Property Managers Weigh Maintenance Investments with ROI

By Will Lorenz, EVERROOF.

EVERROOF® coatings provide a cost-effective solution for leased warehouses.

There are more than 10,000 commercial property management companies in the United States managing millions of square feet of commercial real estate. These companies serve as the owners’ maintenance representative. Part of their responsibilities is keeping property assets in good condition. They deal with a host of other issues daily, too, including controlling capital expenditures and operational costs. Balancing the efficiencies among all these tasks is not easy while also weighing the ROI of maintenance projects, including untimely and expensive roofing issues.

Since many warehouses are built with low-slope roofs and there are almost 19,000 warehouses in the U.S., you have a tremendous business opportunity. By understanding roof coatings and the benefits for a low-slope roof system, you are then able to provide a cost-effective solution to warehouse property managers.  

Roof coatings

Roof coatings protect the roof from long term weather exposure and extend the useful service life for new construction or existing roof coverings, such as BUR, metal, modified bitumen, single ply membranes and spray foam. The most common types of roof coatings are acrylic, asphalt, polyurethane and silicone. This article is focusing on the benefits and attributes of silicone.

Roofs that are in good shape but just need a renewal from age and normal wear and tear are perfect candidates for a silicone roof restoration. This coating process is rolled or sprayed on as a liquid membrane to fill in cracks, blisters and seams, and increases a roof’s resistance to the elements. A roof coating is an added waterproofing barrier, protecting the roof surface from environmental exposures and physical damage, including keeping a damaged roof membrane from potential leakage. While the process does not upgrade the insulation, it does add an extra layer of UV protection to reduce thermal absorption; this helps the building’s interior stay cooler thereby reducing energy consumption and costs.

Unlike other coating materials, silicone won’t degrade, chalk, or crack from prolonged exposure to direct sunlight. Silicone coatings erode much slower than other elastomeric coatings without becoming too brittle or hard.

Once cured, these moisture-cured coatings form an elastomeric and durable film, which allows the roof coating to seal around penetrations, bridge cracks, and reinforce membrane seams. Being an inorganic polymer, silicone effectively resists moisture reversion making it the ideal coating to protect against the damaging effects of ponding.

Professionally applied roof coatings extend the lifespan of the roof up to 20 years and can be re-coated every 10 or so years, saving thousands of dollars by avoiding traditional roof replacement – an important benefit to point out to your property management customers.

Return on investment

A primary goal of commercial building owners and property managers is maximizing the ROI on each property’s assets, including the roof. A silicone roof coating helps avoid an expensive roof tear off and the difference in price is significant: a silicone roof restoration costs around $2-4 per square foot, whereas a complete tear off and new roof can cost around $6-8 per square foot Additionally, a tear off exposes the roof’s contents to the elements, costs money to haul away and dump the existing roof in a landfill, and adds expenses for the new roof material and installation.

Silicone roof coating benefits

• Extends roof life by preventing water, UV and physical damage

• Prolongs roof system life cycle by reducing “thermal shock” stress of large temperature changes

• Reduces installation costs by as much as 30 percent because of the straight-forward, shorter-length process, which also lessens labor costs

• Increases energy efficiency because white roofs reflect the sun so the roof surface stays cooler. By minimizing cooling costs, peak energy usage is reduced and decreases the risk of power outages, and the strain on the electrical grid. According to Energy Star, a roof coating can cut peak cooling demand by 10-15 percent.