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When to Coat a Flat Roof
Roof sealing is a vital part of protecting your flat roof from the elements and extending its lifespan. Generally, a good quality flat roof is expected to last about 10 years, but with proper coating, it can last much longer. Sealing is a great way to extend the lifespan of your flat roof and reduce the number of repairs it may need. How often should you seal your flat roof?
The main reason to recoat a flat roof is for water protection. If ponding does occur, the roof can leak and cause more damage inside. It’s worth resealing the roof every five years or so to avoid water damage. However, the following factors may often influence the frequency of roof coating:
Roof Style
For flat roofs, regular roof sealing is absolutely crucial since they are at high risk of ponding. So, the surface has to be perfectly waterproof to prevent leakage of water into your building. Even the smallest of leaks should be dealt with promptly to prevent any water damage. Typically, a flat roof left unsealed can have its lifespan reduced by up to 50 percent. Sloped roofs, on the other hand, do not need sealing as often since water can run off more efficiently and is less likely to pool.
Your Local Climate
Harsher climates call for more frequent roof sealing. Rough weather can break down the sealant much faster than climates without intense sun, heat, or rain. Areas with high winds may also have tree branches and other debris scratching or damaging the roof. Moreover, repetitive cycles of rain and sunshine can cause the sealant to expand and contract quickly, causing it to need frequent recoating.
How to Tell When a Flat Roof Needs Coating
It’s important to seal flat roofs as a pre-emptive measure instead of waiting for leaks or ponding. Any signs of leakage, ponding, or structural damage indicate your roof needs coating. But even if you don’t notice such signs, a flat roof should be sealed every five years to safeguard it from water damage. Silver or aluminum roof paint is one of the popular ways to maximize the function and life span of your flat roof. Silver paint offers an array of benefits to homeowners looking for a long-term solution for their fading roofs.
Aluminum roof coating is an excellent choice to keep your home cool in the hot seasons and helps you save on your energy bills. It is worth noting that silver coating on the flat roof surface is not silver but is only silver-based. Plus, these silver paints do not look like metallic. An aluminum coating is more like dry white paint that creates a unique and subtle effect. Besides this, these roof coatings are beneficial when it is about inhibiting fungal growth and keep your roofing material safe from algae for a long time.
Because they are self-priming, they have become a quick choice for coating flat roofs. If you are considering this option, keep on reading to find out more about a silver roof coating.
How to Find Out if Flat Roof Needs Silver Coating
It is important to know that a flat roof is not flat. The term is common due to the slight slope in the roof structure. This is one reason why flat roofs soften face drainage issues. That is why many roofing experts advise coating your roofs as a preventive measure to keep drainage problems such as leaks at bay instead of correcting them. Know that severe leaks may lead to cracks in the roof, commonly called crazing. If your roof shows structural damages, it is an indication that it needs coating. Even if your roof does not show signs of physical damage but has been more than six years since its last coating, it is worth coating it.
How Often You Should Coat Your Flat Roof
A flat roof needs coating more than other types of roofs. It is because flat roofs are susceptible to structural damages and require frequent maintenance to last. Silver and aluminum coating is s one way to maintain your flat roof. The average lifespan of a flat roof is not more than ten years, but if you coat it every four to five years, it can extend the roof’s life enormously. Moreover, coating your flat roof with silver or aluminum paint helps you save money you might have to spend on the repairs in the future.
Who can Coat Your Flat Roof?
The best way to coat a flat roof is to hire roof experts as they are professionals and know how to handle the repairs and damages before coating. They begin with cleaning your roof and then apply the coating. Many professionals also use primer on flat roofs before coating. It helps coating adhere thoroughly.
However, if your roof has other underlying issues, including ponding and leaks, make sure your contractor address them and take the right safety precautions. It will make silver coating durable and long-lasting.
Benefits of Silver Roof Coating
There is no denying that reflective coatings (aluminum or polyurethane) for roofs act like a tough barrier between the roof and external elements. The right type of roof coating has an impact on resistance to help your roof handle the traffic.
Here are some proven advantages of using roof coating, specifically silver roof coating for flat roofs.
Reduced Energy Bills
Silver roof coating is one of the energy star qualified coatings that can help you lower the surface temperature, ultimately decreasing the interior temperature of the house. It primarily happens because aluminum roof coating is reflective. When you apply it to your roof, it reflects more sunlight from the roof surface. That reduces the heat your roof structure has absorbed, translating into reduced energy cost. It is worth mentioning that, applying quality coatings for your roof is important to reflect damaging UV rays and infrared sunlight from your property. This thermal emittance process allows your roof to cool down and build temperature, resulting in the reduction of energy usage.
Extend Your Roof Life
As stated above, a roof coating is essential to create a strong and resilient barrier between the roof’s uppermost layers and elements. Not only can this, choosing the right coating to help you increase the waterproof quality of your roof to guard it against the harmful ultraviolet rays. Silver roof coating, in this respect, reflects damaging heat away from the surface of the roof. This works great when it comes to increasing the longevity of roofing and lowering its maintenance expenses.
Avoid Roof Replacement
Another benefit of coating your flat roof is that it can cover the minor leaks and damages. People often avoid full-scale roof replacements if they use the right coating for the roof. Roof restoration through coating can save you 50 to 70 percent as compared to the entire roof replacement process.
Adhere to Roofing Materials
Aluminum and silver roof coating comes with an excellent quality of adherence. This feature allows it to adhere to a variety of roofing surfaces such as composite roofs, wood, asphalt roof, and galvanized metals. However, before you apply roof coating to materials like shingles, it is important to check the manufacturer’s warranty. The brushes and sprays used in silver roof coating may void the roof’s warranty.
Fade Resistance
One reason why many people choose silver roof coating over other types is that it maintains roof color for a long time. This helps improve the overall look of the property. A well-maintained home with appealing roof coating can increase the resale of the property significantly.
A roof coating is like sunscreen and moisturizer for your roof. Coating your roof provides a few fundamental benefits:
It seals the roof, preventing any invisible water penetration that is eroding your roofing material
It bounces solar radiation away, reducing the temperature of your house (and thus reducing your cooling bills)
It protects the roofing material from sun damage
It extends the lifespan of your roof so you have to replace it less frequently
It prevents leaks, so repair costs are lowered
Bottom Line
Choosing the right roof coatings is imperative whether your c property is commercial or residential. It is because environmental concerns and labor costs are on the rise. A proper roof coating can act as a barrier that helps you protect your roof from various elements such as UV rays and also reduce the energy costs of the building.
Silver roof coating, in this regard, limits contraction and expansion cycles that can cause premature failure to your roof due to some poor underlying maintenance applications.
CALL OR EMAIL US TODAY FOR YOUR FREE ESTIMATE – 202-276-5004 FAMILY.ROOFING@YAHOO.COM
Roof sealing is a vital part of protecting your flat roof from the elements and extending its lifespan. Generally, a good quality flat roof is expected to last about 10 years, but with proper coating, it can last much longer. Sealing is a great way to extend the lifespan of your flat roof and reduce the number of repairs it may need. How often should you seal your flat roof?