Flat Roof Leak

It is not uncommon to talk to a building owner who tells you their roof is leaking and they are just going to wait it out. Their plan is usually to keep an eye on the leak, and if it gets any worse they will do something about it, but if it stays the same they’ll just keep catching it in a bucket or garbage can.

The problem with “the bucket” strategy is the same problem that gets a frog boiled for dinner: small, gradual changes are rarely noticed. If you want to boil a frog, put him first in cold water and then turn up the heat; he won’t notice the gradual change and before long you’ve got frog legs for dinner. If you want a major leak in your roof, let a small one slide and “keep an eye on it”; it will probably get worse, and you probably won’t notice until you have a significant leak in your building.

We recommend that you never completely ignore a roof leak, no matter how minor it seems, because they tend to get worse as time goes on. Instead, let’s look at what you can do to take care of your flat roof leaks.

This is a fairly common option, but we don’t really like it for two main reasons. The first is that it is temporary; you’ll have to get back on your roof and make more repairs, maybe even the same repairs, in little to no time. Second, it’s expensive. Not only are you paying for a temporary fix, you’re paying a lot for a temporary fix. We don’t like either of those.

If the leaks are bad enough and pervasive enough, you may find that you have to replace the entire roof. This is another bad option because it’s extremely expensive, but luckily this can usually be prevented by being proactive when the leaks are first detected.

We have a system that we feel is superior to both of these options: applying a silicone roof coating.

If you detect a leak on your roof, and it’s one small leak, you can make a repair to that one leak, but who’s to say there aren’t more leaks that you haven’t seen yet? How do you know you fixed everything? A silicone roof coating is a great way to prevent leaks.

We manufacture silicone coatings that create a monolithic, seamless membrane to prevent flat roof leaks on your building. These coatings protect your building from leaks, come with a warranty up to 20 years, and are easy and inexpensive to install.

A silicone roof coating lasts longer than a repair, is less expensive than a replacement, and is many times the best option for you when you have a flat roof leak.