TPO Roof Coating in Orlando, FL
A chalking TPO membrane does not mean a new roof. Restoring it renews the surface and seals every seam, with the building never opened up.
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.
How a TPO roof actually ages
TPO is built as a sheet with a weathering layer over a reinforcing scrim. Florida sun works on that top layer every day of the year. It thins, the membrane starts to chalk, and eventually the scrim shows through.
The seams age on a separate schedule. They are heat-welded, and welds that were sound on installation day can open years later through thermal movement, foot traffic and perimeter stress. Most TPO leaks are at a seam, a penetration or a perimeter detail rather than through the middle of the sheet.
Restoration deals with both at once: a new reflective surface across the whole roof, and every seam buried under a membrane that has no laps in it.
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 insulation | Stays, if dry | Usually replaced |
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We do not quote a coating off a photograph or a satellite measurement.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.
Membrane condition
Chalking and weathering can be restored. Exposed scrim across large areas cannot.
Adhesion test
Test patches tell us whether your specific membrane needs a primer. Quoting without this is guesswork.
Moisture survey
Wet insulation under a single-ply is common and invisible from above. It comes out before anything is coated.
Seams and perimeter
Open welds, shrinkage at corners, and how much detail work the roof needs first.
Existing warranty
If the membrane is still under a manufacturer warranty, a claim may beat a restoration. We will say so.
What the work involves
Repairs first: open seams re-welded or detailed, punctures patched, failed perimeter and penetration details rebuilt. Then a thorough clean, because a coating bonds to what is under it and chalk is not a surface. Primer where the adhesion test calls for it. Seams, curbs and drains reinforced. Then solvent-free silicone across the field.
The reflective finish is not just cosmetic. Gaco states owners can expect a net annual saving of roughly fifty cents per square foot on a reflective roof; your figure depends on your building and your energy rates.
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
Can silicone go straight over TPO?
Weathered single-ply membranes including TPO are among the surfaces these coatings are made for. Whether yours needs a primer first is what the adhesion test determines, and we do it before quoting.
How do we know the insulation is dry?
A moisture survey, plus core samples where the survey flags something. You see the cores. Wet insulation is removed before any coating goes down.
What happens to our existing membrane warranty?
Coating a membrane generally affects the manufacturer warranty on it. If yours is still in its warranty period, tell us and we will factor that in, because a claim may be the better route.
Will this fix a leak nobody has been able to find?
If water is entering at a seam, a lap, a penetration or a perimeter detail, restoration seals all of them. If it is coming in above the roof line, through a wall or a coping, a coating will not help and we will tell you that.
How disruptive is it to tenants?
Considerably less than a replacement. No demolition, no dumpster, and the roof is never open to the sky.
Do you handle small commercial roofs?
Yes. Shops, offices, churches and small warehouses are routine work. There is no minimum size to worry about.
Find out what your roof actually needs
An adhesion test and a moisture survey answer the restore-or-replace question in one visit, at no cost.
Get My Free Assessment Call 407-600-4137