By Emma Peterson. 

Industry experts break down what roof restorations are and why they are growing popular now. 

Roof restoration has grown to be the go-to alternative for traditional tear-offs and replacements. To help people learn more about what defines a restoration project and the key standards that guide a successful restoration project, the Roof Coating Manufactures Association (RCMA) recently sponsored a Coffee Conversation® on the topic. In the episode, Megan Ellsworth sat down with an expert panel that included Josh Poole from Tremco, Cody Wilson of Uni Roofing and James Santiago from Benchmark. 

Josh opened the conversation by defining what a roof restoration is, explaining, “I would define it as the process of extending the service life of an existing roof. And generally, that's going to feature a roof coating or some type of a liquid-applied roofing product.” As for why the fluid-applied restoration market has taken a while to grow in popularity, it all has to do with a misunderstanding of what coatings are. Cody explained:  

A lot of people used to think restoration meant temporary repair. And it really isn’t; we’re not just painting your roof and calling it a day. When a contractor restores a roof, there’s a lot of prep work that goes into it, from assessment of the existing structure to repairs that need to be done beforehand to make sure that this roof is tight and ready to go. 

James shared a bit more about what these preparation tasks might look like, saying, “The first step is always determining if a roof is a good candidate for restoration. Here, good contractors will do things like perform infrared scans determine the attachment of the existing system.” And, as the industry has finally begun to realize, when these proper preparation steps are taken, coatings can be a powerful option for aging roofs. As Josh added: 

Restoration has really established itself as a viable solution that truly performs for the customer or the end user at the end of the day. It can typically be done at a fraction of the cost of replacement, it minimizes disruption to the building beneath it, requires minimal contractor labor/equipment and has a number of sustainability benefits including reduction in landfill material and greenhouse gases. 

Listen to the whole episode or Watch the episode to learn more about liquid-applied roof restoration and its benefits.