“Stays White” Mobile Home Roof Coating by Bondex

Product Description

Bondex International manufactured “Stays White” Mobile Home Roof Coating as a specialized elastomeric roof coating marketed primarily for use on manufactured housing during the 1970s. Produced from approximately 1972 through 1981, the product was formulated to provide a reflective, weather-resistant surface finish on the metal or aluminum roofs common to mobile homes of that era. The coating was sold in liquid form, typically in one- and five-gallon containers, and was intended for brush, roller, or spray application directly onto existing roof surfaces.

Mobile home ownership expanded significantly throughout the 1970s as manufactured housing became an affordable alternative for American families, and specialty coatings like “Stays White” were positioned to meet growing demand for maintenance products in that market segment. Bondex, operating as a subsidiary within a larger corporate structure and headquartered in the United States, produced a range of building maintenance and repair compounds during this period, several of which have since become the subject of asbestos-related litigation.

The “Stays White” product line was marketed on the basis of its durability, UV reflectance, and waterproofing properties. Like many coating products of the era, it incorporated mineral additives intended to enhance performance characteristics — among them, chrysotile asbestos fibers.

Asbestos Content

“Stays White” Mobile Home Roof Coating contained chrysotile asbestos, the most commercially widespread form of asbestos used in American industrial and consumer products throughout the twentieth century. Chrysotile, sometimes referred to as white asbestos, is a serpentine mineral fiber valued historically for its flexibility, tensile strength, heat resistance, and binding properties.

In roof coating formulations of this type, chrysotile fibers served multiple functional purposes. Asbestos reinforced the coating film, improving resistance to cracking and thermal expansion stress on metal roof surfaces. It also contributed to the product’s opacity, thickness, and adhesion. These characteristics made chrysotile a favored additive in elastomeric and fibered roof coatings throughout the 1960s and 1970s, until regulatory pressure and growing health evidence began prompting manufacturers to reformulate.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) framework, along with contemporaneous OSHA standards governing asbestos exposure, established the scientific and regulatory basis for understanding how products like “Stays White” could release respirable asbestos fibers during ordinary use. Chrysotile fibers, when disturbed by mixing, application, or surface disturbance, can become airborne and remain suspended in breathing zones for extended periods.

How Workers Were Exposed

Exposure to asbestos-containing “Stays White” Mobile Home Roof Coating occurred primarily among those who handled, prepared, and applied the product during the years it was manufactured and distributed. Although the product was available to individual consumers, industrial workers — including maintenance crews, roofing contractors, and mobile home park maintenance personnel — would have encountered the coating on a repeated, sustained basis consistent with occupational exposure patterns.

Mixing and preparation represented one significant exposure pathway. Liquid roof coatings containing asbestos could settle during storage, requiring workers to stir or agitate the contents before use. Agitation of asbestos-containing liquids can release fibers into surrounding air, particularly in enclosed or poorly ventilated areas such as storage rooms, workshops, or maintenance sheds.

Application by brush, roller, or spray created direct inhalation hazards. Spray application in particular is associated with elevated fiber release, as the mechanical force involved can aerosolize asbestos-containing droplets. Workers applying the coating to mobile home roofs — often working at close range on low-pitched surfaces — may have inhaled fibers without knowing the product contained asbestos or that respiratory protection was warranted.

Surface disturbance and recoating also presented risks. Workers returning to previously coated roofs to apply additional layers, scrape deteriorating coating, or make repairs would have disturbed dried asbestos-containing film. Dry, weathered asbestos coatings can be friable and release fibers readily when abraded, scraped, or pressure-washed.

OSHA’s asbestos standards, established in various iterations beginning in the early 1970s, required employers to assess and control asbestos exposure in occupational settings. However, awareness of asbestos content in consumer-facing coating products was not consistently communicated to workers in the field, and product labeling during much of the 1972–1981 production window did not always carry adequate hazard warnings.

This article is provided for informational reference purposes. It does not constitute legal advice. Individuals seeking guidance about asbestos-related illness or potential legal claims should consult a licensed attorney.

Documented Product Identification

The following details are drawn from public asbestos litigation records, manufacturer catalog pages, technical manuals, and corporate history materials. Each item reflects the product as documented in those sources.

Documented asbestos-use period: 1961-1981

Corporate context: Also known as Reardon, RPM, and Republic Powdered Metals. Warning labels were added to packaging in 1972 or 1973.

Brand identification: Products sold under multiple brand names including Bondex, Reardon’s, Trax, Montgomery Ward, Penncraft, Hi & Dri, NPD, Cook’s Lifeline, Brod Dirgan, F.O. Pierce, and Metro

Documented asbestos components: chrysotile.

Industries served: residential construction, commercial construction, mobile home manufacturing, drywall installation.

Documented product lines:

  • Dramex Interior Finish (1961-1977). Interior texture paint containing 7.3% chrysotile asbestos. — asbestos components: chrysotile.
  • Dramax Exterior Finish (1961-1977). Exterior paint containing 7.2% chrysotile asbestos. — asbestos components: chrysotile.
  • Water Putty (1961-1977). Interior patching compound containing 6.5% chrysotile asbestos. — asbestos components: chrysotile.
  • Handy Patch All Purpose Patcher (1961-1977). Interior patching compound containing 7.5% chrysotile asbestos. — asbestos components: chrysotile.
  • SX Joint Cement (1961-1977). Drywall joint treatment material containing 14.8% chrysotile asbestos. — asbestos components: chrysotile.
  • All Purpose Joint Cement (1961-1977). Drywall joint treatment material containing 5% chrysotile asbestos. — asbestos components: chrysotile.
  • Ready-Mixed Joint Cement (1961-1977). Drywall joint treatment material containing 3.8% chrysotile asbestos. — asbestos components: chrysotile.
  • Block Filler & Primer (1961-1977). Cite block filler and primer containing 9.1% chrysotile asbestos. — asbestos components: chrysotile.

All Bondex asbestos-containing products used chrysotile asbestos. Products were sold under numerous private label and store brand names through retailers including Montgomery Ward. Sanding of dried joint compounds was a documented application method.