Stella Amador, Vice-President, Florida Quality Roofing
As a roofing contractor, you often have potential customers who need a roof replaced, but are unable or unprepared to fund the entire project. It could be a home owner, commercial building owner or a community home association looking for information on the best product at the most affordable price. However, when costs exceed budgets, when the economy hits a new low, when a 40-year-old building requires multiple updates, that’s when your potential customer turns to you as the industry expert for advice.
As a result of the recent economic and housing downturn, we’ve seen many communities, commercial investors and home owners who, despite needing new roofs, put off this invasive and expensive project in the hopes of finding more affordable alternatives. So what do you do when your customer’s roof is beyond repair, but they can’t afford a new one? What solutions can a roofing company provide that are cost effective?
In today’s world of technology breakthroughs, there are a variety of innovative roofing options that are changing the industry and giving customers more affordable alternatives than ever. Silicone roof coatings, for example, have gained popularity mostly because of their cost effectiveness and versatility—costing significantly less than a complete re-roofing project.
These days it seems that most decisions are based on budgets. Therefore, roof coatings are recommended often as a restoration, and are one option that can be both cost-effective and energy efficient.
The most common roof coatings are acrylic and silicone. Acrylic coatings, which are water-based, can be affected by moisture in at least two critical ways: they can be worn away by rain or heavy dew, or they can experience diminished adhesion to damp surfaces. These risks are reduced by using silicone coatings, which are not water based. Silicone Roof Restoration, A Cost-Effective Solution
Stella Amador, Vice-President, Florida Quality Roofing
In Florida, another concern is algae and mildew, which can create serious problems, resulting in damage if left unchecked. In my opinion, silicone is the most effective coating for resisting biological growth because it contributes no food source and resists microbial attachment. Coatings made from urethanes, asphaltics, and acrylics can support growth and must be specially formulated for warm, damp environments. Therefore, they are not recommended for all applications.
Traditional built-up, modified bitumen and many single-ply roofing systems can benefit from the protection of UV-resistant silicone coatings that can also provide energy savings and, most importantly, waterproofing.
As all roofs age, the effect of weathering will include loss of flexibility, shrinkage, eroded surfaces, and increased porosity. A reflective silicone coating will increase roof performance by reflecting sunlight, keeping the building cooler, and reducing air conditioning and
energy costs – making it a sustainable, environmentally friendly solution. If you are able to extend the life of a roof, while enhancing its performance and adding energy savings, this might be a great way to go.
A silicone roof coating is a coating that can be applied over most roof surfaces. Unlike acrylic coatings, silicone is made of polymers and doesn’t contain water. Silicone is a moisture-cured coating designed to reflect the heat of the sun and UV rays as well as protect many types of roofs. While suitable for use in all climates, the 100 percent silicone chemistry is especially suited for extreme
tropical environments like Florida, which are exposed to some of the hottest and wettest weather with intense UV exposure in the country. A silicone roof coating is designed to maintain maximum reflectivity of heat and UV rays as it ages. Its moisture curing ability creates an aggressive chemical bond with the roof, which provides resistance to ponding water.
Ponding water often occurs on flat roof systems as a result of rainfall or runoff from equipment. Ponding water for short durations is unavoidable and considered acceptable by the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA) and many roofing manufacturers.
However, ponding water in excess of 48 hours can be detrimental to a roof. In fact, most roofing problems arise from poor water drainage and ponding water on the roof. It can significantly impact the longevity of the best roofing systems. Thus, a silicone roof coating is essential in solving water ponding on roofs.
You want to provide your customer with an unbiased opinion and the option to look at multiple solutions so together you can make the best choice based on their needs. The next step is to get a moisture scan; contact an independent third party to test the roof to see if there is any moisture inside. This step is particularly crucial and sometimes overlooked. However, the results of the scan will provide you with a map of the roof and will indicate whether it can be restored with a silicone coating. If the existing roofing system has less than 25 percent moisture inside, a silicone roof coating can be done. Otherwise, if more than 25 percent of the roof shows moisture, you will need to do a full replacement. For a successful silicone restoration, no more than 25 percent of the roof can have moisture.
Once the moisture survey has been done and the moisture areas are identified, the roofing contractor can make the necessary repairs to remove the wet areas as indicated on the survey, replace it with new roofing material, and proceed with cleaning and power washing the roof. Once cleaned, the roof is ready for the silicone restoration, which is usually applied in coats (similar to painting). The silicone manufacturer and warranty type will determine if primer is needed and how many coats will be applied to achieve the necessary thickness.
As previously noted, warranties will vary greatly based on the manufacturer and product chosen. Warranties range from 10 to 20 years depending on thickness, primer, etc. The best warranties are the ones that are “system warranties,” which includes a labor and
material warranty backed by the manufacturer.
The main take away is that regardless of your customer’s particular budget, you have options and a silicone roof restoration may prove valuable. As mentioned
above, not all roofs qualify and there are things to consider such as moisture saturation. In the end, you have important decisions to make and knowing what’s
available is half the battle.
Stella Amador is the Co-owner and Vice President of Florida Quality Roofing, a full-service professional roofing company serving throughout South and Central Florida since 2002. Florida Quality Roofing specializes in helping community associations find the right solutions for their needs and budgets. For more information, visit www.floridaqualityroofing.com, call (954) 458-6095, or
e-mail Amador at stella@floridaqualityroofing.com.
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