Metal Roof Coating in Orlando, FL
Metal roofs leak at the fasteners and the seams long before the panels wear out. A silicone restoration seals every one of them without taking the roof off your building.
The decision in front of you
Somebody has put a roof replacement in next year’s capital budget. Before that number gets approved, it is worth knowing whether the roof needs replacing at all, because on a commercial building the answer is often no.
Restoration means the existing roof stays where it is and becomes the base for a new seamless membrane sprayed over the top of it. No demolition, no dumpsters, no open deck, and no phone call to tenants explaining why their ceiling is dripping on a Tuesday.
It is not the right answer for every roof, and the assessment below is how we tell the difference.
Why metal buildings leak
An exposed-fastener metal roof has thousands of screws in it, each with a rubber washer under the head. Central Florida heat expands the panels every afternoon and contracts them every night. Over ten or fifteen years that movement backs screws out, wallows the holes and hardens the washers until they split.
The panels are usually fine. The roof still leaks, in dozens of places at once, and chasing them one at a time is how facilities budgets disappear.
Restoration solves it at the cause: failed fasteners are replaced, every fastener head and seam is reinforced, and the whole roof is sealed under a single membrane with nothing left exposed to weather.
Restoration against replacement, in the terms you budget in
| Silicone restoration | Tear-off and replace | |
|---|---|---|
| Building open to weather | Never | In sections, for the duration |
| Tenant disruption | Noise and rooftop access | Noise, access, and interior risk |
| Disposal cost | None | Old membrane and insulation to landfill |
| Weather risk during the job | Low, roof is never open | Real, June to October especially |
| At end of service life | Wash and recoat | Tear off again |
| Existing panels | Stay in service | Scrapped |
Restoration is often treated as maintenance rather than a capital replacement, which can matter for how it is budgeted and expensed. Confirm that with your accountant; we are roofers.
What we check before we quote
We do not quote a coating off a photograph or a satellite measurement. Five things determine whether restoration is honest advice or an expensive mistake, and all five get checked on site.
Panel condition
Surface rust can be treated and primed. Rust that has gone through the panel means metal gets replaced first.
Fastener condition
How many are backed out, stripped or spinning. This drives the labour more than the coating does.
Structure
Purlins and framing. A coating adds no strength and we will not pretend otherwise.
Moisture below
Wet insulation under the deck has to come out. Sealing it in makes the problem permanent.
Drainage
Where water sits, and whether it sits because of a blocked outlet or a deflection.
What the work involves
Failed fasteners out and replaced oversized. Rust cleaned and treated with a dedicated metal rust primer. Seams, fastener heads, end laps and penetrations reinforced with fabric or tape embedded in coating. Then a solvent-free silicone such as the GacoFlex S20 series over the whole roof.
Silicone rather than acrylic, because acrylic is water-based and softens where water stands. Metal laps hold water and Florida supplies it most afternoons in summer.
What you get in writing
- A photographic condition report covering the field, the seams, the penetrations and the perimeter.
- Moisture survey findings, and core sample photographs where we took cores.
- A clear recommendation: restore, repair then restore, or replace. Including the case where the answer is replace.
- A scope that names the products and the preparation, not just a price per square foot.
- The warranty terms, in full, before you sign anything.
If the roof is not a candidate, you get that in writing too, with the reasons. A restoration sold onto a wet roof fails, and it fails in a way that costs more than the replacement you were trying to avoid.
Roof Coating Service Areas
We restore commercial roofs across 8 Central Florida cities. Pick yours for local details.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long will the work take on a commercial metal roof?
Days rather than weeks on most buildings, and the schedule is driven by fastener and rust repair rather than by the coating. You get a timeline with the quote.
Do we have to close or relocate tenants?
No. There is no tear-off, so the roof is never open. Work happens overhead while the building operates normally underneath.
Is this a repair or a capital improvement?
Restoration is generally treated as maintenance rather than a capital replacement, which is one of the reasons owners choose it. Confirm the treatment with your accountant.
What if part of the roof is too far gone?
Those sections get replaced before anything is coated, and the cost appears as a separate line so you can see exactly what you are paying for.
Can you coat over an existing coating?
Often, yes, provided it is adhered and compatible. That gets checked during the assessment rather than assumed.
Does a restoration reset the roof’s age for insurance?
No. It extends the life of the existing roof, it does not replace it. If you need a documented replacement for a claim or a sale, say so and we will quote a replacement instead.
Find out what your roof actually needs
A site assessment tells you whether your metal roof has ten more years in it or none. Either way you get the photographs.
Get My Free Assessment Call 407-600-4137