TPO · Fully Adhered
75,000 sqft Cold Storage Facility
Sqft75K
System80-mil TPO FA
Timeline10 days
Commercial roof restoration coatings applied to aging TPO, EPDM, metal, modified bitumen, and BUR substrates across NC, SC, GA, and TN. $2.50-5 per square foot, 10-20 year manufacturer NDL warranties, and substantially lower cost than full tear-off replacement.
A licensed PM has your request. We'll reach out within 24 business hours — typically sooner. If your roof is actively leaking, call (866) 487-8572 for same-day response.
For most commercial building owners, the roof-replacement decision looks like a binary: the old roof is failing, tear it off, install a new one, write the capital-expense check, and plan the next replacement for 20-25 years out. What this framing misses is the restoration opportunity at year 15-20 where a well-applied silicone or acrylic coating can extend the existing roof's service life another 10-15 years at roughly 25% the cost of replacement.
The NPV math almost always favors coating when the substrate qualifies. A 40,000 sqft TPO roof installed in 2010 is now 15 years old and approaching end-of-warranty. Full replacement in 2026: $400,000 capex. Silicone restoration: $110,000 with 15-year warranty extension. Deferring the $400K capex by 15 years — to 2041 instead of 2026 — creates roughly $180,000 in NPV savings at a 6% discount rate, even accounting for the replacement cost inflation over that period.
There's also a tax treatment dimension. Full roof replacement is typically capitalized and depreciated over 27.5-39 years. A roof coating is often classifiable as repair/maintenance expense — deductible in the current tax year under IRC Section 162 (with proper substantiation). For C-corps in 21% tax bracket, the difference between depreciating $400K over 39 years versus expensing $110K immediately is roughly $38K in near-term tax savings. Your CPA should confirm the characterization for your specific facts, but the pattern holds for many commercial owners.
The constraint is substrate qualification. Coating works only when the existing membrane is structurally sound, dry, and clean. About 30% of the aging-roof surveys we run disqualify for coating — trapped substrate moisture, systemic seam failure, or structural issues that require tear-off. We run thermal scans and moisture-probe cores before every coating bid to confirm eligibility. When we tell an owner the roof doesn't qualify for coating, we mean it — coating a wet substrate is worse than doing nothing. For facilities that don't qualify, alternatives include full tear-off replacement to TPO, EPDM, or modified bitumen depending on the facility profile.
Installed cost runs $2.50-5 per square foot depending on substrate, required primer, and warranty tier. Typical restoration projects run 25-30% of full-replacement cost. Ranges reflect bid data across NC, SC, GA, TN.
Coating success is determined 70% by preparation and 30% by application. Our process follows RCMA (Roof Coatings Manufacturers Association) specifications and the manufacturer-specific application standards from GAF, Gaco, and Conklin. Every coating project starts with thermal moisture survey — if the substrate doesn't qualify, we say so before the bid.
Infrared thermal scan of entire roof to detect trapped substrate moisture (moisture shows as thermal anomaly versus dry substrate). Core samples at 2 per 10,000 sqft confirming moisture content below 5%. Surface condition documented — granule loss, blistering, seam failures, penetration leaks. If moisture content exceeds manufacturer spec anywhere on roof, coating is not recommended for that section and we scope alternative.
Power wash entire roof at 2,500-3,500 psi to remove oxidation, dirt, algae, and biological growth. Anti-fungal treatment applied to areas with mildew or mold. Detergent wash on greasy commercial roofs (restaurant exhaust fan zones, manufacturing smokestack areas). Rinse and allow to dry completely (typically 24 hours) before proceeding.
Tears, blisters, and mechanical damage patched with manufacturer-compatible repair material. Field seams inspected and re-welded or re-taped where failures detected. Penetration flashings inspected and re-flashed where needed. Drain assemblies checked and cleaned. Every repair must cure/bond before coating begins.
Substrate-specific primer applied where manufacturer spec requires. Aged TPO with chalk often requires primer; EPDM with good surface integrity often doesn't. Galvanized metal with rust requires rust-encapsulating primer (Rustoleum or Gaco-compatible). Primer coverage verified mil-thickness before proceeding. Cure to tack-free before basecoat.
Silicone or acrylic basecoat applied with airless sprayer at manufacturer-spec thickness — typically 10-15 dry mils for silicone, 15-20 dry mils for acrylic. Even coverage verified at 10-point wet-mil sampling per 1,000 sqft. Fabric reinforcement embedded at critical seams and penetrations. Basecoat cures 8-24 hours depending on humidity and ambient temperature.
Topcoat applied to achieve total warranty-spec mil thickness (typically 25-30 dry mils for silicone 15-year warranty, 35-40 for 20-year warranty). Mil thickness verified at 10 points per 1,000 sqft with depth gauge. Photos documented. Manufacturer NDL warranty registered in building owner's name. As-built drawings, warranty certificate, and maintenance schedule delivered.
Silicone and acrylic roof restoration projects completed across NC, SC, GA, TN. GAF Unisil, Gaco Roof, and Conklin NDL warranties registered on every install.
Aging TPO (15-22 years): Chalky surface common — requires primer before silicone or acrylic basecoat. Silicone preferred for ponding-area-prone roofs common in NC commercial. Typical project: $2.50-3.50/sqft for silicone 15-year NDL warranty.
Aging EPDM (20-30 years): Black surface accepts silicone well with minimal primer on most applications. Tape-seam failures require re-taping or liquid-splice sealing before coating. Cost: $3-4/sqft for silicone; acrylic is not recommended on EPDM due to long-term adhesion issues.
Metal (galvanized, Galvalume, Kynar): Rust treatment required — power wash, wire-brush or media-blast localized rust, rust-encapsulating primer. Seam sealing with butyl tape plus elastomeric sealant before coating. Typical project: $2.75-4/sqft for silicone 15-year warranty. Metal restoration coating is our highest-volume service category in agricultural and industrial markets.
Modified Bitumen (SBS/APP, 15-25 years): Excellent primer-free silicone adhesion in most cases. Cap sheet granules may require partial removal for adhesion — spot-test before full application. Cost: $3.50-5/sqft.
Built-Up Roofing (BUR): Gravel ballast must be removed before coating (labor-intensive — often makes replacement more economical). Smooth-surfaced BUR without ballast accepts primer and silicone well. Cost: $4-5.50/sqft due to prep complexity. For heritage or institutional buildings where BUR replacement isn't an option, coating is frequently the only path forward — see our industrial applications page for typical use cases.
We run the thermal moisture survey, confirm substrate eligibility, and deliver a line-item comparison of coating versus full replacement with clear NPV. If the substrate doesn't qualify, we tell you. 48-hour bid turnaround.