Why roof restoration is becoming the smart choice for commercial building owners

By Jesse Sanchez. 

More contractors are choosing spray foam and coatings over tear-offs, saving their clients serious money. 

With rising material costs, tighter environmental regulations and shrinking landfill space, commercial roof restoration has evolved from an alternative to an industry imperative. During a live recording of CoatingsCast at the 2025 SprayFoam Convention and Expo, Everest Systems Vice President of Sales and Marketing Gabe Goepfert shared why more contractors and their clients are rethinking traditional roof replacements. 

“If you go in and you traditionally rip the roof off, you gotta take all that [material] and put it in the landfill,” Gabe explained. But that’s just the beginning of the cost and effort. “As soon as you rip that roof off, you expose the entire inside of the building to weather.” 

This downtime can mean significant losses for commercial clients, especially those in manufacturing or education. “Suddenly, there's zero production happening in that facility,” Gabe said. “Whatever they're manufacturing in that building is more important than the roof. Really, that’s why they're redoing the roof — to protect it.” 

Spray foam and coatings offer a compelling, easier solution. By restoring rather than replacing a roof, building owners avoid not only disposal costs and disruption but also extend the service life of their existing structure. Gabe noted, “Once you restore a roof...that roof now can be restored indefinitely. You can come in and, for less money than even the original process, recoat it and extend the life again.” 

The conversation highlighted a growing industry shift from reactive replacement to proactive restoration. “We can do a lot with a membrane that is not totally shot,” Gabe stated. “If we can get to it when it's 80% of its roof life, we can do a much better job of restoring that at a more reasonable cost.” 

This shift isn’t just about savings; it’s also about sustainability. As urban centers face mounting pressure to reduce construction waste, restoration aligns with both environmental goals and building performance. 

Read the transcript, Listen to the episode or Watch the recording to learn more about how spray foam is redefining roof protection and why it might be the smartest investment a building owner can make!