The buildings we coat have one thing in common: a big roof where a full replacement would be a major capital project. A coating restores that roof from $2.50 per square foot, typically about a third of the cost of a new roof, without tearing anything off. Below is what matters for each type of building, so you know what to expect before the survey.
We work on commercial buildings only. We don't coat single-family homes.
Warehouses and Industrial Buildings
Warehouses, distribution centers and light-industrial buildings tend to have the largest roofs, usually low-slope metal, single-ply or built-up, and the roof area is what makes a replacement so expensive. A coating keeps the existing roof in place, so stored goods and production lines never sit under an open deck.
Many warehouses have no air conditioning. The Roof Coatings Manufacturers Association notes that reflective coatings lower roof temperatures, which reduces cooling costs in air-conditioned buildings and lowers interior temperatures in buildings without cooling. On a large metal or dark roof, that is a real difference for the people working underneath.
Related: metal roof restoration, silicone roof coating.
Retail and Strip Centers
For a shopping center, the cost of a roof project isn't only the roof. It's tenants who can't operate and leases that promise a dry space. Because a coating involves no tear-off, the stores below stay open. Roofs on strip centers are usually long and low-slope, broken up by rooftop HVAC units for each tenant, and those penetrations are where the leaks start. Each one gets detailed with mastic and fabric before the coating goes on.
Related: TPO & PVC restoration, mod-bit & BUR restoration.
Office Buildings
Office roofs carry a lot of equipment: HVAC units, exhaust fans, conduit, antennas. Every curb and pipe is a detail to seal. A reflective white coating also cuts the heat a dark roof soaks up, and the RCMA notes that reflective coatings help reduce cooling costs for air-conditioned buildings, which matters through a long Houston cooling season. How much it saves depends on the building's insulation and HVAC.
Related: silicone roof coating, roof coating cost.
Churches and Schools
Churches, private schools and other nonprofits often own buildings with large flat-roofed sections (fellowship halls, gyms, classroom wings) and tight capital budgets. A coating's cost difference can be the gap between fixing the roof this year and putting it off again.
The practical issue is timing. Roof work can be scheduled around services, school days and events, and the coating system can be chosen with that schedule in mind: GAF notes silicone coats can often go on the same day, while acrylic usually needs about 24 hours between coats.
Related: acrylic roof coating, coating vs. replacement.
Apartment Buildings and HOAs
Apartment communities and condominium associations with flat or low-slope roof sections are commercial roofs, even though people live under them. Residents stay in place during a coating job, and a property manager or HOA board planning reserves can compare a coating at $2.50 to $4.50 per square foot with a replacement at $8 to $16, and plan recoats instead of a tear-off.
A GAF Diamond Pledge NDL guarantee is transferable to the next owner, according to GAF, which matters if the property may be sold. See the GAF roof coating warranty.
Metal Buildings and Barns
Pre-engineered metal buildings, shops and barns usually have exposed-fastener panels. With age, the screw washers dry out, end laps open up and rust starts where water sits. Restoration treats the rust, secures or replaces the fasteners, seals the laps and coats the whole roof, typically for far less than re-panelling.
Related: metal roof restoration, acrylic roof coating.
Sources: RCMA: About Roof Coatings · GAF roof coatings.
Buildings We Coat: Common Questions
No. We coat commercial buildings only, including warehouses, retail centers, offices, churches, schools, apartment buildings, HOA properties and metal buildings.
In most cases, yes. A coating is applied over the existing roof with no tear-off, so there is no open deck over the space below. Access, parking and rooftop air intakes are planned before the work starts.
The Roof Coatings Manufacturers Association notes that reflective coatings lower roof temperatures, which reduces interior temperatures in buildings without cooling as well as cooling costs in buildings that have it.
Yes, on flat and low-slope commercial roof sections. When planning reserves, an association can compare the cost of coating, typically $2.50 to $4.50 per square foot in Houston, with replacement at $8 to $16 per square foot, and plan future recoats instead of a tear-off.
Tell us about your building: call (832) 224-3435 or request a free roof survey.