A BREAKTHROUGH IN COMMERCIAL ROOFING TECHNOLOGY
Up until 8-10 years ago, there were no effective and affordable options for your roof that didn’t require tearoff. Some systems were affordable, but they couldn’t withstand ponding water (acrylic coatings). Other solutions performed very well and didn’t require tearoff, but their high price tag scared many building owners away (spray foam). Sometimes the best option was to tearoff the roof over your head, expose your building to the elements, and replace the roof with an entirely new system. There was a clear need for the system to be revamped if tearing off a roof and throwing everything in the dumpster was a commonly best option. New commercial roofing technology needed to be introduced.
Enter Silicone Coatings
Silicone roof coatings, which had been used primarily to protect spray foam from the elements, were then experimentally used to restore existing roofs rather than tear off and replace them. No one was sure what would happen, but silicone offered a lot of promise as a new commercial roofing technology.
To most people’s surprise, silicone proved to have fantastic adhesion to nearly all roofing surfaces. There seemed to be nothing that it couldn’t stick to. Most surfaces, with or without a primer, were a great fit for the system. Silicone was restoring roofs that previously had to be torn off and saving building owners up to 50% per project. With such great performance and affordability it’s no surprise silicone roof coatings took off as a new commercial roofing technology.
Improvements and Innovations
A single product usually can’t expect to remain the hottest new commercial roofing technology for too long, but the silicone market continues to grow and outpace commercial roofing as a whole 10 years after its creation. This is thanks to incremental improvements to extend life, strengthen adhesion, lengthen the roofing season, and more. As silicone roof coatings continue to be modified in small ways, they are improved and gain further trust in the market. There are also innovations being made in the way of new product variations, such as thicker materials for porous roofs, yellow coating for walkways, and material designed for flashing applications. Silicone appears poised to continue gathering share of use in the commercial roofing industry.
Conclusion
When it comes to new commercial roofing technology, there isn’t always a lot of action. The commercial roofing industry isn’t known for it’s groundbreaking innovations. Some products, however, break the mold and continue break the mold as they are refined and improved. Silicone is one of these products. Get on board today!
