Roof leaks left unaddressed can cause unexpected downtime and expenses that very few commercial property managers and owners budget for.
However, fixing roof leaks as soon as you notice them can help you avoid many problems that can lead to high repair costs, including extensive water damage, peeling paint, mold growth and pest infestations.
As “prevention is always better than cure,” preventing roof leaks altogether is a much better strategy when it comes to roof maintenance.
The easiest way to prevent roof leaks is to hire a team of professional commercial painting contractors who can expertly prepare roof surfaces and apply the right coating products.
As coatings are critically important in extending the service life of most roof systems, let’s look at the coating systems available today and the benefits of regular roof inspections and coating applications can deliver.
Types of Roof Coatings
Professional commercial painting contractors use a variety of roof coating formulations for surfacing and restoring roof systems, including:
- Primers – Aside from the “regular” primers formulated to service as base coats underneath elastomeric coatings, professional commercial painting contractors use primers designed for:
– stopping corrosion damage and rust formation;
– improving the adhesion of self-adhered membranes to various surfaces;
– providing exceptional bonding strength for coatings that are to be applied to various surfaces, including metal, single-ply, concrete, and other approved roofing materials and systems;
– promoting adhesion to difficult-to-adhere substrates;
– preparing substrates for silicone coatings;
– projects that must comply with specific VOC content limits. - Elastomeric roof coatings – These products are formulated with different pigments, fillers and resins like acrylic polymers. When applied professionally, they provide two critical properties in harsh environments like Florida: superior elasticity and resistance to intense UV radiation, high relative humidity, frequent rain, pollution and various corrosives.
- Polymer-modified roof coatings – These coating products are available in fibered or non-fibered, water-based or solvent-based damp-proofing formulations, offering a wide selection of consistencies and characteristics.
- Roof repair formulations – Containing high amounts of solids, roof repair formulations are ideal for reinforcing critical areas of a commercial roof by sealing cracks, holes, splits, flashings, seams and pitch pans prior to coating application.
Top Benefits of Roof Coatings
- New Roof Protection – If you’ve just installed a new roof, having professional commercial painting contractors apply a coating product as soon as possible can protect your roof from the adverse effects of Florida’s weather.
As high-quality coating products allow near-zero moisture and water penetration into roof assemblies, they can help prevent future leaks and water-related damage.
- Old Roof Restoration – The right coating product installed by professional commercial painting contractors can help you restore your existing roof without a time-consuming and costly roof tear-off. Since coating systems can be renewed periodically, they can prolong the life of an old roof indefinitely and reduce roof ownership costs.
- Lower Energy Bills – In addition to improving your roof’s aesthetics, roof coatings reflect sunlight, minimizing heat transfer from the surface to roofing materials and the rest of the building. As this reduces cooling demands, you’ll be able to offer your customers and staff the comfort they expect, while keeping cooling costs down.
Although roof coatings can be applied by non-professionals, hiring professional commercial painting contractors is strongly recommended for the right type of coatings to be specified and applied according to the applicable work practice standards.
If you’re looking for an all-in-one solution that can breathe new life into your commercial facility, feel free to contact our professional commercial painting contractors in Tampa or Jacksonville, FL, today!
