Metal roofs are special in many ways. I strongly suggest you order the free white sheet to understand some of what you own, since this roof type almost always leaks in the second decade of use and what we have seen in this industry is every conceivable mistake that will keep you up at night.
Metal roof owners used to be our primary customer and, at this writing, we have quoted at least 400,000 feet this year alone, so we are the top resurfacer of steel and aluminum roofs. With technology, we can now resurface any flat roof, so the emphasis has shifted away from metal roofs somewhat, because our growth is in other arenas, but we are still the best for a number of reasons, especially for metal roofs.
For instance… Did you know that coatings have metals in them? Do you remember high school chemistry class and how they said different metals or “dissimilar metals” react to one another? They do and the result is electrolysis which leads to rust. Just look at the picture to the left of a local automobile dealership, when they called us for a quote. In other words, the wrong application can rust your roof. This is the number one permanent problem with roof coating, but poor cleaning and improper products make up the majority of the immediate problems.
As of this writing, I have yet to see any job done by someone other than 777 that was done correctly and didn’t lead to complete failure, period. That’s right, not one. Here is the problem in a nutshell… painters can’t paint a roof, let alone seal something that is always moving. Roofers are not painters and they will never understand the products or methods used because they will never educate themselves. Finally, roofers will try to put a membrane on a metal roof, which is expensive and downright ignorant.
Let’s delve into that subject… To place a membrane on a metal roof, one must use foam “fillets” to fill the space between the ridges. The foam they use is polystyrene and it absorbs water. Every day that the temperature passes the dew point, water vapor within the flat roof condensates and turns to water, which is then trapped in the foam, literally forever. Not only does this ruin the almost invisible insulation they will tout, but it keeps water against the metal roof with no way to dry, except one. That is to draw the water back into the overlap on the metal panel, which in turn rusts this high friction, often unprotected area right out. Do you really want to replace the metal on your metal roof, or would you rather work with experts? Here is what we did with the roof above:
Let me give you an example of astronomical stupidity, which you may be paying for. A county government is placing a 153,000 foot TPO membrane roof on a metal roof community activity center. Now aside from the poor choice of a TPO roof and the tearing and screw damage to come, lets examine the decision this county chose. This example was before all the common sense information was shared with them. The choice the roofer suggested is going against what the market and everyone else does! You guessed it, a membrane. He likely said it is insulated (untrue) or that coatings fail (some do, but not when applied correctly). He likely said bad things about whatever he is not doing and this is why he does not do “that type of roof”. Fact is, he does not know anything about coatings, because he has no trained men and no equipment. Sure, he likely did some roof in the past and it failed, but that’s him, not the market. When 97% of people go the same way, you need to find out why and placing your bet on one number of the roulette wheel is a really bad idea.
We don’t make this type of statement anyplace else and/or for any other product for a flat roof, so consider this fact and understand that there is no school and there is no book to learn what we know. Fact is, we are very unlikely to share what we know with anyone. This is our competitive advantage and we have a huge advantage. Throughout this web site and other writings, I have taken aim at the manufacturers for filling their products with cheap ingredients and fillers. Roofers are always the under educated dupes that get the blame and go out of business (93% in first 3 years) because of warranty issues and lawsuits. This is not the case here. No one even associated with this long term company has ever had a bankruptcy. Sure, there are plenty of inferior products out there, certainly more than 95% are, but the applicators and roofers in these cases are the culprit. It is true that they are clueless and this is certainly part of the problem, but people doing something they know absolutely nothing about and ruining the surface they are working on is unforgivable. I could spend hours on stories that will curl your toes, but the bottom line is really simple;
WORK WITH SOMEONE WHO KNOWS WHAT THEY ARE DOING, OR DO NOTHING.
We can address all of your roofs needs, we will waterproof it and we will create a perfect color or heat reflective surface, but this may cost a quarter or 45 cents more psf to do the job correctly, which will require multiple layers of specialized products. The number one problem in this market is people playing cheap and crying poverty when it comes to a roof. IT’S YOUR ROOF! If you think you are getting the same product or workmanship for less, you are astoundingly wrong, and possibly stupid. Of course it costs more if the product is better and the roofing contractor spends more time to do the job right. Further, your risk is astounding, so gather your tight-wad and head to Vegas, put it all on your favorite number or color and let it ride. At least lose your funds with the certainty that you tried to be a winner. It boggles the mind how stupid people can be with a huge amount of money, just to save a small amount.
A final note: The application is also a thermally reflective cool roof, which can save money and extend the life of that expensive A/C equipment atop your roof. 777 roofing resurfaces flat roofs, commercial roofs, industrial roofs, metal roofs, TPO roofs, Hypalon roofs, cap sheet roofs, tar roofs, EPDM roofs (rubber roofs) and “mod bit” or BUR roofs. We also provide the absolute best PVC roofs, such as the IB Systems PVC roofing by 777 Coatings Corporation, AKA 777 roofing. As an expert multifaceted roofer, 777 roofs is your best roofing choice on any flat roof surface. Since we do all types of roofs, which nobody else does, we will steer you to the right choice for your roof, your conditions and your budget.