IS IT TRULY HARD TO WORK WITH SILICONE?
Opponents of silicone roof coatings often argue that it’s harder to work with than other systems. These detractors cite that you have to use expensive equipment, silicone gets messy, takes a lot of training, and only the best roofers can use it. Are these objections true? Let’s look at each individually.
Silicone Requires Expensive Equipment
Response: Not true. Silicone can be installed with spray equipment that can cost up to $10,000. But that equipment isn’t required. You can install silicone on a 100,000 square foot roof with only paint rollers and squeegees (Trust us; we’ve supplied a project that size that used rollers). If you can complete a project that size without expensive spray equipment, then you can probably do just about any project without expensive equipment. Silicone can be applied very simply, without equipment.
Silicone Coatings Get Messy
This argument is truer than the first but is still extremely overcome-able. Silicone can be messy, and once it gets on your clothes it’s probably not coming out. If you’re careful, though, keep a rag nearby, and are intentional with how you handle silicone, you shouldn’t face much of a mess. Lay down drop cloths around your workstation, where proper clothes that you don’t mind getting messy, and wipe up and drops as soon as they appear. If you do this, you can work with silicone and leave no trace of what you did.
Applying Silicone Takes a Lot of Training
Yes, before applying silicone to a roof you should receive training and should have practiced. But you don’t need a lot of training or a lot of practice. Silicone installation can be picked up and learned very quickly. The more you install it, the better you will become, but it doesn’t take long for someone to practice enough that they can install a great roof that will be waterproof.
Only the Most Skilled Roofers Can Work with Silicone
This myth states that silicone is so difficult and so expensive to install, that only the best, most skilled roofers ever work with it. That’s simply not true. In fact, it’s the opposite of the truth. Silicone is often a great way for someone to enter the roofing industry. If they have enough skills to properly install the coating, they can sell a job without ever spending a dollar. Once they’ve sold the job, they can buy paint rollers and the coating and be well on their way. It’s a great way to enter the roofing business.
Conclusion
The objection that it’s hard to work with silicone and that few roofers can do it is simply not true. Above we outlined four aspects of this objection, each of them proving untrue or overcome-able. If you’re interested in silicone but have heard these objections before, give us a call today to learn more about the system.
