Today’s blog post provides an overview of the benefits involved with coating EPDM rubber roofs compared to roof replacement. It will be of interest to commercial property owners and facility mangers, as it covers how a white coating system can strengthen an EPDM rubber roof’s durability and longevity.
The National Roofing Contractors Association reports that EPDM rubber roofing accounts for 25% of the roofing market. It is also estimated that over 1 billion square feet of EPDM rubber roofing is applied on new projects each year, making it a leading option in the roofing industry today.
Like all commercial roof systems, EPDM roofing can be susceptible to a number of problems, such as water seeping into a building through an exposed seam or other vulnerable area. A roof coating offers a solution to these problems, as it covers these vulnerabilities and builds on the natural strengths of the EPDM rubber roof system.
Here are a few ways in which a roof coating system can enhance this great-performing roof system’s value.
Benefits of an EPDM Roof Coating
• Seamless roofing protection. Many EPDM rubber roofs come with seams. While they are often sealed off with high-performance product such as strong seam tape, over time the sun’s powerful energy can cause the seams to come apart. Water can then infiltrate the building through these exposed areas and form leaks.
A roof coating system will take care of this potential trouble, though. When applied, the roof coating hardens and forms a seamless, monolithic barrier over the existing EPDM roof surface. With this new, seamless membrane covering it, the old EPDM roof will be sealed off from the elements. Notably, a highly reflective coating will dramatically reduce roof temperatures to prevent expansion and shrinking in hot/cold weather as well as cracking. Additionally, a Conklin roof coating membrane system can offer further value with the extra seam reinforcement it delivers. On top of durable roof coating products, a Conklin roof coating membrane system makes use of Spunflex, a high-performance fabric product with military-grade strength. Spunflex is applied over the seams, along with the coating products.
• Savings on expensive roof tear-off and replacement. When an EPDM rubber roof suffers damage, the default option is to have it replaced. But industry studies confirm that many commercial roofs in general are replaced prematurely. In fact, some studies have found that as many as 70-80% of commercial roofs are replaced before they need be. With tens of thousands of dollars in expenses involved with a complete roof replacement – notwithstanding the delay in business operations and the sunk costs that come with it – it is important to consider the full drawbacks on top of the merits of a replacement job.
In many cases, a roof coating is better than a roof replacement. On top of shoring up an EPDM roof’s trouble areas like seams, a coating membrane system extends the life of the old EPDM roof. Since the coating forms a new membrane over the existing EPDM roof, in effect the new coating membrane system is equivalent to a new commercial roof.
This means it will keep the old roof safe for years to come. And the cost of re-coating the coated EPDM roof in the future will be dramatically less than a replacement job. It has been estimated a building owner can save around 50% on avoided roof replacement costs with a Conklin roof coating application.
• Greatly enhanced potential for energy savings. With the emergence of energy-efficient roofing on the scene, there have been some great energy-efficient roofing products that have come-to-market. White roofing systems are one such innovation—a building’s energy consumption can now be reduced with the help of a reflective, white roof system installed on the building’s overhead. In the case of EPDM roofing, the vast majority of which are black in color, there is room for strong energy savings.
Here are a few things our Conklin white roof coating systems do for EPDM roofing:
• Reflect up to 85% of the sun’s rays off the building, which helps it stay cool without greater energy consumption
• Instantly takes care of dark EPDM roofing’s tendency to absorb most of the sun’s heat and then release it at night
• Reduces the consequences of the “Urban Heat Island Effect”
• Can save a building owner anywhere from 30-50% on annual cooling costs
• Reduces the strain put on the building’s HVAC equipment, which leads to reduced costs for HVAC equipment maintenance, repairs, or replacement
• Makes old EPDM roof ENERGY STAR® certified with all those associated benefits
• Can reduce a building’s electricity use during seasons of peak electricity demand
• Reduce the building’s reliance upon the electricity grid
• Lessen the building’s environmental footprint
• Room for saving on heating costs in wintertime with a white-colored Conklin spray polyurethane foam system
In short, there are many energy-saving possibilities that arise when an EPDM roof is coated so it has a white, reflective membrane over it.
Protect Your EPDM Roof with Conklin Roof Coatings
Roofing Services
Our professional commercial roof contractors provide:
- Roof maintenance & repair
- Inspections & leak detection
- Energy efficient roof systems
- Complete roof replacement
- Roof life-extending solutions
On top of the benefits above, Conklin roof coatings can offer you the following:
- Substantial savings on roof replacement and roof repairs over potentially decades
- Often Backed by non-prorated guarantees on 100% of labor and material costs for up to 18 years
- Easy and simple way to address current roof repair needs and lessen potential for future roofing trouble
- Non-disruptive and easily applied without having any need to close your building’s doors
- Strengthens your building’s envelope and structural support with little-to-no extra deadweight
- Fewer roof upkeep needs- typically requires only annual or bi-annual cleansing with its superior dirt and discoloration resistance
- Exceptional durability, lasting strength, and strong protection against leaks and other problems for decades
Should you be interested in learning more about our Conklin coating products or how we can benefit you, do not hesitate to contact us. We can arrange for you a free, local roof estimate when you call us at 800-670-5583.
