Understanding Commercial Roof Coatings – Types, Roles and Aspects to Bear in Mind

Understanding commercial roof coatings is essential for being able to make an informed decision about the best way to enhance the durability and the resistance of your existing commercial roof. These special coating solutions are relatively new products on the market of roofing materials, but they are already among the most popular roof enhancement solutions – here are a few things that you should know about them.

The Purpose of Commercial Roof Coatings

The principal reasons for treating commercial roofs with coating are to make the roofs stronger and to increase their lifespan and performance. Coatings are intended to be applied on already existing roofs to protect them against the harmful effects of the weather, including the damage potentially caused by ponding water, harsh UV radiations and wind and to prevent the appearance of leaks and structural damage. Most coatings do not absorb the heat or the cold they are exposed to during hot spells and harsh winters, a feature that reduces energy-related expenses while also helping maintain the temperatures inside the building stable.

Types of Commercial Roof Coatings

Commercial roof coatings Chicago come in various forms. Here are the most common types:

  • Acrylic coating – an affordable and easy to apply solution, acrylic coating provides efficient protection against the sun’s rays, but only limited protection against ponding water and the coating might lose some of its thickness over time;
  • Polyurethane coating – this type of coating is usually applied in two layers, a base layer that protects against leaks, but is not UV-stable and a second layer that is resistant to UV radiation, traffic as well as to ponding water;
  • SEBS (styrene-ethylene butylene styrene) coating – this very durable, but not very cheap coating solution enhances the performance of your roof by making it resistant to UV radiation and water. SEBS coating requires regular maintenance, so when you calculate your overall coating costs, do factor in the costs related to upkeep;
  • Silicone coating – the most durable, most versatile and most resistant coating solution is the most expensive, but it provides long-lasting overall protection against the weather without requiring any special maintenance. Not all materials adhere to silicone, so if you want to reapply the coating in the future, you will either need to remove the old silicone layer or you will have to use a coating material that is compatible with silicone;

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Aspects to Consider When Choosing Your Commercial Roof Coating

Beside the costs, the most important factors to bear in mind when deciding upon the type of coating to use is the condition of your existing roof and types of the challenges that your roof must face.

If your roof to be coated is new, you can go ahead and apply the coating without any preparation, but if your roof has already spent some time on your building, the coating process should start with roof cleaning and a detailed inspection performed by a roofing expert to identify faults and issues that need to be fixed prior to the application of the roof coating.

To sum up, understanding commercial roof coatings as well as the needs of your roof are the two most important things to do before buying coating products – roof coating is a great investment into your building and into your business, but it is very important to make an informed decision.