Commercial Metal Roof Restoration in San Antonio and Austin

A roof is usually a good restoration candidate when its problems are at the connections and the surface rather than in the metal itself:

• leaks at screws, laps, ridge caps, flashings and penetrations;
• fastener washers that have hardened, cracked or pulled away from the panel;
• surface rust, chalking or a worn paint finish on panels that are still full thickness;
• rust at cut edges, end laps and gutters that has not eaten through the sheet;
• failed sealant and old patches that keep reopening.

It is usually not a candidate when corrosion has holed the panels across large areas, when purlins or clips have lost strength, when the insulation is saturated, or when hail has creased and split panels across most of the roof. Age on its own does not decide it. An old roof in good order can often be restored, while a younger roof with widespread hidden damage may not be worth the cost.

Two checks decide whether a coating will last on a particular roof:

• Adhesion: a test patch of the proposed system shows whether it bonds to the existing panels and any old coating. Loose or incompatible old coating has to come off first.
• Moisture: where leaks have run for a long time, the insulation and liner below can be wet. Coating over wet materials traps the moisture, so suspect areas are opened up and checked before the scope is fixed.

Some conditions only show once work starts. The proposal should say what has been checked, what has not, and how anything found during the work will be priced.

The price comes from the roof area and height, the number of fasteners to replace, the amount of corrosion treatment and panel replacement, seam and flashing work, removal of failed old coating, the coating system and its thickness, skylights and gutters, and how the roof is reached.

When comparing quotations, check that each one states the preparation, metal and detail work, coating system, thickness and exclusions. A low price per square foot that leaves out fastener replacement or corrosion treatment is not comparable with one that includes them.

Translucent skylight panels are not coated. Aged or cracked panels are replaced to match the roof profile before the coating goes on; see commercial skylights and roof lights. Gutters often need the same corrosion and joint work as the roof, or a lining; see commercial gutters and drainage. Equipment curbs are reflashed, and any planned HVAC changes should be known before the roof is coated so new openings are not cut through finished work.