Your home or business’s roof is one of your biggest investments! Whether you’re a home- or business owner, you try your best to get the most out of your roof’s lifespan. Luckily, there are several different means that allow you to take care of your roof deep into its warranty. When it’s time to sure up their roof, people often ask themselves, “Should I recoat the roof or go with a full-on replacement?”
Getting a Recoat
According to Progressive Materials, a re-coat is simply “[going] over your roof’s old coating.” For instance, you could apply a new coat of silicone to a previous application. There’s a bit more to the whole process than that, and there are several other materials one can use to recoat their roof as well, e.g., acrylic & polyurethane.
Many people favor recoating over reroofing for a number of reasons.
For example, recoating your roof – regardless of the material – requires far less labor than a roof replacement would. As you’ve probably guessed, recoating is also way more cost-effective than re-roofing. For instance, recoating your roof with polyurethane costs roughly $3/sq ft. In contrast, the cheapest roof replacements start at $5/sq ft – and trust us, you want to avoid the shoddy craftsmanship that comes with cheap roof replacements.
As we’ve said, recoating is much less disruptive and labor-intensive than re-roofing is. Thus, it leaves far less debris and causes less noise. In addition, recoating your roofs allows life to go on as usual in your home – or at least much closer to it. With some re-roofing projects, homeowners can’t be in their house for days at a time.
Re-coating is both extremely functional and versatile. Some recoating materials also have remarkably high levels of solar reflectance. In one of our previous blogs, we informed our readers about the benefits of roofing materials with high solar reflectance. Recoating your roof can curb moisture buildup underneath it by trapping less heat from UV rays.
Getting a Reroof
Although there are many benefits to recoating your roof, there are several reasons why a re-roof would be your best option as well.
First of all, you have to be very wary of when you get your roof recoated. This is because recoating your roof voids your roof’s warranty. Re-coats are also viewed as temporary solutions to your roof’s problems. In fact, re-roofs can address a number of issues that recoating can’t – or as effectively:
- Detailing issues
- Water infiltration
- Flashing: walls & edges
- Insulation issues
In addition, several conditions must be met before a roof is deemed eligible for a recoat. Whereas, with re-roofs, there aren’t such limitations. For instance, badly damaged roofs with soaked tiles can’t get a recoat. They must get a re-roof – regardless of their budgetary constraints. Sometimes, you can’t re-coat over certain materials. For instance, if you’ve got slate, clay, or cement tiles, you can’t get a recoat either.
Conclusion
So, if you’re looking for a permanent roofing solution that preserves your roof’s warranties, you need a full-on reroof. However, before you make any decisions, you should get advice from an experienced roofer. Luckily, we’re offering free roofing inspections. We’ll advise you on whether your home needs a reroof or a recoat ASAP.