ROOFING

Roof leaks are notoriously difficult to fix by repairs and patching and extremely costly to install a completely new roof. Here we’ll discuss the causes of roof leaks and some solutions.


What To Do With a Rusting And Or Painted Metal Roof?

Metal roofs are great but if left unattended too long they can start to rust and or have the factory coating wear off. If you’re interested in getting a new roof installed, check out a website like https://austinroofingcompany.org/roof-replacement/ to learn more about what’s involved. Lets start with a roof that is rusting and is bare metal. You first need to remove as much of the surface rust as possible. Power washing and or wire brushing works best. Next you need to apply a high zinc primer to all rusted areas. Be sure the primer you choose can act as a primer for a solvent based coating. Once the zinc primer has dried you can apply our Roof Repair Mastic to any areas that are in need of repair. The mastic is a patch material that can be put over split seams, bolt heads, curbs and other roof flashings. For really bad areas we would embed some roof mesh into the mastic for added strength.
Once the mastic has dried you can apply two coats of the Armor Metal Roof Coating by either roller or spray or a combination of both. Now you have a completely encapsulated metal roof that is protected against rust, water tight and heat reflective.

Alternatively, if your roof is either beyond repair or you do not want to go through the fixing process, you might want to contact an affordable roofing company for a repair or replacement. This is essential if the state of your roof has greatly deteriorated.

Now lets talk about metal roofs that have a paint coating or factory coating on them, that you might find somewhere similar to www.powdercoatservices.com among other places. First thing you need to do is to determine that the coating is still bonded to the metal. If the coating is delaminating from the metal then it must be removed completely. You never want to coat over another coating that is failing. That goes for whether you’re doing your floor, deck or roof. If the coating is still adhered to the metal firmly then clean it, let it dry and then coat with the Bonding Primer. Let the Bonding Primer dry 24 hrs and then apply two coats of the Armor Metal Roof Coating. If there are any rust spots treat them as detailed above.

If you have a bare metal roof you can apply the Armor Metal Roof Coating directly to it.

So to summarize, never coat directly over rust or a paint finish. Zinc prime any rust areas and then coat the entire roof with bonding primer, same goes for painted metal roofs. Roofs with no coatings or rust can be coated directly with two coats. If your seams, bolt heads and flashings need repair. Do the repairs using the Armor Roof Repair Mastic after any zinc and bonding primer application. If you have any questions as to how to properly coat your roof contact us and one of our roof experts will guide you accordingly.

If you’re looking to make improvements to your fascia and are concerned about its longevity, recycled plastic fascia doesn’t rot like wood and doesn’t rust like metal.


Roof Leaks Part 3

Here are some more common roof leaks. Below is another example of a Goo repair job. Please understand that no matter how much Goo you apply it’s still going to most likely end up like this. If you don’t believe us, you can even ask the Middletown NJ Roofing Replacement guys. They’ll say the same thing. Repeated applications only mean the cracked material is thicker than it was before. Whether it’s a 1/4″ thick or 4″ thick once it gets dry and brittle it will crack and it will leak. Leaky roofs are the last thing you want on your hands which is why at the first sign of your roof bearing a problem, you might want to reach out to roofers like these – https://www.trusted-roofing.com.

flatRoof06Flashing

This is a very common area for leaks. The seam at the top or even middle of a parapet wall. This seam was never flashed properly and never had a counter flashing installed. You need to mesh and mastic any seam on a parapet wall and then you should install a counter flashing like the in the image below.

parrapet

Here we have a very nice counter flashing but the vertical seams are starting to go. This is where a good epoxy roof mastic will save the day. When experiencing roof leaks you need to do a careful visual with your eyes and physical inspection with your fingers. You need to test every seam. Even the slightest separation at a seam will leak,

split parrapet seam

To solve this issue simply clean the area, apply a thin coat of our Roof Mastic and then work in some roof mesh with a serrated rectangle trowel until the mastic starts working it’s way up through the mesh. Then apply another layer of mastic just so that the mesh is no longer visible. Keep the mastic to a minimum, use just enough to seal and cover the mesh. The mistake most people make is that they just get up on the roof and start slapping gobs of goo all over the place. More goo is not better and is usually worse than less goo. Try our mastic and mesh method, we think you’ll like the results. Here’s a good example of restoring a roof with a commercial roof coating the right way. When done like this you will get as much or more longevity as an entire new roof at a fraction of the price. We understand that not everyone’s willing to fix their commercial roof, especially if there’s a lot of damage, and that a professional roofing company may be needed, but if you have the ability to fix this yourself you’ll get a lot of financial gain. Notice that all the seams are covered with mastic and then the coating is applied over that.

