Flat Roof and Roof Restoration Experts - Serving Colorado and Beyond

Any roof will deteriorate over time. This is due, at least in part, to the constant onslaught of wind, rain, hail, and UV radiation. Also responsible is what is known as thermal shock. Thermal shock refers to the constant Thermal shock act like a rubberband.

expansion and contraction of your roof and is caused by external and internal temperature fluctuations. As your roof heats up, it will expand. As it cools down, it will contract. In addition to being a deteriorating contributor all on its own, this "rubberbanding" effect will also exacerbate all the other aforementioned problems.

Then there is direct human interaction with your roof; i.e., cigarette burns, cuts and abrasions caused by dropped tools and metal during A/C service, or any of a number of factors. All of these things adversely affect the quality and durability of your roof. Since your roof is the first line of defense in protecting your valuable interior contents from the elements, it is important to know just how to protect your roof.

Protect

A quality roof restoration can add anywhere from 16 to 60 mils of additional thickness to the wearing surface of your roof (1 mil equals 0.001 inches). Although that may not seem like much, remember that this is adding to the wearing surface, not to the roofing system already in place. The wearing surface serves as a sacrificial barrier to the elements, protecting the actual structure of the roof underneath. A quality roof restoration product enhances or completely restores that barrier, enabling your roof's structure to be protected from the wind, rain, hail, and UV radiation.

In addition to protecting your roof from the deteriorating affects of harmful UV radiation, a correctly installed, highly-reflective roof restoration system will also reflect that UV radiation, keeping your roof cool. This can save you money on cooling costs and can significantly reduce the rubberbanding effect of thermal shock. The proof is in the color.

Extend

By restoring your roof as described above, you extend the life of your roof. By adding additional mils of wearing surface and thereby protecting your roof's structure, it will last longer. It is true that the protective wearing surface of your roof will itself wear away over time. But as long as that wearing surface is restored, the roof underneath with continue to be protected. In fact, restoring this wearing surface is at the root of roof restoration.

Think of it this way: Which would you rather replace every year, your entire roof or just the wearing surface of your roof? Replacing a roof can be very expensive, especially if a tear-off is required. But a roof that is in otherwise restorable condition, only needs to have the wearing surface replaced. In most standard roof restoration scenarios, you simply have the wearing surface restored about every 10 years and the roof itself never needs to be addressed again. That is what sustainable roofing is all about.

Stop

Restoring the wearing surface of your roof prevents any existing cracks, cuts, or abrasions from turning into roof leaks. But that's not all. Since most roofing problems are related to faulty or deteriorating seams, a properly administered roof restoration system will address those seams first. Then the restorative roof coating is installed. This ensures that the seams are brought back to a functionally "like-new" condition before the entirety of the roof is addressed. This two-step process saves you money by helping you avoid the expense of constant leaks and repairs. Furthermore, since only the surface of the roof is being addressed and you are not having to replace the roof itself, you save by not having to endure the expense of replacement and tear-off costs.

Another added benefit is in reducing energy consumption. In the dead of winter, when the sun's angle is quite low and the days are very short, having a black roof is really not much of a benefit. But in the heat of the summer, when the sun's angle is very direct and the days are much longer, a white, highly-reflective roof is indispensible. The fact is, such a highly-reflective roof will save you on the energy costs to cool your facility. This not only affects you positively in the summer, but even in the winter. This is because you pay the energy company for peak energy demand throughout the entire year. Almost always this peak demand is reached during the height of summer. But you will still be paying for it during the dead of winter. Mitigating your energy costs during this critical summertime period will save you money all year 'round. Read more about this in our October 2009 Newsletter article "A White Roof or A Black Roof? - That is the Question."

Save

If you've read the previous information, you realize that there are many ways of saving money with a quality roof restoration system. In fact, you...

No-Dollar-Limit Warranties

A quality roof restoration product installed by a quality roof restoration expert can do more than protect your roof, it can protect your investment. With no-dollar-limit warranties available, you can be assured that you and your roof are protected long after the sale. A typical no-dollar-limit warranty basically means that there is no limit to what the product manufacturer will pay to honor the terms of the warranty. They'll pay for the labor and materials to repair or replace their product if there is a warranted failure in that product. Customer Service

There are two important points to keep in mind as it relates to any given warranty: (1) Not all warranties are created equal so be sure to compare; and (2) these no-dollar-limit warranties are available because when done per manufacturer's specifications, they really do work and work very well. Of course, any roofing installation - whether restoration or complete replacement - is only as good as the contractor used to install it. Be sure you are using the right contractor. You often get what you pay for. Spend less, and you get less. Often if you spend just a little more you can get exponentially more value. The morale: check your contractor, be comfortable that they are addressing your needs and not just lining their pockets.

Warranty Term Increments

Our typical roof restoration will receive a 10-year, no-dollar-limit warranty term, covering labor and materials. But the truth be known, there are additional warranty terms available. From as little to no warranty, to as much as a 20-year term. The typical terms are 5, 10, 12, and 15 years, with 20-year terms for special circumstances. So why the different terms? Well, it comes down to being as flexible as possible in meeting an owner's budget while still providing adequate warranty coverage. For example, the installation requirements to achieve a 5-year warranty will be less stringent than the installation requirements to install a restoration system in which the manufacturer has to back it up for 10 years or more.

We've found that the best of all worlds falls somewhere around the 10-year mark. Sometimes an owner doesn't want to (or can't afford to) spend the extra money to get 15- or 20-year warranty coverage. But they still want coverage; they still want to protect their investment. Often a 5-year warranty is just not enough coverage. So we market the 10-year warranty. It seems to be the one that offers the best, most economical installation criteria while still providing for a significant time period of coverage.

The Renewable Warranty Option

Another important aspect of roof restoration warranties is what is known as the renewable option. The renewable option comes into play when an owner chooses to renew their warranty prior to the existing warranty running out. For example, let's say an owner had a restoration system installed about 10-years ago and the warranty is soon to expire. The owner doesn't want to let the warranty coverage expire so he pays to have an authorized contractor (1) clean the roof and (2) install a new topcoat. (Remember, all the seams were addressed 10 years prior and therefore don't ever need to be done again.)

This simple, cost-effective solution will enable the owner to receive another 10-year warranty term. In fact, in another 10 years, the owner can do this all over again. Ten years after that, guess what? That's right, the owner can do it again... and again, and again. You get the idea. This means the roof is virtually forever sustainable! The amount of money this can save a building owner over the course of a building's lifespan is truly significant. (The concept of an owner's profits tied directly to their facility costs is covered in our April 2009 Newsletter article "Facility Costs - The Enemy of Property Owner Profits.")