Roof Recoating Offers An Alternative To Metal Roof Replacement

An applicator installs ALDOCOAT 374 to the surface of the school's metal roof. A high solids, fire retardant, thixotropic acrylic elastomer, the coating is specially formulated for roof surface waterproofing, heat and UV reflectivity. Click images to enlarge.

By Bob Brenk President Aldo Products Inc.

Roof replacement remains an expensive proposition for building owners and facility professionals. Material costs continue to escalate for manufacturers, making replacement costs more expensive than ever before.

Building owners and managers with metal roofs that are leaking or approaching the end of service life have an array of options and are increasingly focused on researching solutions that address questions concerning rising energy costs, sustainability goals and requirements, and the best economic solution for the roof system. 

Can I install a roof system that will help reduce my energy costs? Can I do it in a manner that is “green” and environmentally sensitive by not contributing to unneeded landfill and help to reduce the urban heat island effect? Can I do this without any interruption to my on-going business? And most importantly can I do this within budget?

After cleaning the metal roof surface, the roof was primed with ALDOPRIME 710 and then spot treated with ALDOSEAL 750 sealant. The photo below shows a section of the school's roof with the priming and treating process complete. Click images to enlarge.
The final step in the roof restoration process was the application of the ALDOCOAT 374 topcoat in a custom Black Fox color.

In addition to answering these questions, most building professionals will want to defer the cost of complete roof replacement if possible. This is only an option if the existing roof system has service life remaining. A thorough inspection by an industry professional can accurately make this assessment.

In the case of metal roof systems, there is a way to extend the service life of an installed system by recoating it with an elastomeric, reflective coating system. The method has been used countless times with great success, including recently at a school in Georgia.

In this particular case, not only did the school's low-slope membrane roof need replaced, but the 75,000 square feet of standing seam metal roof needed to be addressed as well. District officials preferred to keep the existing color of the metal roof but also wanted to take care of the leaks. Beyond that, a complete tear-off and metal roof replacement was cost prohibitive.

The solution was an ALDOCOAT Acrylic Roof Coating System, utilizing a custom color topcoat. This spray-applied system allowed the facility management department of the school system to take care of the leaks, extend the service life of the existing metal roof, reduce all the roof tear off material that would have ended up in a landfill and ultimately stay within their budget.

The roof was effectively prepared by thorough cleaning. Then the entire roof surface was sprayed with a primer coat, followed by the sealing of all penetrationswith an acrylic seam sealer. A base coat of ALDOCOAT 374 Contractor Grade Acrylic, followed by the custom color top coat of the same product restored the roof not only to a leak-free state, but also resulted in extending the service life of the metal roof system considerably.

This case is a great example of one the many roof replacement options available. The key is to take a proactive approach to extend the life of a roof and save cost, hassle and waste that comes with full roof replacement. To learn more about this case study and others visit www.aldoproducts.com/case-studies.

About Aldo Products

Aldo offers elastomeric coatings, primers and sealers for roofs. To learn more, visit www.aldoproducts.com.