supports - a 517 is the right starting point. Budget or knock-off units often lack the power to move thick paint. For small areas, vehicle roofs, detail panels, and test patches, use a 3/8-inch nap polyester roller rated for all paints and thick paints. Never use handheld units with built-in blowers, HVLP or turbine sprayers, squirt guns, or brushes - the paint is too viscous. See the recommended equipment guide in the CryoPaint Installation Guide.

The goal is to dry as slowly as possible. Spray indoors, in a covered area, or on a cool day, early morning or late evening. A thick water-based film that dries too fast in direct sun can crack. Cracking is cosmetic and does not reduce cooling, but slow, even drying gives the cleanest finish.

• Apply only between 50°F and 90°F surface and air temperature.
• Keep at least a 15°F gap between air temperature and dew point, and expect a 2-hour drying window. CryoPaint cools its own surface, so a tight dew point spread can condense moisture on the fresh film and stall drying.
• Less sun, less wind, and lower temperature all help.
• Keep the vehicle parked and out of the rain until it has fully cured.

Convection drives a surface toward the air temperature. Blowing on hot coffee cools it; blowing on cold coffee warms it. CryoPaint holds a surface below air temperature, so moving air works against it.

The good news is that most wind speeds on most days are below 10 mph, which is where CryoPaint performs well. 0 to 5 mph is totally fine and is where a full 15°F below air temperature shows up. 5 mph to 10 mph is the band most days live in; you may see a 20% to 30% reduction, so maybe 10°F instead of 15°F, but nearby wind shadows and surface features often keep performance closer to full. Above 10 mph is considered an exceptionally windy day, and that is where degradation becomes significant. On a vehicle that means the biggest gains show up while parked in the sun - exactly when a cabin or RV interior overheats. At highway speed, airflow dominates and the surface sits near air temperature. Corrugation ridges and recessed roof areas create wind shadows that help.

Wind speed is localized. What your weather app says may not match the air moving right over your roof. Trees, buildings, hills, valleys, and other nearby features can improve or degrade performance depending on how much wind speed they introduce locally, right where your paint is.

CryoPaint is self-cleaning and algae resistant. The best maintenance is to leave it alone. A plain water rinse about once a year is plenty, or every 6 months in heavy smog, dust, or industrial areas.

• Never scrub or brush it, and do not use chemicals, detergents, or degreasers.
• Do not apply wax, ceramic coating, clear coat, sealant, or any top coat. They may look clear to your eye, but they are not transparent in the 8 to 13 µm infrared window CryoPaint uses, so they disable the cooling.
• Keep the coated roof out of the car wash. Brushes abrade the surface, and the wax and sealant stages block the cooling. Hose the roof off instead.
• When hand washing the rest of the vehicle, skip the coated roof and just hose loose dirt off.
• If you pressure wash, keep the nozzle at least 3 feet back on a wide fan and low pressure. Self-service wands are often too aggressive.

CryoPaint is self-cleaning, so a truck, van, or trailer roof should go a few years before it needs anything. There is no seasonal recoat and no annual maintenance coat.

Abrasion is what wears this coating, and road vehicles pick up more scrapes and road grit than a building roof does. When the surface does take damage, CryoPaint sticks to itself: a refresh goes straight over the existing paint with no primer and no stripping back to metal, and under a quarter ounce per square foot brings the surface back.

Want to confirm what you are getting? See how to measure performance correctly, including why a windy-day reading measures the wind rather than the paint.

The CryoPaint Limited Warranty covers paint adhesion on building and stationary structure roofs for 5 years and on RV roofs for 2 years, when a white primer is used and the other conditions are met. Road vehicles such as cars, trucks, and vans sit outside those terms, so a car or truck roof carries no warranty. The warranty has never covered cooling performance on any surface, only whether the paint stays attached. Read the full warranty terms.