Water coming through the ceiling? The emergency line is answered by a person, 24 hours a day, every day of the year — we tarp and make safe first, and estimate in daylight. Call 000-000-0000
The proposition is genuinely good. For roughly a quarter of the cost of a replacement, a properly applied coating seals fine cracks and weathered seams, puts a seamless waterproof membrane over the whole roof, and — if it is white — reflects a large share of the solar energy that used to arrive as heat in the floor below. Buildings routinely see a real drop in cooling costs and rooftop surface temperature.
The catch is the condition of what is underneath. Over wet insulation a coating seals the water in, and the deck below then rots invisibly and expensively for years. This is why we take moisture readings and, where they justify it, cut test squares before we will quote one — and why we will sometimes tell you that the roof you were hoping to coat needs replacing instead. That conversation costs us the sale and it is the whole reason to trust the quote when we do give one.
The systems we apply
Chosen for the roof and the exposure, not because it is what happens to be on the truck.
Silicone
The best performer where water ponds. It does not soften or wash off with standing water, holds up to UV almost indefinitely, and is our default on any roof with drainage that is less than perfect.
Acrylic
Lower cost, excellent reflectivity, and easy to renew. Well suited to roofs that drain properly and see plenty of sun. It does not like sitting under water.
Polyurethane
Tougher underfoot than either, so it earns its place on roofs with real foot traffic or where hail is a concern. Often used as a base coat under silicone at wear points.
Fabric-reinforced detail work
Polyester fabric embedded in coating over seams, penetrations and terminations before the field coat. This is the part that actually stops leaks; the field coat is the part that stops UV.
Below-grade and parapet waterproofing
Liquid-applied membranes for parapet tops, planters, terraces and anywhere a roof meets something vertical and unforgiving.
Walkway pads
Over the routes people actually take to rooftop equipment. Cheap, and they prevent most coating wear we ever see.
When a coating is the right answer — and when it is not
We would rather say no to a coating than sell one that hides a problem for three years.
Right: a sound roof that is simply weathered
Chalking, minor crazing, seams beginning to look tired, but dry insulation and a solid deck. This is the ideal candidate and the results are excellent.
Right: a roof with life left and no budget for replacement
A coating defers a capital cost by a decade for about a quarter of the money. That is a perfectly rational decision and we will help you make it.
Right: a building with a serious cooling load
A white roof over an occupied top floor makes a difference people genuinely notice in August.
Wrong: wet insulation
A coating over a saturated roof seals the water against the deck. The roof looks new, and the deck quietly fails underneath. This is the single most common way people waste money on a roof.
Wrong: a roof with active structural problems
Deflection, a soft deck or failing fasteners are not surface problems and no coating addresses them.
Wrong: as a repair for a known leak
Fix the leak, prove it is fixed, then coat. In that order. A coating is maintenance, not a repair.
Wrong: over a roof already at the end of its life
If the membrane is brittle and the seams are opening, you are coating something that is about to move underneath you.
How it is done properly
About sixty per cent of the work happens before any coating goes on the field of the roof.
Moisture survey first
Meter readings on a grid, test cuts where they are justified. If it is wet, we stop here and talk about something else.
Clean the roof properly
Power wash and, where needed, a chemical clean. Coating over dirt, chalk or grease is coating over a release agent.
Repair everything that is failing
Open seams, split laps, failed terminations, damaged flashing. Repaired and proven before anything is coated.
Prime where the substrate needs it
Some surfaces need a primer for adhesion. Skipping it is invisible for two years and then the coating peels in sheets.
Detail coat with fabric
Seams, penetrations, drains, terminations and parapet junctions get fabric embedded in coating before the field coat goes on.
Field coat, at the specified thickness
Applied at the manufacturer's wet-mil rate and measured as we go. Under-application is the commonest reason a coating fails early, and it is invisible once it dries.
Second coat, in a contrasting shade
So full coverage is provable rather than assumed.
Questions
Coatings & Waterproofing — the questions we are asked most
How long does a roof coating last?
Ten to twenty years depending on the system, the thickness applied and the exposure. Silicone is at the top of that range and copes with ponding water; acrylic is at the lower end but is cheaper and easy to renew. The key advantage is that renewal is a re-coat rather than a tear-off, so the second application costs far less than the first.
Can you coat a roof that is leaking?
Not as the fix. Find the leak, repair it, prove it is fixed, then coat. A coating is a maintenance product for a sound roof, and putting one over an active leak simply hides where the water is getting in — which makes the next diagnosis much harder and much more expensive.
Will a white roof really lower my cooling bill?
Yes, measurably, on a building with an occupied or conditioned top floor. A reflective coating rejects a large share of incoming solar energy that a dark roof absorbs and re-radiates downward. Rooftop surface temperatures on a hot afternoon fall dramatically, and the difference in the space below is something people notice without being told.
How much does a roof coating cost compared with a new roof?
Roughly a quarter to a third. Coating runs $3.25 to $7.00 per square foot including preparation and repairs, against $8 to $13 per square foot for a full single-ply replacement. That is the case for coating a sound roof — and equally the reason to be suspicious of anyone offering to coat one that is not.
Why do you insist on a moisture survey first?
Because a coating over wet insulation seals the water against the deck, and the building then rots invisibly for years while the roof looks brand new. It is the single most common way money is wasted on a flat roof. The survey costs a few hundred dollars and it is credited against the coating if the roof is dry.
Can any flat roof be coated?
Most can — single-ply, modified bitumen, built-up, metal and previously coated roofs all accept an appropriate system, though each needs different preparation and sometimes a primer. What cannot be coated is a roof that is wet underneath, structurally compromised, or so far gone that the substrate will move under the new coating.
Does a coating count as a new roof for warranty purposes?
It is a maintenance system with its own manufacturer warranty, typically 10 to 20 years depending on thickness, plus our workmanship warranty. It does not restart the clock on the roof underneath, and it should not be sold to you as though it does.
Related
Often needed alongside this
Maintenance & Protection
Roof Maintenance Plans
Two or four visits a year that catch the small thing before it becomes the ceiling — and typically add a decade to a roof.
Read more
Maintenance & Protection
Inspections & Roof Planning
Condition surveys, drone and moisture inspections, and the remaining-life report that lets you plan a roof instead of reacting to one.
Read more
Maintenance & Protection
Gutters & Drainage
Seamless gutters, downspouts, leaders and roof drains — because most 'roof leaks' in Queens are water that could not get away.
Read moreFree survey, written quote, fixed price
Get a roof quote, or call the 24-hour line
Tell us what you are seeing and we will tell you honestly whether it needs somebody tonight or whether it will keep until the morning. Surveys and written quotes are free, and leak diagnostics are $145, credited in full against any repair you approve.