Metal is one of the most popular roofing materials, chosen for industrial, commercial and residential applications across the country. What makes metal roofs so appreciated is the resistance, the durability, the easy installation and the wide choice of colors and textures available with the solution, but even such a sturdy, long-lived, attractive and versatile material needs protection to be able to perform at the top of its capacities. The most efficient way to prolong your metal roof’s lifespan is through applying the right type of coating material on the surface of the roofing material – here is why and how it makes sense to coat your metal roofing when doing commercial roof repair San Antonio area.
The Role and Importance of Re-Coating Your Metal Roof
Metal roofing leaves the factory surface-treated to improve the material’s capacities to withstand rust, to resist corrosion and to make the roofing an efficient energy barrier between the building interior and the world outside. The factory coating is highly durable and efficient, but the roof is the component of the building envelope that takes the bulk of the beating from the elements and even the most modern, strongest and most durable coating needs to be regularly refreshed when exposed to such hard circumstances.
Failing to re-apply the surface finish regularly will probably lead to the premature aging of the roof. Compromised coating will leave the metal surface exposed and when uncoated, the bare metal surface exposed to water and harsh sunshine tends to develop rust and corrosion that will weaken the material’s strength and diminish its resistance.
How and When to Re-Coat Your Roof
Modern coating products can fulfil a multiple role: they will protect the roof against rust and corrosion, they will make the roof weathertight, thus contributing to enhancing the building’s energy-efficiency as well as to preventing leaks and they will improve the building’s appearance. These coatings are easy to apply as well – they are sprayed onto the roof surface or they are applied with the help of a roller, both processes being quick and simple.
Ideally, the first re-coating takes place in 5-12 years after the installation of the roof, but the period that the initial coating applied on the metal panels during the manufacturing process can be expected to stay intact depends on the area where the building is located (prolonged exposure to harsh sunshine, exposure to salt and other corrosive substances, extensive exposure to water will all influence the longevity of the coating). The same principle applies for any subsequent re-coating process: ideally, they should take place every 10 years, but the condition of the roof might require new coating to be applied more frequently.
The process of roof coating should always start with roof cleaning and repair. The roof should be thoroughly cleaned and it should be inspected for faults, such as rust, corrosion, dents, shrinkage, imperfectly sealing seams, all of which need to be remedied before the new coating is applied. If the inspection finds panels that cannot be repaired, the damaged components need to be replaced first, because the coating material can only work on a solid, intact roof.
