Why Your Commercial Roof Needs Coatings
Why Your Commercial Roof Needs Coatings
Are you wondering why your commercial roof needs coatings?
Commercial roof coatings are like a protective shield for your building's roof. They extend its life, prevent leaks, and can even save you money on energy bills, all without the expense and disruption of a full roof replacement.
What You See or Feel
You might notice your roof showing signs of wear and tear, like small cracks, standing water after rain, or faded surfaces. Inside your building, you could be dealing with higher-than-usual energy bills for heating and cooling, or worse, water stains on ceilings and walls. These are all signs your roof isn't performing its best and could benefit from a coating.
Why It Happens and What It Costs If Ignored
Commercial roofs take a beating from the weather – sun, rain, snow, and wind. Over time, these elements break down the roofing material, leading to cracks, weak spots, and seams that pull apart. When these issues aren't fixed, water gets in. Water leaks can damage insulation, ruin inventory, disrupt operations, and even lead to mold growth. If water gets into the insulation, it often turns it into a wet, heavy mess that destroys its ability to insulate your building. This means your HVAC system has to work harder, costing you more money every month. Ignoring these problems doesn't make them go away; they only get worse and more expensive to fix, eventually forcing a costly tear-off and replacement.
How We Apply Coatings and Their Limits
We apply Conklin-trained roof coating systems that restore your existing roof, giving it a new, seamless protective layer. Here's how it generally works:
- Inspection and Preparation: First, a Conklin-trained contractor will inspect your roof thoroughly. We look for damaged areas, assess the existing membrane, and check if the roof deck is sound. If there's wet insulation, it needs to be replaced before coating. If the roof deck is severely failed, or the roof is too old and deteriorated, a coating might not be the right answer.
- Cleaning: We clean the roof surface to remove dirt, debris, and any loose material. This ensures the coating sticks properly.
- Repairs: Any existing leaks, cracks, or damaged areas are repaired. Seams are reinforced, and flashing is addressed. This makes sure the roof is sound before applying the coating.
- Primer (if needed): Depending on your existing roof material, a primer may be applied to help the coating bond better.
- Coating Application: We then apply the Conklin coating system in multiple layers. This creates a seamless, watertight membrane over your entire roof. Our Conklin roof coatings are designed to protect against UV rays, reflect heat, and withstand severe weather.
- Final Inspection: Once the coating is cured, we perform a final inspection to ensure everything meets our quality standards.
This process renews your roof, often adding years, sometimes decades, to its life. It also turns your roof into a "cool roof," reflecting up to 85% of the sun's UV rays. This can significantly reduce the temperature inside your building and lower your air conditioning costs. A coated roof is also seamless, meaning there are no weak points for water to seep through, making it leak-resistant.
It's important to understand that a coating isn't a miracle cure for every roof. If your roof is structurally unsound, has widespread wet insulation, or is past its restoration point, a coating won't solve those issues. An honest inspection will determine if a coating system is the right fit for your building.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why choose a roof coating instead of a full replacement?
Choosing a roof coating means you don't have to tear off your old roof, saving you on disposal costs and labor. It's less disruptive to your business, often costs less than replacement, and can extend your roof's life significantly. Plus, many coatings offer energy savings that a traditional roof might not.
How long do commercial roof coatings last?
With proper installation by a Conklin-trained contractor and regular maintenance, our coating systems can last for many years, typically between 10 to 20 years, often with renewable warranties. The exact lifespan depends on the specific system used, your roof type (like a metal roof or flat roof), and local weather conditions.
Will a roof coating really save me money on energy bills?
Yes. Our acrylic roof coatings are white or light-colored, which means they reflect a lot of the sun's heat away from your building. This reduces the amount of heat absorbed into your building, making your air conditioning work less, especially during hot months. Many building owners see a noticeable drop in their energy expenses after a coating is applied.
Ready to see if a Conklin-trained roof coating system is right for your commercial property? Call us today at (309) 303-3128 to schedule an on-site inspection, or visit our contact page to learn more.
Keep Reading on This Site
Industry Sources
- Cool Roof Rating Council(opens in a new tab)
Third-party reflectance and emittance ratings.
- Cool Roof Rating Council. Building Owner Resources(opens in a new tab)
How reflective roof surfaces lower cooling load.
- U.S. EPA. Using Cool Roofs to Reduce Heat Islands(opens in a new tab)
Measured surface-temperature and energy impacts.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is weatherproofing?
The first and most prominent benefit of adding a layer of coating to your roofs is weatherproofing. A roof experiences a lot from the elements. Harsh winds, rain, snow, hail, sun, you name it.
What is energy efficiency?
It’s hardly a secret that proper roofs help with energy conservation. And just like that, commercial roof coatings make buildings more energy-efficient. Energy bills can be a real drain on your business’s bottom line.
What is extending your roof’s lifespan?
If you were to ask commercial roofing contractors about the potential benefits of roof coatings, they might not tell you this. But the truth is that your roof’s lifespan actually increases if you apply a layer of coating on it. Nobody wants to replace their commercial roof any sooner than they have to.
What is seamless & leak-free?
Get in touch with commercial roofing companies to get a quotation for how much it will cost to repair a leakage issue. And multiply that by 10 for the next few years. That’s the cost you’re going to save by having a roof coating because it keeps the leaks away for longer and in a more proficient way.

