Today’s blog post focuses on the benefits of seamless roofing systems. Building owners, facility managers, and property management firms will find this information particularly helpful alongside our prior post on fully adhered roofing.
In the commercial roofing industry, membrane roof systems such as TPO, PVC, and modified bitumen roofing are a common choice for building protection. But these membrane roofs have seams, and even though they are carefully welded, bonded, or fastened together, they are still highly susceptible to roof drips or leaks. Over time, these seams can become more exposed and open to undesired water entry into a commercial building. Enter “seamless roofing,” a growing popular alternative.
What is Seamless Roofing?
Simply put, seamless roofing refers to roofs that have a unified, consistent membrane body, or, in industry lingo, have a “monolithic” membrane composition. Because they do not have any seams, seamless roof systems are not vulnerable to leaks, drips, or water penetration in some of the ways that membrane roofs with seams are.
Generally speaking, seamless roofing is used to describe one facet of liquid-applied roofing, which is also known as a “roof coating membrane system”—or just roof coatings. Some roofing product manufacturers do refer to membrane roofs with very-tight seam seals as being so watertight, they are “seamless” sheet membrane roofs (so they are “seamless” EPDM rubber roofs, for example). But like with all roofing products, the principle of “buyer beware” applies. Careful research is needed on these systems. Plus, it is advisable for people to consider whether the likelihood of these tightly-sealed seams coming apart over time is outweighed by the benefits the roof system delivers.
Benefits that Seamless Roofs Deliver
Liquid-applied roofing products form a seamless, monolithic barrier over the commercial building’s old roof system. These seamless coating membrane systems provide commercial buildings with many benefits:
- They take care of existing leaks. All commercial roof systems have problems at some point, and one of the most common problems is roof leaks. Even smaller roof leaks can lead to bigger problems if they are left untended. After all, water can gather under an existing roof surface and then, over time, erode and ruin the roofing components underneath the surface layer. Seamless roof coating solutions take care of this immediately, though, in many cases. With the new seamless barrier over it, an old roof is shielded from the elements and storm activity including rain, and all the old points of entry for water infiltration are sealed off. Existing roof leaks are put to a stop, as a result.
- They seal off common sources of future roof leaks. In reality, most roof leaks are not due to actual roof product failure, but shoddy contractor workmanship or improper product installation (on a side note, an important reason to be mindful of material and labor warranties). It has been estimated that as many as 90% of roof leaks are due to error in product application, especially in tricky areas such as around roof protrusions, rooftop units, or others. In fact, the areas around protrusions, walls, curbs, rooftop units, and other features are the places where leaks are most likely to appear. With precise, expert application and their seamless composition, roof coating systems seal off these vulnerable areas and protect the building from unwanted future instances of water penetration.
- They do not have the same weaknesses as roof sheet products. As briefly mentioned before, commercial roofing systems made up of sheet products have gaps, seams, and overlaps where leaks often form. Seamless roofs do not have these features and, as a result, are more resistant to leak formation. On top of being without seams, roof coating systems do not have any screws or fasteners to keep them secured to an existing roof substrate. That means there are not any of those areas which can become more exposed over time and vulnerable to leaks later on.
- If a seamless roof does leak, it is much easier to tell where the leak is. Should a seamless roofing system start leaking, it will be easier for a qualified contractor to tell where the leak is occurring. That is, compared to telling where a leak is taking place on a membrane roof composed of sheet product. Because it has a monolithic body, the seamless roof coating system will have leaks that are more hyper-localized and easier to spot than on the “typical” membrane roof, which has sub-components where water can sit underneath the surface. This brings up another important point: on top of their seamless surface, roof coating systems are fully adhered. This means water cannot travel or gather underneath them.
- They are typically easier to install or reapply than new roofs which require seam welding, drilling, or nailing. New roofs made up of sheet products already require expensive, time-consuming roof tear-off, disposal, and installation of new materials. But sand or dirt kicked up from the project operations can also impact a business’ operations, aside from the noise the job produces and the fact that a business already has to close its doors during the replacement job. With seamless coating jobs, a building does not have to shutdown operations, and the entire application process is far less costly and time-consuming than a replacement job. In fact, you could save as much as 50% on avoided roof replacement costs with our Conklin seamless roof coating solutions.
Seal Off Your Commercial Roof’s Seams and Exposed Areas
As a nationwide network of commercial roofing specialists committed to excellence, Choice Roof Contractor Group strives to deliver the highest-caliber workmanship and service. Part of that involves using the right roofing products, and we have chosen the strong-performing Conklin roofing products for this need.
Here are a few ways in which these time-tested roofing products deliver value:
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
- Easily expands and contracts with temperature fluctuations throughout day
- Old roof’s seams reinforced with Spunflex, a high-performance, fully-knit polyester fabric reinforced with military-grade strength
- Completely seamless, fully adhered, and strong waterproofing capability
- Seamless coating systems installed back in 1970s still on job today
- Exceptional tensile strength, durability, and longevity for liquid-applied products
- Strong “elastomeric” properties for reliable, long-term expansion and contraction
- Fortified building structure with little-to-no extra deadweight
- Fewer upkeep and maintenance demands per year
- ENERGY STAR® qualified roofing solutions
- Reflects 85% of sun’s rays for up to 30% reduction in yearly A/C costs
- Diverse product selection for extensive application possibilities
- Class A fire resistance and premium protection against hurricane-force winds, hail storms, and other outdoor hazards
- Rugged protection that extends an old roof’s life for possibly decades
- Backed by renewable, non-prorated warranties
Should you be interested in obtaining a local roof estimate from one of our qualified contractors, call us at 800-670-5583. We will be happy to come out and take a look at your roof’s condition and show how we can help you secure your building and save money.