Q & A - Flat Roof Coatings

What roofing material can be applied over XXXXX that will adhere to this surface and prevent future problems?

Barbara asked about Flat Roof Coatings, "I bought a flat roof home three years ago that had an XXXXX roof installed in 2006, with a 7-year warranty. The roof started failing almost 3 years ago, and the roofing company repaired two leaks under the warranty. They no longer carry this product, and now that the warranty is up, they will charge for any repairs. There is another leak that is causing interior damage, and on inspection, a lot of bubbling and rippling is evident in many sections of the roof, and there is water under many of the bubbles. The roofing company is recommending that the whole roof replaced."

My question is: what kind of roofing material can be applied over XXXXX that will adhere to this surface and prevent future problems?

To answer this question, may I use an example of cutting your finger. It was a deep cut but not bad enough to get stitches. The cut was treated and covered by a BAND-AID. The next day it rained and for some reason, the BAND-AID was not sticking to your finger and allowing moisture to get to the cut.

The original roof is the finger, and it got to the age where it started to have leak problems meaning the cut. The cut or leak was treated and covered over with a fix or the BAND-AID.

Why didn’t the BAND-AID solve the problem? I have done this many times with a BAND-AID, if the surface of your finger is damp from cleaning it, or has medicine on it, the BAND-AID won’t stick and falls off. It is the same in roof repair. When repairing a leak in your case, a roof that was on a home that was being bought probably would not pass an inspection for certification that may be required and a repair was done instead of a total roof replacement. The problem you have is difficult to say, me not being there, but like the BAND-AID, the surface, if not prepared properly, it will not keep the BAND-AID in place. The coating most likely is failing because of the surface not being cleaned and prepared properly. Don’t misunderstand me, the coating has its place and can function very well if, installed correctly, just like any roofing products.

Roof Coatings must be applied to a clean and prepared surface.

There are other reasons for leaks on low slope or flat roofs, HVAC, plumbing and exhaust venting, internal drains and edge metal failures, just to mention a few, but it has been my experience that when coatings fail it typically is the preparation that is to blame. It is not the product but the roofer that failed.

Now you asked, what kind of roofing material can be applied over XXXXX that will adhere to this surface and prevent future problems. My answer to that is, putting a BAND-AID on a BAND-AID won't work. I would tear it off and install a new low slope roofing product by a fully licensed contractor that uses a material well-known for success.

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