Could your roof use a coating? Roof coating products help prolong your roof's life, and can help lower your energy demand, along with many other great benefits.
Is a roof coating a good fit for your building? Here are 5 signs to look out for that will help you know when it's time to coat your roof!
The First Leak
This one may seem obvious, but a leak is generally a sign that your roof is overdue for rejuvenation. Some leaks can be caused by specific events, such as hail or other physical damage. These can be repaired. However, if your roof is leaking with no specific damage event, it can be assumed that the entire roof is beyond its serviceable life and its time to coat your roof.
Age
Excluding metal roofs, the mean service life of all types of low-slope roofing is 16 years*. TPO (thermoplastic polyolefin) and coated SPF (spray polyurethane foam) are very common and are among the lowest expected life span, in some cases as little as 7 years. If your roof is getting older, it's time to consider a roof coating to expand its life.
Bare Spots
Even without knowing the exact age of a mineral cap roof, granule loss will indicate wear. Look for bare spots or even areas where the fibreglass reinforcement is showing through. Similarly, on tar and gravel roofs, bare spots will have no UV protection and will wear at an accelerated rate.
Cracking
Asphalt on built up roofs (BUR), including tar and gravel, can alligator crack from UV exposure over time. This is a good indicator that the roof is in need of a coating.
Visible Scrim
Single-ply rolls such as TPO and PVC (polyvinyl chloride) are manufactured in three layers, featuring a reinforcing scrim layer sandwiched between two layers of the primary material. When this scrim becomes visible in even a small area, time and options are limited to avoid full tear-off and replacement. It's definitely time to coat your roof!
These are only 5 common indicators among hundreds that an experienced roofer is trained to look for. Annual inspections and routine maintenance can add many years to the useful life of your roof.
If you need help finding a qualified, reputable roofer or coating applicator in your area, contact Castagra at 1-888-388-2935.
Written by: Jef McCurdy
Technical Director - Castagra
*Source: http://rci-online.org/wp-content/uploads/2006-cts-cash.pdf
2005 Roofing Industry Durability and Cost Survey – Carl G Cash, PE
Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, Inc.
Waltham, MA
