Can't decide on which metal roof overlay system is a fit for your building?
Let us quote them both for you.
Metal Roof Overlay Systems
And Retrofit Roof Solutions
A metal roof retrofit is a metal roof repair process in which the existing metal on a building or structure is left in place and recovered or overlaid with another roof. There are two primary metal roof overlay systems on the market today: 1. a metal over metal roof overlay and 2. a TPO over metal roof overlay. Both metal roof retrofit options are long term solutions to put an end to roof leaks and a great alternatives to metal roof coatings.
Metal roof retrofits are popular with both building owners and roofing contractors alike because they work. Retrofit roof projects permanently stop leaks on metal roofs and keep workers and your building safe without breaking the bank. The following are four top reasons to choose a metal roof retrofit.
Saves Time And More Safe For Roofing Crews.
Both metal over metal and TPO over metal roof overlays are quick and easy to install compared to removing and replacing metal roofing and insulation on a building. The roofing contractors are able to stand and work off of the existing metal instead of removing old metal and working over open purlins. Metal roof retrofit projects finish faster and get your building dry sooner as opposed to later and in a much safer way. The shorter time span and better working conditions are just some of the reasons they are less expensive as well.
Saves Money.
Not removing the existing metal and being able to keep your existing insulation without having to pay to replace it makes a retrofit roof project attractive to building owners. Permanently stopping the leaks and saving money at the same time sounds too good to be true—but it’s not. A tear off comes with big labor cost and liability that you just don’t have with a retrofit.
No Building Disruption
It’s not hard to imagine how disruptive it would be to your building's operations to have a roofing crew removing the existing metal and roof insulation above your employees, production lines, or offices spaces. In fact, you would need to shut down any area of your building while the old metal roof was being removed and replaced. Are you starting to see why the metal roof retrofit solutions are so popular? Both the metal over metal roof overlay and the TPO over metal roof system can be installed with little to no disruption to your building’s operations or activities. The existing metal roof stays intact.
Keeps You Contents Dry And Protected
Metal roof overlay systems never expose your building or its contents to the weather. Metal roof retrofits remove the risk involved with a tear-off and the stress of hoping the rain holds off just a few more hours till the roof gets put back on. A metal roof retrofit is a simple yet effective metal roof repair option that permanently stops leaks. It works by leaving the existing metal on a building in place and recovering it with either a single ply roofing membrane or with another layer of metal roofing. Both the metal over metal roof overlay system and TPO roofing membrane over metal roof systems are popular with building owners and used successfully all over the United States by roofing contractors.
It’s not uncommon for leaks to happen on metal buildings—metal roofing can fail on the ridge, around screws, pipes, or HVAC units and may require repair. There are times when the targeted use of metal roof sealants, changing screws, or detaching and reworking a leaky trim detail will solve the problem. But what happens when you have made several metal roof repair attempts and the building still has leaks? What if the leaks in your metal roof have multiplied and have really started to become a problem for either your business or your tenants? What if the leaks are taking your valuable floor space away by making it unusable during rain/ snow?
Well, it may be time to look at other ways to permanently repair your buildings metal roof.
Here are two great metal roof overlay systems to consider:
1. Overlay your existing metal roof with a TPO or PVC membrane.
or
2.Retrofit your existing metal roof with a new metal roof.
"Overlaying your leaky metal roof with either TPO or PVC membrane or with new metal saves the cost, disruption, and mess of tearing off the existing metal and replacing it. It keeps your building 100% operational through the roof repair process and permanently stops the leaks. It’s also a great opportunity to add insulation, reduce energy costs, and replace commercial gutters."
Metal over metal roof retrofits are a long term solution that puts an end to roof leaks.
There are two main ways to install a metal roof over a metal roof
A roof hugger is a metal sub purlin retrofit roof system that installs directly over top of the existing metal and attaches with screws into the existing metal purlins of the building. The roof hugger provides a flat surface to install the new layer of metal on the building. Roof huggers come in a variety of heights and shapes to accommodate different metal profiles and to allow for adding roof insulation to a building. Roof huggers are quick and easy to install and are a great way to retrofit your existing metal roof with a new metal roof.
The 238 T is a specialty engineered metal roof that has been designed to install over top of or retrofit existing metal roofing. The 238 T standing seam metal roof employs a high clip to overlay the existing metal roof. The high clip metal roof overlay system is an alternative to using roof hugger sub purlins. The high clip system installs directly through the existing metal roof and into the existing purlins and holds the new 238 T metal panel above the existing metal roof, making the retrofit possible.
Both metal retrofit roofing systems work with the major difference between them being that when using a roof hugger system, you have the option of overlaying the existing metal building with any type of metal roofing you want. For example, you could use roof hugger over an existing R-panel and then install anther R-panel or 2” mechanical, or 238 T standing seam—whereas the high clip system is designed to be used with the 238T standing seam metal roof.
What you gain in flexibility, you tend to give up in price. We find that the roof hugger retrofit systems costs slightly more than using a high clip and 238 T standing seam.
Don’t Worry, We’re Here To Help
TPO over metal roof retrofits are very popular among building owners because they last between 15 - 25 years depending on the millimeter thickness of the TPO roofing membrane installed. They also cost roughly half of what a metal over metal roof retrofit does. Both TPO and PVC roofing membranes can be installed over top of existing metal roofs. The membrane roof over a metal roof idea is simply, in that rubberized roofing membranes like TPO / PVC are used to waterproof flat roofs successfully. So why not install them over existing metal roofs to stop the leaks? TPO or PVC over metal roof retrofit is a cost-effective way to permanently stop leaks and without breaking the bank or your maintenance budget.
"TPO / PVC membrane roof over metal roof retrofits are quick to install and can be done in a wide range of temperatures, add insulation to a building, stop leaks, and have a similar cost to a metal roof coating."
Choosing the right metal roof overlay system for your building boils down to two main factors:
Price isn’t everything—but it is an important factor when choosing whether to retrofit your building by installing a new metal roof over the existing metal roof or to retrofit your roof with a TPO or PVC membrane. There are times, however, that even if your budget allows for a more expensive metal over metal roof overlay system, a design feature like an integrated or a box gutter, may make your building better suited for a membrane roof over metal roof overlay.
In this segment, we will discuss budget numbers for both the TPO / PVC membrane roof over metal roof retrofit and for metal over metal roof retrofit.
Regardless of the retrofit roof system you choose, in almost every case, it will be less expensive and much less disruptive to your business to retrofit the existing metal roof as opposed to removing and replacing the old metal roof.
For many building owners, a metal roof coating seems like the logical next step to take when trying to stop leaks on a metal roof—especially if other targeted repair attempts in the past have failed and the roof is still leaking. At first glance, a metal roof coating appears to be the path to an economical and quick solution to stop the leaks without having to replace the entire metal roof and disrupt either your business’s operations or your tenants.
Metal roof coatings sound great—you get to leave the existing metal roof in place and still fix the leaks. What could be better? Besides that, what other choice do you have? Most building owners find themselves stuck between an expensive and unaffordable metal roof replacement option or a metal roof coating option. READ MORE
