How Using Roof Coatings For Metal Roofs Could Prolong The Life Of Your Commercial Roof Indefinitely
The prices of re-roofing a metal roof have recently gone through the roof, so to speak. Metal has become more expensive than ever in addition to the high cost of roofing contractor labor in Austin Texas. A lot of people try to coat their metal roofs when they are nearing their end stage of life, just before they rust through. There is a theory that if you start early in the life of your roof and keep it coated on a regular basis, it may be possible to get an unlimited lifetime of use and never have to re-roof again. So, what kinds of roof coatings for metal roofs are available, how are they applied, and are they cost effective?
Re-Coating Your Metal Roof Does More Than Extend Roof Life
Of course, it depends on where you live and the climate that exists there, but by keeping your roof well coated with a highly reflective coating system in Austin TX, you could save thousands of dollars per year in air conditioning costs. You can easily test the theory on a hot day, just walk out into any parking lot and touch a white car and then a black car and see the difference. The black car will burn your hand, yet the white car will only be warm. The same principle applies to your roof as well.
The next advantage of coating your commercial roof, especially a new roof that has no corrosion at all, is that you prevent water, acids, and pollution from ever coming in contact with the metal. The metal will then never oxidize, or rust, as long as it’s kept coated on a timely basis.
That means that it will never leak to the inside, you’ll never have problems with corroded fasteners, and even if debris piles up, the water won’t be able to seep inside. Even in snow and ice storms, the seams will be sealed well enough by the roof coating to keep everything dry.
Using Roof Coatings For Commercial Metal Roofs Is Environmentally Friendly
When a roof needs to be replaced, a crew needs to tear off the old one, throw it into the dumpster and put on a new one. Not only does that involve a lot of labor, but the energy that went into manufacturing that rusted old roof is now wasted. It takes a lot of energy to mine, smelt, and roll out metal roofing and it’s getting costlier by the day.
When you use roof coatings for metal roofs, you basically extend the life of your roof indefinitely preserving that original energy investment. Not only that but the amount of time and labor that it takes to re-coat your roof is but a fraction of the amount for a tear-off and re-roof job. The skill level of the workers is less and the entire project is far less expensive.
You save the inconvenience of the disruption, and risk to safety when you coat and re-coat your metal roof.
Most Commercial Metal Roofing Materials Have A Factory Finish
Depending on the cost of the materials it may have an aluminum layer, galvanized layer, a fluoropolymer coating, or a combination of several protective products. As the roof gets older the protective layer gets thinner and thinner until it finally wears through. Your roof still won’t begin to leak until the metal base of the roofing rust all the way through, but that process is faster than the protective coating.
Once rust begins to form, not only will the roof begin to look bad but it will be deteriorating at a faster rate. The roofing material will then be thinner and more prone to damage while the interior of the building becomes hotter due to the dark color of the rust.
However, by starting early on in the life of your roof panels you can coat them regularly and preserve the strong cutter protective layer forever.
The other factor to consider is the temperature of your oxidized roofing as well. When metal gets hot it expands, the hotter it gets the more it expands and this causes a compromise in the integrity of the seams between panels both horizontally and vertically. Then, the next time snow piles up, there is a chance that the seams will open up and allow water seepage. But by maintaining a cool white reflective coating, your seams will remain intact from less metallic expansion and also be held together by the roof coating.
The Best Materials For Coating A Commercial Roof in Austin Texas
There are new materials being invented all of the time. One of the best is going to require that it stand up to a constant beating from the elements of nature. It must be able to withstand high temperatures and low temperatures, a lot of TV rays from the sun, and plenty of water from the clouds.
Not only that but many tree leaves can be very acidic which tends to dissolve metals. There is also air pollution from an industry that can be strongly alkaline or acidic or both, depending on the wind direction at the time. So these factors must all be considered in addition to being elastic to stay on the roof during expansion and contraction due to changing temperatures. One of the best current products is an elastomeric acrylic roof coating that completely shields your roof. It’s water, sun, UV ray, acid, and alkaline resistant plus it can stretch and the roof expands and contracts.
It also has the ability to soak into cracks, seams, and leaks to fill in and block any future water seepage points.
There Are Two Common Ways To Apply Roof Coatings
The two most common ways to apply an elastomeric acrylic coating is with either a roller or airless spray gun. The advantage of the roller is that there is very little over-spray that could be caught by the wind and land on cars below. The airless sprayer is faster, however, and a crew can complete a large project in just a few hours.
If you have a metal roof, whether it’s old or relatively new, you should consider the cost savings of roof coatings for metal roofs now. Each coating, when done every 5 to 12 years will only cost a nominal amount of money. Then, you’ll save the massive cost of a total re-roof for at least your lifetime, and maybe your children’s lifetimes as well.