Here's What To Expect During A Commercial Re-Roof

Replacing a commercial roof isn’t something many people look forward to doing. It’s an involved process, one that’s costly and time-consuming. It can also be harrowing for a business owner like yourself to choose between materials, upgrades, and contractors while juggling everything else you need to do. Yet, commercial re-roofing has to be done.

If your roof is in bad shape, it can result in your business being shut down, which will cost you untold amounts of money for all the time you can’t properly operate.

As such, here is what you need to know about commercial re-roofing, including when it’s time to get it done and the steps involved for the various types.

Signs It’s Time for a Commercial Roof Replacement

As a business owner, you may not always be aware of when your flat commercial roof needs repairs instead of a full commercial re-roof. There are a couple of warning signs to look out for:

• Persistent leaks despite patchwork repairs
• Visible ponding water or drainage issues
• Bubbling, blistering, or cracking in the membrane
• Significant energy bill increases due to poor insulation
• Roof system age reaching its warranty limit

If you notice any of these signs, it’s important to contact a commercial roofing company in South Jersey to get your business or facility reroofed.

Commercial Re-Roof Process By Roof Material

Due to the different kinds of flat roof materials available, the commercial re-roofing process will look different from one building to the next.

Sprayed Polyurethane Foam

This is probably one of the easiest commercial roofing types to install. It’s done in three simple stages. First, the primary roofing layer (new or already present), is vigorously cleaned and washed, to a pristine level of cleanliness.

Following this, professionals will spray the foam directly onto the surface. Depending on the size of the roof, and how many obstacles protrude from the deck, this can be a quick affair, or be rather lengthy albeit not tremendously difficult to perform.

This isn’t enough, though. A protective layer must also be applied, such as silicone or acrylic coating, to seal against water, and the sun. These materials are very proficient at deflecting UV and being hydrophobic.
This is ultimately a pretty simple process, though repairing this type of roof can be a significantly involved process as the materials are difficult to remove or remediate at times.

Single-Ply

This is the type of roofing material that most tend to envision when they think of commercial flat roofing. It’s also remarkably simple, as this material comes in rolls, like wallpaper or carpet. It’s unrolled and cut to cover the roofing deck. The more complex the protrusions, the more complex this shaping can be, of course.

It has to be adhered to the roof, obviously, and this can be done with various types of tape or glue, or heat application (this is the case with materials such as thermoplastics). This type of roofing’s biggest weakness is that, as time goes by, it can form seams where the strips of material meet.

As a result, an additional layer of protective material such as gravel or something similar is sometimes laid over this type of roof for additional durability and protection. An important thing to focus on is utilizing the same kind of adhesive across the entire roof, as mixing them results in weakening inconsistencies.

Built-Up Roofing (BUR) Reroofing

When a BUR system is nearing the end of its life, you can expect a slightly more complex reroofing. The multiple layers of tar, felt, and gravel all have to be removed to get to the roof deck. As such, a BUR reroofing is one of the most labor intensive.

Once the old material is removed, your commercial roofer will do the following:

1. Inspect and repair the exposed roof deck if needed
2. Install new layers of asphalt and roofing felt in sequence
3. Add a layer of protective aggregate, such as gravel, to the surface

Anticipate a longer timeline with BUR systems, since they are time-consuming to remove and reapply.

Modified Bitumen (Mod Bit) Reroofing

Compared to BUR, replacing Mod Bit roofing is quicker and less disruptive. However, you still need to hire skilled commercial roofers, especially when torches or heat welding is involved.

In most cases, the old Mod Bit is removed down to the base layer, not the roof deck. If conditions allow, a new membrane is installed over the previous base.

The commercial re-roofing process generally includes:

4. Removing damaged sections of the membrane.
5. Cleaning and prepping for the new substrate to ensure adhesion.
6. Installing the new sheets of Modified Bitumen using heat welding, adhesives, or cold application.
7. Applying a UV- and weather-resistant coating.

Restoration Coatings

In many cases with commercial roofs, replacement from the ground up is avoided, in favor of restoration coatings. These are applied to existing roofs, to extend their lifespan and reduce the extent of decay and entropy a roof is suffering.

This is usually done in two stages, first to clean the roof thoroughly (which is not the same as stripping it down). After this, the spray is applied. This is a very thin layer, which results in a complete restoration as it dries.

Schedule Your Commercial Re-Roofing Today

The commercial re-roofing process is involved and will have steps that are dependent on the material used. Now that you know a little more about the process, it’s time to consider whether you need to schedule a re-roofing. Look for the signs that it’s time. If you notice anything, or if you need an inspection, call a commercial roofing company like RGB Construction as soon as you can.