A building’s roof is its crowning glory. As a building owner, consider for a moment how important your roof is to the lifespan of your commercial building. In addition to covering the building, the roof is responsible for protecting everything inside.
But being at the top has its own challenges. Roofs, particularly in the South, are exposed to a wide variety of harsh weather conditions. Hail, tornadoes, extreme temperatures, snow, ice, and wind all contribute to a roof’s wear and tear.
While we can’t control Mother Nature, we can control our response to her. Regular roof inspections accompanied by any needed roof maintenance will go a long way toward avoiding costly roof replacements.
If you do discover major damage, you’re most likely looking at a complete commercial roof replacement. However, when you find signs of wear and tear or minor damage, a viable alternative to a complete roof replacement is roof restoration.
Roof restoration involves the use of liquid applied roof coatings. Although you replace any small areas of damage or weakness prior to application, the entire roof isn’t replaced. Roof coatings completely cover the existing roof forming a seamless, watertight barrier. They are especially good for flat or low-slope roofs.
If you are able to go with a restoration project, you can expect to see advantages ranging from energy savings to less capital outlay.
Expect to purchase supplies such as a quality liquid applied roofing solution. However, even when you purchase high-performance products, your material and labor costs will still be significantly less than an entire commercial roof replacement.
As roof restoration typically leaves the old roof surface in place, business or work can continue inside with minimal disruption.
Commercial roofing companies can complete roof restorations considerably faster than commercial roof replacements. Since time equals money, you can expect significant savings on labor costs.
High-performance roof coatings have reflective qualities to reflect the sun’s UV rays, thus reducing heat absorption. Less heat improves energy efficiency as HVAC systems don’t have to work as hard to cool the building.
Depending on the products you choose and whether they are installed correctly and maintained, it’s possible to extend the life of your roof an estimated 10 to 20 years.
Storm damage oftentimes makes the new roof versus roof restoration decision easy. But short of a directive from Mother Nature, how do you decide it’s time to do roof work?
Regular roof inspections will go a long way in preserving your investment. Considering the roof’s important role and cost, it’s better to be proactive and make repairs before there is significant damage.
Through a visual inspection, look for clues like cracking or rotting decking, ponding water, splitting membranes or soft areas underfoot. Should you find any of these issues, it’s probably time for further action.
There are also other factors you may want to consider when determining whether to commit funds for a complete replacement of a building’s roof versus restoring the current roof. For example, what is the building’s projected lifespan, are there any future expansion or remodeling plans, and what time of the year the work will be done?
You should look for a company who is experienced in commercial roof repairs and used to working with a variety of roofing materials. They will be able to help you determine the best products to use and best methods of application.
Roof recovering products work on most roof types including metal roofs, asphalt, cement, foam, rubber, and membranes. The facility manager or building owner will want to make sure the contractors remove all debris and appropriately clean the roof before applying any product. While the condition of the roof will determine next steps, a primer may need to be applied and possibly patching to ensure no leaks. The last step is applying the protective coating.
This is one of those times when you shouldn’t base your decision on cost alone. Cheapest may not always be the best option.
When you’re looking for a commercial roofing contractor, start by looking locally. Get referrals from other building owners who have had success with experienced companies that have staying power. Research the companies online and look for reviews. A good reputation, solid safety record, and great customer service are always important factors.
Make sure the company you choose is properly licensed and carries adequate insurance. Insisting on proof of both is an excellent way to protect your asset.
Finally, look for a contractor who will offer a warranty on their work and products used. If they aren’t confident enough to back either, you may want to keep looking.
For more than 30 years, the staff at Walco has worked with our vendors to supply the best commercial roofing and cladding solutions available. Our company helps contractors find appropriate solutions to do their job while staying on budget. We source products that are warrantied to give contractors and their customers peace of mind.
So if you need help finding the right contractor, or if you’re a contractor trying to find the right product, reach out to us. And just like our roofing solutions, we’re on top of it all!