How A Roof Coating Can Help Protect Your Commercial Roof

Commercial Roofing Contractors Applying Roof Coating

If you run your business from a commercial facility, you probably know that maintaining the property, especially its most expensive component, the roof is a constant struggle that incurs high expenses as well. Fortunately, there are many great and affordable ways to preserve the condition of your commercial roofing, regularly applying a suitable roof coating product being the best method. To enable your roof to take all the beating from the elements, from heat and solar radiation to freezing temperatures and excessive rain, here is how a suitably applied and refreshed roof coat can protect your roof and with it, your entire commercial building.

What is, in fact, Roof Coating?

Commercial roof coating is a material in liquid form that is applied on top of the roof to form a uniform, resistant and durable membrane that prevents the direct exposure of the roofing material to sun, rain and snow and enhances its resistance to temperature variations. Available coating products can be divided into two types: solvent-based materials, such as silicones and urethane products and water-based coatings, such as acrylic. While solvent-based products are generally known to be more durable, they are also more expensive, while water-based materials are cheaper and less smelly, but they also last shorter.

The Benefits of Roof Coating

The performance of your commercial roofing can be very efficiently enhanced with the right type of coating – here are some of the most important benefits:

  • Prolonged lifespan – commercial roofs are strong and long-lived structures, but the right type of roof coating can prolong that lifespan by up to a decade;
  • Improved energy-efficiency – many coating products have reflective properties that prevent the roof from absorbing solar heat, thus protecting the roof and reducing the energy needed to cool the air underneath the roof during daytime hours;
  • Better looks – coating products come in a wide range of colors, making aesthetic improvements easy and affordable;
  • Leak prevention – roof coating products offer an excellent waterproofing solution as well, preventing the premature deterioration of the roof because of the accumulation of ponding water;
  • Corrosion and rust prevention – metal roofs and the metal flashing used around roof openings are prone to developing rust and corrosion, especially if the surface of the metal component is bare or the old coating is damaged. A fresh layer of protective coat prevents both rust and corrosion, thus prolonging the lifespan of metal roofing elements.

How to Apply the New Coating on Your Commercial Roof

The first re-coating process should ideally take place 5-10 years after the installation of the roof, depending on the condition of the roof and the harshness of the environmental circumstances that the roof is exposed to. The coating process needs to be repeated every 5-10 years by professional Chicago commercial roofing contractors to maintain the protective qualities of the protective layer.

The first steps in the application of roof coating are roof cleaning, inspection and repair – only a roof that is in perfect condition can be coated, so all the impurities need to be removed and all the problems need to be fixed before applying the coating layer. Coating products can be applied from a spray can or with the help of a roller and its efficiency is usually enhanced with some fiber-based material to reinforce the most sensitive areas of the roof, such as the flashings and the roof penetrations.