What is the Lifespan of Liquid Roofs?

 

A big question for building owners and facility managers when they consider installing a liquid roof on their building is: “How long will it last?” For many people, they aren’t extremely familiar with liquid roofs. They are, after all, a fairly new roofing system. Liquid roofs have not been around for half as long as metal, built-up, or concrete roofs. But, their short lifespan doesn’t mean they aren’t the best roofing system on the market today. Those other systems have been around more, but liquid roofs have been engineered to solve the problems those other systems have at a lower cost. So, if you’re considering a liquid roof and want to know how long it will last, read on.

 

The lifespan of liquid roofs can really be broken down into two categories. The first is the preliminary lifespan. This is the original lifespan that the roof lasts without any major upkeep. You will need to make annual inspections and minor repairs. Overall, this is still the original roof and the original application at work. For most liquid roofs, this will be anywhere from 15-25 years. The key to liquid roofing is that the thicker the material is applied, the longer the roof will last.

 

The reason liquid roofs aren’t applied 200 mils thick to last for 90 years is that the roofs have to be applied in very thin layers. A roof 200 mils thick would take nearly 10 coats to achieve that thickness. It becomes cost prohibitive after a while. So, to get an accurate lifespan, you have to consider the average thickness a liquid roof is installed, around 20-30 mils. At that thickness, the roof is expected to last between 15-25 years, depending on what type of material was used.

 

The ability to recoat and extend the life of the roof is another benefit of liquid roofs. Liquid roofs such as silicone can be renewed through a recoat once the preliminary lifespan ends. This process consists of power washing the coating, making repairs (if necessary), and then applying a new thin layer of coating over top of the old coating. This process will extend the life of the coating another 15-25 years, again depending on the thickness and the material used. So, a liquid roof can potentially have an ongoing lifespan of 40+ years if you keep it in good condition and properly recoat it. 

 

A roof that can last 75+ years with minimal repairs and maintenance is attractive to any building owner. The affordability of liquid roofs, coupled with their lifespan, is a huge benefit. These two factors have allowed them to break into the roofing market and grow so explosively in recent years. To learn more about how long a liquid roof can last on your building, give us a call today.