The most important concern that anyone getting a roof installed should have, whether the building is commercial or residential, is protecting the roof from leaks. Fixing a leak can be one of the most costly ventures one could possibly take when repairing a roof. Whether you hire a roofing company to fix the leak or take the time, money, and effort to fix it yourself, it can be agreed that the best way to address roof leaks is by making sure that they never happen.
Another thing that anyone who has a long term investment in a roof should be aware of is protecting the roof from impact. In fact, it is because of debris that bounces off of an unprotected roof that causes leaks in the first place. Protecting your roof is priority one, and using the right coatings to protect your roof will provide peace of mind that will last. Epoxy roof coatings were invented for this very reason, to make sure that any given roof is protected from anything that could permanently damage it.
What is Epoxy?
Before any discussion about epoxy roof coatings can even begin, it is imperative to understand what epoxy the substance actually is. The reason why this needs to be known is because when using epoxy as a roof coating, it is possible to apply too little of it to where the roof is not as protected as it needs to be, and it is also possible to apply too much of it onto a roof to where it could permanently damage the roof.
Epoxy is a resin that almost immediately sticks onto any surface and makes the surface much harder. It is similar to cement but it does not bind anything permanently like cement does. Think of epoxy as a cross between plaster and cement. It is designed to hold things in place like plaster does, but it is also designed to create very, very hard surfaces, similar to cement.
So, to summarize, when epoxy is used as a roof coating, it is effectively cementing any material on the roof. This is why knowing about it is so important. If too much epoxy is applied onto a roof coating, the roof will literally turn into cement. It will get heavier and heavier as a substance, will cause the roof to be heavier than it needs to be, and it could cause damage to the walls in the attic.
Before you Buy – Necessary Precautions
Keeping this in mind, before you shop for epoxy roof coatings for your roof, there are few things to keep in mind. Drawing on the previous observations, that too little epoxy content will not protect the roof enough and that too much can cause damage to anything related to the roof, it would be a very good thing to use this information to make an educated decision on what kind of coating you need.
Different coatings have different amounts of epoxy in them. For example, the epoxy roof coating that is sold by Armor Garage has no chemicals to mix and lasts about 15 years. This seems like a good investment, but there is more information that needs to be gathered before using it on your roof. Because no roof is created the same, it is important to check to see what kind of coating is necessary for your particular roof.
There are a few ways to do this. The first way is to save this chart to a device of your choosing to see all (or most) of the coatings that exist. This will give you a general guide of what you may want to use. Another thing to do is to check what kind of materials your roof is made of, and how old they are. This requires you to climb on your roof, which can be extremely dangerous. It is not recommended that you do this alone.
Different rooftop materials have different durabilities and this should give you an idea of how strong the coating you want to get needs to be. For example, a roof with asphalt shingles, which is the most common roofing material, probably does not require coating with a high epoxy content, especially if it has been a long time since it has been installed. A metal roof that was just installed may need coating with a bit more epoxy content.
One thing that can ensure that you are not going to permanently damage your roof with an epoxy coating is to err on the side of applying too little. While it is true that applying too little coating will not protect your roof completely, at least it will protect your roof somewhat. Applying too much coating can weigh the rest of the house down, especially if the roof is made up of asphalt shingles.
Every roof should be protected as much as possible. Even in areas where there is not a lot of bad weather or a lot of debris hitting the roof constantly, it is still a good idea to consider protecting the roof. This is possible and very easy to do with epoxy coating, and it is a much cheaper alternative to not doing anything and then fixing a roof leak yourself or hiring somebody to do it.
While it is a very good idea to protect your roof with epoxy coating, this process can backfire if too much coating is applied. One solution for this is to protect the roof somewhat by only applying a little coating, or consulting with an expert in roof maintenance. These are just small things that can protect your investment of a roof in a big way that can save a lot of time and money in the long run.