While doing your own repair of your roof may cost less, it is only a short-term resolution and not everyone has the capability to get up on their roof and follow these steps. In this case, hiring a professional company like roofing St Louis is a much better resolution and they will offer a much more long-term repair.

mastic joints


Roof Leaks Part 2

When you see or feel the first drips of water coming down from your ceiling or roof the first thing you tend to do is want to run to the store and buy a bucket of black tar to patch the leak. There are a few problems with this. First is the fact that where you see the water coming down is most likely not where the leak is occurring. So the first thing you should do is try to determine the source of the leak. This can be extremely frustrating and time consuming so you might want to get roofers in columbia md to help you. Next thing you should do once you determined where the leak is from is figure out the best repair method.

Applying roof patch is great at first and looks like this when you first apply it.

roof patch

But then before you know it it looks like this

KARANCK PATCH

And finally this starts happening

5CracksFlatRoofLeaks

Then you get sucked into the never ending patch trap. You are continuously applying patch to various areas of your roof and even trying different patch products. Until you end up with a giant mess on your hands and a still leaking roof. Tar based patch or black goo products like we call them are great for temporary emergency leak stop. But they’re not made for longevity. Once the sun starts baking them they get brittle and crack. Most times the cracks are not plainly visible and you think the patch is still good when it’s not. So you either miss seeing the leak or you just pour more goo on the problem. This a problem cause eventually you will want to fix the leaks properly and permanently. But with all that goo up there it makes it much harder to do a proper repair job. You may find yourself needing to hire some professional Roofers to help solve the issue.

Keep the goo to a minimum and once it’s fully cured after a few weeks you can go over it with a permanent mastic or roof coating.

If your applying goo all over your roof and it’s still leaking it may be that the roof material has just worn out and is now porous and water is working it’s way right through the roof membrane. Most times it’s cheaper, faster and a lot less frustrating to apply a roof coating over your entire roof. Our epoxy rubber based Roof Coatings are super strong and will seal up porous roof materials, fill in invisible cracks and other leak causing issues. Our Roof Mastic is far superior to any goo you will put on your roof.

If you’re particularly handy with power tools and have a persistently leaky roof, then you might want to invest in an air compressor. These tools can perform so many tasks around your home, from inflating bicycle tires and soccer balls to fixing nails on a leaking roof. If an air compressor sounds like the solution you’ve been looking for, this guide on Toolsduty could help you choose one that will work best for your needs.

So to sum up, if you’re sure you have an isolated leak and have located it for sure, go ahead and patch it but at least use a high-quality roof patch. If your leaks seem to be popping up in different places like the bump in a rug scenario. Don’t waste your time and money trying to spot fix it. Coat your entire roof and be worry-free for the next 15-20 years.

It would make more sense though to involve the services of a roof repair company (just check out a company like www.missouricommercialroofingpros.com). This will help save you time in the long run and you won’t have to worry about fixing the exact spot. You might even feel more reassured since a professional has fixed your roof for you and this means that your roof should be all good for the next few years. This is particularly useful if you don’t have very good roofing skills. There’s no point fixing a roof if you don’t know what you are doing.


Cause of roof leaks

Leaks can be caused by almost an unlimited amount of reasons. Today we will discuss a few of the common reasons. Since there are so many reasons we will discuss other reasons in multiple posts. Thankfully, the best Commercial Roofing companies will always manage to prevent leaks from being a serious problem in your building. Here is a classic example of a roof leak waiting to happen.

wood on 1

Notice the wood beams directly on the roof material! This is a huge no no. Never place any tonnage or curbing directly onto the roof surface especially if any vibrating equipment will be sitting on it. The vibration from the equipment will cause the beams or curbs to vibrate right through your roof material. Most times the cut occurs under the tonnage beams or curb flange where you can’t see it. Then the water runs under the roof surface and comes out of the first opening in the roof it hits. It could be on the other side of the roof. Leaving you to tear out your hair trying to find it while spending lots of time and money in your futile attempt to stop your roof from leaking, that’s why it might be worth looking into someone like this Toronto roofing company to help you with your roofing problems. If you aren’t in the Toronto area, consider talking to Vinyl Siding Albany roofers instead to improve useful roofing solutions.

