<\/a>After the roof was power washed, the seam sealer as applied to the seams and penetrations. After it cured, two coats of the high-solids silicone product were sprayed on the roof. Photos: All-County Contracting (ACC)<\/p><\/div>\n
A wet mil gauge is used to ensure the proper thickness. Wujcik notes the high-solids silicone formulation has very little shrinkage as it dries.\u00a0 \u201cAs we\u2019re spraying, we insert the gauge into the wet coating and it tells you how many mils you have sprayed down. In this case, we were applying to achieve 21 dry mils.\u201d<\/p>\n
The spray rig is set up on the ground and operated by one man, while the sprayer and the hose man are working on the roof. \u201cIt\u2019s a minimum of a three-man crew per coating rig,\u201d he notes. \u201cYou\u2019re dealing with about 6,000-7,000 psi of pressure, so you need special hoses rated for at least 7,000 psi. You never want to kink them. If you busted a hose, by the time someone came down from the roof to the machine, you could pump out 20 gallons on the ground. That\u2019s why you need a ground man.\u201d<\/p>\n
Flat roofs are sprayed perpendicular to the roof, but the standing seam metal roof on this project called for a different technique. \u201cOn metal roofs with high ridges, if you don\u2019t angle your gun you\u2019ll miss the sides of the ribs,\u201d Wujcik points out. \u201cYou have to do it from one direction, working one way, and then turn around and do it from the other direction, working the other way. If you try to spray straight down on the roof, you\u2019re going to miss the nooks and crannies in all of those ribs.\u201d<\/p>\n
The surface area of the ribs also has to be taken into account when calculating the amount of liquid that will be applied, notes Wujcik.<\/p>\n
The final step in the process is to touch up the applications at the penetrations to ensure a clean look. On vertical surfaces including parapet walls, crews ensure the coating is applied to a uniform height. \u201cOn the last day, we take up brushes and rollers and cut in straight lines,\u201d he says. \u201cThat really finishes the job. The detailing gives it that final touch.\u201d<\/p>\n
Open for Business<\/h4>\n
The active and open jobsite posed some challenges. \u201cThere were a lot of cars around the building, so we had to be very careful not to hit them with overspray,\u201d Wujcik notes. \u201cWhen you\u2019re working on a plant, you might be able to move all of the cars to a different location, but at doctor\u2019s offices and restaurants, you have traffic in and out of the parking lot all of the time. We can use car covers if there are a few cars there, but when they are in and out like that, it\u2019s not practical, so you have to be very careful when you do the job.\u201d<\/p>\n
The job was completed in the winter, and bad weather resulted in some delays. \u201cA job like this in the summertime would have been a weeklong project at most,\u201d Wujcik notes. \u201cThis project took almost a month because we had an exceptionally cold winter with a lot of high winds. It took extra time, but that\u2019s my philosophy: If it\u2019s not the right conditions, I just won\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The project qualified for a 10-year warranty, and when it expires ACC plans to be there to pressure wash and recoat the roof for another 10-year warranty.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe inspect our jobs every year,\u201d Wujcik says. He notes that annual roof inspections and routine maintenance are the simplest and most cost-effective ways to ensure the roof\u2019s life span. Yet these steps are often neglected.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s amazing that some of these multi-million-dollar companies don\u2019t send their maintenance guys up on the roof for 10 minutes to check the drains,\u201d he says. \u201cIf a roof has 2 inches of pine needles around the drain, the whole roof has to have 2 inches of water on it before it begins to drain. That puts tremendous, tremendous stress on a roof. Keeping your drains clear is really important.\u201d<\/p>\n
TEAM<\/h4>\n
Roofing Contractor:<\/strong> All-County Contracting (ACC), Raleigh, North Carolina<\/p>\nMATERIALS<\/h4>\n
Roof Coating:<\/strong> Enduris by GE 3502, GE Performance Coatings, www.GE.com\/silicones<\/a>
\nSeam Sealer:<\/strong> GE Seam Sealer, GE Performance Coatings<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Glenn Wujcik, the owner of All-County Contracting (ACC), headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, has been fascinated with spray rigs since he and his brother first…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":125,"featured_media":9222,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[7794,40,34,43],"tags":[7818,7817,127,7820,6969,7819,94,7349,1190,1296,126],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Silicone Coating Restores the Roof, Reduces Utility Costs at Mixed-Use Complex - Roofing<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n