In the current world of commercial roofing, there are seemingly endless options for repairing or replacing a roof. One choice that’s quickly rising in popularity is Gaco roof coatings. Gaco roof coatings are very effective when correctly installed on the right roof type.
How do you know if a Gaco roof coating is right for your building? An incorrectly installed Gaco system, or a Gaco coating installed on the wrong roof type, can create major problems later on.
What is a Gaco roof coating?
A Gaco roof does not have a single definition. In fact, Gaco provides multiple different roofing products, each being suitable for different application types. Some of the different Gaco options are as follows:
Silicone roof coating
A Gaco silicone roof coating is probably what most people think of when Gaco roofing comes to mind. The most common Gaco product installed is their S4200 silicone. Together with the SF4200 silicone seam seal and Gaco patch (for pre-coating repairs), the S4200 silicone results in a high-quality silicone roofing system. A Gaco silicone roof coating can be a great option for roof types including modified bitumen, metal, TPO, EPDM, PVC, and spray foam (SPF).
Spray Polyurethane Foam (SPF) roofing
Gaco also manufactures spray polyurethane foam (SPF) roofing products. SPF roofing can be a fantastic option to add insulation (R-value) to your roof without tearing out the existing roof. It has an extremely high R-value of 7.25 per inch, better than most ISO, EPS, or XPS foam boards installed on most commercial roofs. SPF roofing must be coated with an appropriate UV-resistant topcoat to keep it protected. This is an especially great option for built-up gravel roofing systems.
Acrylic roof coatings
Gaco also produces and sells acrylic roof coating products. Acrylic elastomeric roof coatings offer solid UV resistance. Acrylic coatings are often a top contender for commercial roofs with a slight slope to allow water drainage, such as industrial metal roofs. But acrylic is not suggested if there are areas of ponding water as the acrylic material is a water-soluble material.
Urethane roof coatings
A lesser-known product in the Gaco roof coating lineup is urethane coating. Urethane roofing products offer both water and UV resistance, making them a top choice for many commercial flat roofs.
Three Things to Know About Gaco Roof Coatings
Now that we have defined what is considered a Gaco roof coating, what are the top things to know?
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Gaco roofs can protect your roof for decades
Just like a completely new roofing system, a Gaco roof coating can be expected to protect your roof for decades. Gaco provides warranties for 10-20 years on coatings done by certified roof coating installers, and those warranties can be easily extended with additional top coats applied later on.
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Gaco roof coatings usually cost much less than commercial roof replacement
In many cases, a Gaco roof coating will cost half as much as a full roof system replacement. Considering the point above about keeping your building leak-proof for decades, the cost savings can be enormous.
As an example, our commercial roofing team was recently asked to bid on a roof replacement on a downtown Denver multi-family building. After inspecting the roof, we found that it would be a great candidate for a Gaco silicone roof coating. We provided two roofing options, one being a full roof system replacement and the other a silicone roof coating. The silicone roof coating quote was $34,000 while the roof replacement quote was $62,000! They chose the silicone roof coating option, complete with a 10-year leak-proof warranty.
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The roof coating process is quiet and clean
While a commercial roof replacement can be a loud, messy project, Gaco roof coating projects are quiet and clean. A commercial roof replacement may even require your building to be closed to customers and employees for parts of the project, but a roof coating crew may not even be noticed.
Noise
There is no noise that translates to the inside of the building enough to disrupt daily operations. Roof coating crews may have a power washer, and you may hear an occasional footstep. But otherwise, you may not notice any noise at all.
Mess
Roof replacements are known for the large mess they produce. Your exterior will likely have construction debris for days or weeks, including a dumpster if needed. On commercial buildings, there is also likely to be a lot of dust inside the building as crews hammer on the top of the roof deck.
When NOT to Choose a Gaco Roof Coating
Clearly, a Gaco roof might be the right choice for you in many different scenarios. But there are times in which to be extra careful if you’re considering a Gaco roofing system. Those are:
Silicone coating over a built-up gravel roof
This should never be done without a thorough removal of gravel, and the application of an adhesion layer over the existing roof. Silicone applied directly to built-up roofing is often doomed to fail and should be avoided.
Acrylic coating flat or ponding water areas
Commercial roofs often have small flat sections where water can pool. Acrylic coating material should not be installed at these locations. Acrylic is a water-soluble material that will degrade in a water-ponding area.
Coating a damaged or leaking roof without repairing the substrate first
Coating a roof with any type of coating material should not be done if the existing roof is too badly damaged. This is especially true for SPF roofing systems and is often why an infrared roof scan needs to be performed before a roof coating project can be approved. Roof leaks can lead to wet ISO insulation, which can cause moisture issues later if coated over. The right technique is to replace wet insulation before coating.
Applying a roof coating over a dirty surface
A roof coating will not adhere to the existing roof if the surface is not cleaned first. Professional commercial roof coating teams will often use a power washer and an orbital scrubber to clean the surface prior to installing the coating material.
Contact our team today to get the process started if you are considering a Gaco roof coating for your building.
