Should You Re-coat a Commercial Metal Roof?

Should you re-coat a commercial metal roof? Our roofers at Kauffman Roofing in Jamesport typically say yes – unless the roof is no longer sound, then it will require a new roof. A roof is costly but protects your building, employees, and just about everything else. If you have the option, re-coating can save you big money, reduce downtime, minimize business disruption, and ultimately, extend the life of your roof.

Whether you want to fix leaks, prevent corrosion, support the building’s temperature, or all of the above, re-coating with a metal roof restoration system will help to achieve your goals. If you have a commercial metal roof, you know you need to keep them maintained. Re-coating can be a very cost-efficient way to restore the roof’s protective layer. It also eliminates the safety, cost, and downtime concerns of tearing off and replacing the existing roof.

So, should you re-coat a commercial metal roof? If you have one, there are many reasons to consider it. Let’s take a look at our top 3:

1.  Stop the Rust

A new metal roof has a finish coating from the factory. It may be galvanized, finished steel, or a fluoropolymer-based paint. As the roof’s metal panels reach the end of their life expectancy, the coating can become compromised.

It stands to reason that exposure to the weather will cause the protective finish to deteriorate. Rust forms and over time it can compromise the structural integrity of the roof and cause your roof to look pretty rough. The re-coating materials used in a metal roof restoration system will protect the metal panels from being exposed to elements that cause rust.

2.  Save on Energy

Re-coating your roof can reduce the amount of energy your building uses by stopping open seams and creating an insulated roof coating. By keeping the building weather tight, it will often lower energy consumption and costs. In addition, choosing white roof coatings that are highly reflective can reflect the sun’s damaging rays. This will keep the building cooler. Metal roof restoration can often reduce the surface temperature of a metal roof and lower your indoor temperatures, thereby reducing energy consumption. Energy costs can get into the 30 percent range for a building’s operating costs, so that means a lot of savings.

3.  Avoid Split Seams

Changing weather and temperature fluctuations cause metal roofs to expand and contract. Sometimes this can cause the roof seams to open up. If that happens, moisture can get in. If your roof is repaired properly, using the right roof restoration products, it can restore your metal roof to like-new condition, using the same substrate as the base.

More Advantages of Re-coating

Still, wondering if should you re-coat a commercial metal roof? Here are a few more reasons to choose metal roof restoration over replacement:

• Cost Savings: A restored and well-maintained roof can save you money in the long run by prolonging the life of your roof and reducing the costs compared to a new roof.
• Environmentally Smart: It can also put fewer construction materials in landfills which is an environmentally sound policy.
• Looks Good: When your metal roof is chalking, fading, or rusting, it looks old and worn out. The appearance of your building reflects your business image. A roof restoration makes it look new and well cared for. This reflects a successful business appearance.
• Less Work Disruption and Improved Safety: Reduce the risk of accidents related to a full-blown tear-off, have fewer interruptions to business operations, and keep everyone in your building safe, employees and customers alike.
• Cleanliness: Restoration produces less dust and debris than replacement. Depending on your business, this could be very important.
• Last Longer: A re-coating will increase the life of your roof by resisting corrosion and that saves your company money.
• Taxes: Restoring a metal roof instead of replacing is typically classified as maintenance and may have tax advantages over a capital asset like a new roof system.

Can Your Roof be Re-coated?

Even if we’ve answered your question, should you re-coat a commercial metal roof, the next consideration is – can it be re-coated? Most of the time, the answer is yes. The size, shape, and composition of your commercial building will not usually affect the restoration process.

But a re-coating can’t save your roof if it’s already deteriorated. The roof needs to be sound. If the roof has corrosion at the base metal, too many roof leaks, poor trim and flashing, and shows it does not weather tight by exposed fasteners, neoprene gaskets, or exposed sealants, you may need a new roof.

For example, if your roof’s metal panels have rusted through, then the metal roofing panels will need to be replaced. If the wrong products or bad workmanship were used on previous roofing work, it may be beyond repair, and installing a new commercial roof is your only choice.

When Should You Re-coat a Commercial Metal Roof?

You may want to look at re-coating and restoring your roof around five to 12 years after it was installed. Since every building, location, weather conditions, and maintenance are different, you should have it inspected regularly to determine what’s needed to keep it in working order. A professional installation and a quality coating will lengthen the life expectancy of the roof.

Conklin Metal Roof System

Kauffman Roofing exclusively uses Conklin’s Metal Roof System which is a fully waterproof restoration system for metal roofs. It stops leaks and rust and provides an energy-efficient, long-lasting finish coat that will extend the life of your roof for years.

During your roof restoration process, our staff at Kauffman Roofing will clean the roof with Rust Off and then prime it with Conklin’s rust-inhibiting primer. When the seams and fasteners have been fully reinforced, a white, highly reflective coating is applied to the entire roof. The white coating reflects the sun’s heat waves which will keep your building cooler and potentially lower your air conditioning bills when summer rolls around.

If you are trying to decide should you re-coat a commercial metal roof, our experts at Kauffman Roofing in Jamesport can inspect your roof and advise you on the best course of action. Our roofers understand how important your roof is to your building and your business. We’ll help protect your roof and your bottom line. Call us today for more information.