As an Allentown commercial metal roof coating contractor, we clean and prime rust, fix fasteners and laps, then coat steel roofs on working buildings.
Allentown commercial metal roof coating suits panels that still hold their fasteners. This comparison shows what qualifies a roof and what sends part of it to repair first.
Long warehouse and plant roofs fail at the same handful of details. These are the ones the prep work targets.
Thermal movement over years elongates screw holes until a fastener turns without tightening. Sealant cannot restore that grip, so an oversized screw goes in first. Washers go on new with every replaced screw.
Panel ends at the eave and ridge rust first because the factory finish stops there. We wire-brush them to firm steel and prime before coating. Primer then seals the bare steel before topcoat.
Old tape and caulk in the laps shrink and crack, and wind pushes rain through. Laps get cleaned, re-sealed, and reinforced at the coating line. Fabric in the base coat keeps the lap from reopening.
Exhaust fans and HVAC curbs on plant roofs vibrate and flex their flashing loose. Each one is re-flashed before coating meets it. Extra film goes around each curb base.
Oil mist from vents and process exhaust leaves a film that blocks adhesion. Those zones get degreased and tested before a coat goes near them. A small test patch confirms the surface is clean.
Service paths to equipment wear any finish faster. They get marked, built up thicker, or given walk pads in the plan. Pads keep traffic off the fresh coating at those panels.
A metal roof coating system has parts beyond the topcoat. These are the pieces we choose for each roof.
Applied over spots cleaned to firm steel. It stops rust from creeping back under the new film along laps and cut edges. Rust-inhibiting primer is matched to the topcoat product.
Each screw head gets reset or replaced, then capped with sealant so the washer is covered before the topcoat. Washers on replaced screws are new, never reused.
Fabric or butyl tape embedded in base coat across side laps and end laps, where movement opens the roof first. Ridge caps and end laps get the same treatment.
Chosen for flatter sections and slow drainage. Later recoats use silicone again, which owners plan for now. Silicone and acrylic are never mixed in one recoat plan.
Picked for pitched panels with good runoff. It goes on in two or more passes with drying time between them. Each acrylic pass dries fully before the next goes on.
Coating restores the parts of a metal roof that actually leak, without pulling panels off over a working floor.
Call us with where it shows up inside. Drips that follow a straight line usually point to a row of failed fasteners we can find quickly.
These decisions come in order on every steel roof, and each one changes the price.
We map rust, test fasteners by hand, check every lap and curb, and look at the deck from inside where possible. That map becomes the repair list.
Panels that are firm and dry move to coating. Soft or holed panels are replaced, and the decision is made section by section across the roof.
Slope and drainage pick the topcoat. Primer, lap fabric, and fastener caps are matched to it so the whole system comes from compatible products.
Roof sections follow the building: those over loading docks, production lines, or offices are scheduled when activity below allows, with protection where it is needed.
Film thickness gets measured at ribs, laps, and fastener heads, where coating runs thinnest. Thin readings get another pass before the job closes out.
Some buildings need a different system on part of the roof. These services pair with metal coating.
Low-slope steel and flat sections that drain slowly.
Pitched panels that shed rain quickly.
Insulation plus one surface over tired panels.
Mansard and shingle faces on the same building.
It is repairing and coating an existing steel roof instead of replacing it. Restoration covers rust treatment, fastener replacement, lap sealing, flashing repairs, and a coating system applied over the whole field so the roof sheds water as one surface again.
Repairs to panel attachment, seams, and penetrations around equipment, plus cleaning any areas with oil or process residue. Access routes and protection over production areas get agreed in the plan, since work above an operating plant has to fit its schedule.
Fastener sealing before coating only works on a screw that holds. A sealant cannot restore grip in a worn hole or a damaged purlin. We check washers and panel condition, replace or upsize the fastener, and only then seal and coat over it.
Only the ones that fail. Each fastener row is checked, and screws that spin, have split washers, or sit in rusted holes are replaced. Sound fasteners are cleaned and sealed in place.
The one compatible with the prepared panels, the roof slope, and how water leaves it. Silicone suits low slopes, acrylic suits pitched panels with good runoff. Film thickness and detail work at laps and fasteners matter as much as the chemistry chosen.
No single product wins everywhere. Service life comes from correct film thickness, good prep at laps and fasteners, and upkeep afterward. We compare product requirements for your roof instead of naming one chemistry the winner.
In most cases, yes. Roof work happens above the deck, and sections are scheduled so the areas below can stay in use. Spots with open roof penetrations or overspray risk get protection or a short pause agreed ahead of time with the plant.
By measured square footage, then by the repair list: fasteners replaced, panels swapped, laps reinforced, and curbs re-flashed. The planning range of about $2.50 to $4.00 per square foot moves with how long that list gets.
Get a ballpark range for your steel roof, or call to talk through the rust, fasteners, and leaks you see.
