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How To Fix Damaged Commercial Roofing Systems

August 13, 2017


Most commercial roofing systems are built for long-term performance. Ideally, they should last for as long as the buildings they are standing on remain intact. But damages can and do happen over time. Especially when wrongly installed, incorrectly designed, or inadequately maintained, there’s bound to be some problems cropping up, often when least expected. Severe weather conditions like torrential monsoon rains, high winds, scorching summer heat and heavy hailstorms of course also tend to aggravate things. The roof may leak or altogether give out on you. What to do when the roof gets damaged? There are four options: repair, coat, re-cover, or full replacement.

Repair

When the problems on a roof are relatively minor, having it repaired is a less costly alternative to getting a re-cover or a full-blown replacement job from your roofing contractor. An expertly done repair work can further extend the useful life of the roof. If you want to keep costs down to the minimum, if the original membrane material is basically still in good shape and has not met its life expectation and if the roofing insulation is still in good condition, getting just a repair is your best option.

Coating

In some instance, a coat of a fully-adhered, fluid-applied roofing membrane can be layered over the damaged original composite membrane to extend the life of the roofing system. Aside from sealing against possible leaks, the reflective surface of the coatings provide energy savings by reflecting heat and UV away from the building. The fresh coatings also adds to the aesthetics of the commercial establishment.

Re-cover

Aside from coating, so long as the roof is still fundamentally sound and still has good installation, another cost-effective solution to address your damaged roof is to just re-cover it with another layer of roofing membrane. In many cases, if a roof has only one membrane, you can put another on top. However, keep in mind that a roof should only be re-covered once. Having your roof re-covered is cheaper than getting a full roof system replacement. Plus, it will be less disruptive to the occupants, users and visitors in your commercial establishment than a complete tear-off. In addition, you can even get new, extended warranties that ships with the re-cover roofing material.

Full replacement

If the damage to the roof is too extensive, say about a fourth of its surface has already gone to seed, and it has already been coated or re-covered before, then your last option would be to totally replace it with a brand new installation. Especially if the insulation is no longer in good condition, a full replacement is your best bet at a long-term solution. Besides, after you’re done with the one-time expense for the initial installation of a new roofing system, you’ll have bigger savings in terms of lower maintenance costs for the next several years. Aside from a fresh new look, you get a much better peace of mind.

Categories
Commercial
Roofing Tips and Maintenance

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