The roof of your business is just as vital as a residential home’s roof, perhaps even more so. While a leak within a home might damage hundreds or thousands of dollars’ worth of clothing and electronics, a leak in your business’s roof could cause hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of damage. It could also lead to other problems, like mold buildup within the business. If you’ve noticed telltale signs of a leak, rectifying the situation immediately is vital. If you have a rubber roof, there is good news. Liquid Rubber roof coatings can be applied quickly and easily to reseal the entire roof and prevent further damage.

How to Tell If You Have a Rubber Roof

Commercial roofs are often flat, and there are several different types of flat roof systems on the market. If you are not sure that your business has a rubber roof, you’ll need to verify that before you move forward. However, understand that Liquid Rubber roof coatings can be applied over BUR, TPO, and PVC roofs (three of the alternative roof systems), just as easily as it can over EPDM rubber.

You can tell if you have a rubber (EPDM) roof pretty simply – get up on the roof where you can look at and feel the material. It may be any shade of gray or black, but if it is smooth and lacks surface granules, then it is rubber. If you can find an exposed edge, you can also check the thickness. In most cases, an EPDM rubber roof will only be between .41 and .90 millimeters thick.

Again, Liquid Rubber sealant can actually be used on just about any type of roof surface, except for those with an oil-based coating. This includes metal, urethane foam, concrete, and the three flat roof systems mentioned above.

Find the Leak

Your most critical task will be to find the source of the leak itself. In most instances, this is not going to be the roof membrane itself, but the seal around a vent pipe, or perhaps damaged flashing. This will also be the most time consuming part of the repair. However, it is critical to locate the leak, unless you want to simply cover the entire roof with Liquid Rubber roof coatings. In some cases, that may make the most sense, though, particularly if your roof is aging and has not been re-roofed in many years.

How to Repair Your Roof Leak

Once you have found the source of the leak, it is relatively simple to repair the problem. You’ll need follow a few basic steps, though:

• Clean the Area: Your first task will be to clean the area. If you’re patching a leak, then you’ll need to scrub the existing membrane clean using a scouring pad and a good cleansing solution.

• Trim: You may also need to trim the edges of the damaged area so that they are not jagged.

• Remove: If there is old caulking in the area, it will need to be scraped or cut away, as well.

• Apply: Once the damaged area is clean and dry, it is time to repair it. Simply apply a coating of Liquid Rubber using a paintbrush or a roller. You need only a thin layer, around 1 millimeter thick. Once it is applied, it is immediately waterproof, but it will take some time to cure completely.

That’s all there is to repairing a leaking commercial roof. However, if your roof is old and in poor condition, it may make more sense to apply Liquid Rubber roof coatings to the entire surface to protect it for decades to come.