find a solution in

find a solution in

Case Studies

Silicone Coating Saves Church Roof- S4200 (FL)

S42 before and after

A church places many demands on the men and women who serve as ministers. Preaching, counseling, management of church operations, community involvement, speaking engagements — responsibilities like these add up to busy and varied schedules. One thing that a pastor doesn’t need is a recurring problem with the church building that is another of his or her duties. So when the 26-year-old modified bitumen roof over the administrative offices of a church in Eatonville, FL, started leaking, the goal was to find a long-term solution.

The existing roof was showing its age: It had so much granule loss it was nearly smooth in places. One option was to tear off the roof and replace it with new materials, but that was an expensive course of action.

T.J. McMahan, sales and marketing manager of roofing contractor All Florida Urethane, proposed another option: GacoFlex S4200 silicone roof coating. GacoFlex S4200 proved to be a win-win for the church and the roofing contractor.

Silicone roof coatings are proven performers, extending the life of an existing roof for years at far less cost than tearing off the old roof and replacing it. That makes them very cost-effective from a building owner’s point of view. GacoFlex S4200 offers another benefit: speed of installation. That meant less disruption to church members and staff. It also meant that the contractor’s crew could get on and off the roof faster. GacoFlex S4200 required very little priming of the existing roof. “We had to prime a few spots but for the most part you don’t have to prime it,” McMahan said. For most of the roof, all the crew had to do was clean the surface and apply the coating.


McMahan pointed to another benefit of GacoFlex S4200: great adhesion. From an owner’s perspective, excellent adhesion to the existing roof enables the coating to withstand natural expansion and contraction without cracking under the hot Florida sun. And as a roofing contractor, McMahan saw that his crew was getting a strong bond.

The energy efficiency provided by the reflective GacoFlex S4200 came as a much appreciated bonus. “Any time you’re
taking a black roof in Florida and turning it white, that is a good thing,” notes McMahan. A cool roof, defined as a roof designed to reflect more sunlight and absorb less heat than a standard roof, has numerous benefits. It transfers less heat to the building below, so the building stays cooler and uses less energy for air conditioning. By lowering energy use, cool roofs decrease the production of associated air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, not to mention saving money on associated cooling costs.

 

3 Steps to Evaluate a Roof Coating

 

1. Get a professional evaluation of your roof’s current condition. Some manufacturers offer a free assessment to see if a coating is right for your roof. Let Gaco’s technical team come on site and deliver a free roof evaluation report.

2. Ensure your roofing products, including coatings, are UL or FM approved. GacoFlex S4200 has industry-leading fire performance.

3. Find a trained contractor that is licensed by a manufacturer for
quality installations through the manufacturer network

Location: Eatonville, FL
Product Type: Church

Download