How to Reap the Benefits Silicone Roof Restoration Offers

The Shift: From Tear-Off to Silicone Roof Restoration

Manufacturing facilities, schools, hospitals, and more are jumping on the silicone roof restoration bandwagon as cost-effective alternative continues to gain momentum in the intensely competitive commercial roofing market. Silicone systems are expected to grow steadily at 4% to $231 million by 2027, according to Industry ARC, Analytics. Research. Consulting.

Why Tap into the Growing Roof Restoration Market

Traditionally, when commercial roofs start to spring leaks or show other signs of damage, facility managers rushed to patch them in hopes of avoiding—or at least prolonging—an expensive and disruptive tear off and replacement.

Owners and facility managers counted themselves lucky if they could install a second roof on top of the eroding single-ply or asphalt roof because this caused less disruption and costs less than a full tear off and replacement. However, this method only postponed an inevitable full tear off and replacement when the second roof began wearing down.

Initially, roof coatings, like silicone roof coatings were used to seal commercial roofs and extend their lifespan with less mess and expense, but were not considered a restoration option. Thanks to ongoing innovation, silicone roof coatings have evolved into a complete restoration option that can cost-effectively revitalize roofs for years without requiring a full tear off ear and replacement. Consequently, more commercial businesses turn to silicone roof restoration every year.

As a result, the U.S. roof coating market is expected to grow from $8.72 billion in 2024 to $10.16 billion by 2029, according to S&S Insider Strategy and Stats.

“The roof coating market has a promising future due to the growing demand for energy-efficient solutions. As more buildings are being updated to meet energy efficiency standards, and increased construction in developing markets the demand for roof coatings continues to rise. There are plenty of opportunities in the growing renovation market which will propel the market. — S&S Insider Strategy and Stats.

How Contractors Can Maximize Silicone Roof Restoration Benefits

Industry Experts Share Insights on Silicone Restoration

In a recent Coatings Coffee Shop CoatingsTalk™, industry experts Eric Thompson, national technical training manager at Henry, and Cody Wilson, president of Unicoat Industrial Roofing, discussed the shift to silicone roof restoration and the benefits it offers.

For example, Henry Pro-Grade® 988 Silicone Systems enables contractors to restore a roof with a single-coat fabricless application without disrupting occupants.

“We're not making a lot of noise. We're mostly out of sight, so there’s no real distraction to occupant or disruption to business,” Cody explained.

In addition, the Pro-Grade 988 Silicone System offers a 15-minute rain-safe protection and can qualify for a lifetime warranty.

All roofs eventually wear out. Unlike traditional reroofing projects when a silicone system degrades, there’s an affordable and effective option.

“We're able to do a restoration over existing roof substrate and extend the roof’s life 10, 15, 20 plus years. Then at the end of that term, we can perform the due diligence to ensure the roof is watertight and dry underneath before recoating it again and restoring it for years,” Cody explained.

Cost-Effective Silicone Roof Restoration Benefits Contractors and Clients

Silicone Systems like Pro-Grade 988 cost significantly less than the materials needed for a tear off and replacement. In addition, the silicone roof restoration system is easier and costs less to install.

“When you can restore the roof using silicone versus having to completely tear it off or go back over top of it with another system, you will have a substantial material, labor, and time savings which translate to a lower cost. At the end of the day, the customer gets to see this cost reflection on what they pay, and they still end up with a watertight roof,” said Cody.

Providing customers with proven value and savings enhances a contractor’s reputation. Eric cited third-party studies that state customers can save four times the cost of a replacement over 40 years. Overall, roof restoration costs average up to 75% less than roof replacement.

Silicone Roof Restoration Supports Your Margins and Your Crew

Using silicone roof coatings helps contractors reduce their operational costs and increase their profit margins by giving them more control over labor.

“The material cost is what it is. Whatever we can do to make our guys more efficient… that lets us offer a lower price to the customer and increase our profitability.” Cody said.

Silicone systems like Pro-Grade® 988 help you:

• Finish jobs faster
• Fit more projects into the same calendar month
• Improve margins without raising prices
• Give your crews a break from working on heavy tear-offs

“Crews are going to be happy to go to work every day when we can give them products that easy to install. Applying roof coatings can be a great way to give your employees a break from more grueling physical work. When they’re less fatigued, they will complete the job faster,” Eric added.

How Silicone Roof Coatings Protect Occupants and Promote Sustainability

Whether you’re restoring roofs on apartment buildings, schools, hospitals, offices, stores, manufacturing facilities, you must remain sensitive to occupant comfort. Customers want solutions that minimize disruption and maintain the comfort and safety of the people inside. Excessive noise, debris, and odors make routine operations difficult if not impossible.

Unlike traditional tear-offs, silicone roof restoration eliminates demolition noise and removes the need for dumpsters filled with debris. The building remains protected from elements. A low-odor, high-solids system, Pro-Grade 988 does not emit strong solvent smells associated with some lower-solids silicone products.

 “When working with silicone restoration, we’re in and out of there quickly. We can restore your roof without shutting down your business or disrupting your tenants,” Cody said.

A Safer, More Eco-Friendly Alternative

Silicone roof coatings promote sustainability goals, which are increasingly important to building owners. A tear-off on a large building can send tons of waste to landfills that take years to break down. With silicone restoration, contractors repair damaged areas and coat the entire roof to extend its life 10, 15, or even 20+ years without causing substantial waste.

Silicone roof restoration can renew the existing system and even work on buildings with two roof systems. Since a silicone roof coating does not count as a third roof layer, it provides a code-compliant, sustainable option.

Every tear off averted, keeps tons of waste out of a landfill, some of which could last for centuries. Conventional roofing materials (like EPDM) take thousands of years to break down in a landfill.

How Pro-Grade 988 Outperforms Standard Silicone Roof Coatings

Older coating systems often require fabric reinforcement at every penetration and seam, which can be a slow, tedious process.

Pro-Grade 988 eliminates the need for fabric, making surface preparation easier and faster. Instead of cutting fabric “fingers” and three-coursing every detail, crews can apply Pro-Grade® 923 Butter Grade and similar mastics easily with a chip brush or trowel.

Skip the primer and save time

Pro-Grade 988 is high-solids, low-VOC that can typically be installed without a primer. Its superior adhesion enables contractors to install it:

• On asphalt roofs (including mod-bit) by adding an asphaltic bleed-block base coat (Pro-Grade 294) to keep oils from staining the silicone
• Directly to metal roofs
• Directly to many single-ply membranes

Get 15-Minute Rain Safety

With Pro-Grade, crews can keep on the job even in challenging weather conditions. In most climates, Pro-Grade 988 becomes rain safe in as little as 15 minutes.

“Because this product becomes rain safe quickly, it allows us to work throughout the summer. We seldom lose entire days due to the weather,” Cody said, explaining how his company works in diverse climates.

“It’s 40 degrees in New Jersey now, where we’re installing a silicone system. In Florida, it gets up to 100 degrees and it’s even hotter on the roofs. The versatility of this system is massive and allows us to get the work done efficiently.”

Pro-Grade 988 Silicone Restoration System Warranty

Henry Pro-Grade 988 Silicone System offers customers two long-term warranty options.

Materials-Plus Warranty: Covers manufacturer defects and includes both materials and labor to address any affected areas for repair.

Gold Seal Warranty: Warrants system and installation; provides labor and material cost for repair.  Available in terms of 10, 15, or 20 years and requires Henry conducts a final inspection upon project completion.

“The labor and material warranty is part of the selling process. It’s peace of mind for the customer… and a huge advantage when we’re competing against roof-overs,” Cody said.