Here’s a picture of the right way to install equipment on a roof. See how the equip rails are cut into the roof and the roofing is run over the top of it. We also recommend you install vibration eliminators between any rotating equipment and the supports. You can use wood tonnage beams but they must be installed directly onto the roof deck and then properly roofed over. Notice the metal cap over the support rail. The equipment will never touch the roof material. Equipment support rails are commonly available online.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Another common reason is this. Splitting seams.

ROOF SEAM

If you have leaks the first thing to check is your seams. You can do this by simply running your fingers along the seams to see if there is any separation. If you find a leak, you may want to visit a commercial roofing company that could help you. You can find a reliable roofing company by doing some research online to find your nearest roofing service or visit the best commercial roofing company (view website here) for more information. However, if you want to do repairs yourself you can do so with the help of trustworthy resources. If you know where to look there are places online that could give you helpful tips on how to deal with broken seams and a leaky roof. You can find the best information online as well as recommendations for fixing that seam, so it won’t cause further damage. For example, if you find a split seam we recommend our Epoxy Roof Mastic for the repair it’s far superior to the old fashion black tar stuff you get at your local store. Spread a little under the seam then cover the seam with a thin even coat, scrape in some nylon or fiberglass roof mesh with the notched side of your rectangle trowel until the mastic protrudes through the mesh then spread some more mastic to encapsulate the mastic. Paintable roof tape works best on rubber EPDM seams.

In future posts we’ll discuss why leaks keep recurring and other reasons your roof is probably leaking.


What is ponding roof water & how do I know if I have it

Ponding roof water is one of the most destructive forces on a flat asphalt roof. It can lead to serious damage It doesn’t matter if you live in waldorf or if you live in Houston, standing water can cause damage and should be prevented. It is standing water that sits on your roof for longer than 24-36 hrs after the rain has stopped that causes the most damage. Rain and storm damage can cause all kinds of problems that often require the services of the likes of roof repair austin texas professionals to prevent any further problems caused by the damage. Other than going up on your roof the day after a good rain storm to see if you have pools of water sitting on your roof you can look for areas like this:

IMG_0261 Roof

See all the dark brown and black residue, that’s the tell tale sign of ponding water. If this continues and the ponding issue isn’t dealt with then it will lead to heavy damage and Water Damage and Roofing Round Rock will be needed to repair the damage. You can also see the decomposing roof material also. Ponding water will eat through just about any roof material. It is extremely important that before you begin any repairs or coating of your flat roof that you determine whether or not you have ponding water which is caused by an improper pitch in the roof. Whilst checking for any other damage to your roof, this may be the best time for you to examine the state of your gutters as well. Blocked or faulty gutters may have the potential to affect the drainage of any rainwater and the longer that it has been there for, the more damage it could cause to your roof and to the interior of your house. You may decide that the best way to proceed is to get in touch with a company that is similar to Clean Pro Gutter Cleaning Rocklin, as they will be able to thoroughly remove any debris that is clogging your system, as well as making sure that any repairs have been fixed. For some people though, their roof damage may have been caused by an improper pitch in the roof. If you do have one, you must thoroughly clean off all the residue with either a bleach or chlorine solution. Then you must coat it with a ponding water PROOF coating not just a ponding water resistant coating. Anything else you do will be a waste of your time and money such as using bargain coatings from home improvement stores.

Here are some more obvious cases of ponding roof water. Having vegetation growing on your roof is never a good thing but is more common then you think.

ponding2 Plant-grow-on-roof

It’s never easy repitching a roof but sometimes its not so difficult to add another roof drain in the low spot. If you can’t do either than we strongly recommend you apply the proper coating. One problem with ponding proof coatings is that they are very soft and prone to damage by heavy rains and simply by walking on them. Some manufacturers void the warranty if the roof was walked on or if certain documented maintenance was not performed yearly or if it wasn’t applied by a licensed contractor. Read the fine print before you buy. We offer a hardened ponding coating that will resist abrasion from heavy down pours and being walked on for 12 years guaranteed. Learn more about our ponding water roof coat here: ArmorGarage Ponding Roof Coating