HOW CAN YOU MAKE YOUR FLAT ROOF LAST LONGER?
If you are the owner of a building with a flat roof, you should keep these four tips in mind to make your roof last longer, cost less to maintain, and perform better.
Keep Foot Traffic To a Minimum
Getting up and walking on your roof is sometimes a necessary part of roof maintenance. In fact, point four in this list – performing regular roof inspections – requires that you walk on your flat roof. However, if you don’t need to be on the roof, you shouldn’t be on the roof. The more you get up there and walk around, the more likely something is to get damaged, and it just adds to the natural wear and tear of the roof which decreases the life of your flat roof.
Make Repairs Immediately – Or Close To It
When you discover a leak, or a sag, or an area of ponding water, or a separated area, try and fix it right then or very close to it. By waiting and dragging out the problem, you allow the problem to become worse and to potentially become severe, instead of minor as it was originally. Don’t let problems get out of hand, just fix them right away.
Apply and Maintain a Silicone Roof Coating
Obviously, whenever we can tell you about silicone flat roof coatings we are happy to take that opportunity, but this is a very real instance where you will benefit from our coatings. If your roof is in good structural condition but is maybe just starting to leak, then you can extend the life of your roof for up to 20 years by applying a silicone roof coating. Talk about effective! By applying the coating, you get a seamless, leak-free system that rarely needs repairs.
Perform Regular Roof Surface Inspections
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, your roof should be inspected on a regular basis. Whether this means once a year, or twice a year (which we recommend), you should be consistent. If you set up a schedule and a plan as to when you’ll inspect the roof, you become more likely to actually follow through with the inspection and get it done. Don’t just say you’ll inspect the roof every once in a while, build a schedule, write it down, and stick to it.
Conclusion
Above are some very simple tips to help keep your building running and in tip-top shape. There are obviously more things that you have to do than these, but these are a great start to keeping your roof performing as well as it can. Contact us if you’d like to learn more or to get more tips on best practices.
