Category Archives: Commercial Roofing

8 Most Common Silicone Roof Coating Problems

Although silicone roof coatings are a smart choice for many reasons, silicone roofing problems are quite common.

On the bright side, silicone coatings possess very high solids content, so they don’t necessarily have to be applied in multiple layers to provide adequate protection.

This saves time and money, and even more so when they do not require a primer (which is often true).

Many commercial buildings have silicone coatings protecting their roofs for these and other reasons. However, silicone roof coatings are not perfect—no type of roof coating is. They have inherent flaws.

As a contractor, property manager, or business owner, you should be aware of how silicone roof coatings can fail and thoroughly understand their most common problems. 

Silicone Roof Coating Problems

Common Silicone Roofing Problems

  • Incompatibility With Other Materials
  • Adverse to Foot Traffic
  • Compromised Reflectivity
  • Limited to Flat Roofs
  • Shorter Warranties
  • Vulnerability to tearing
  • More Expensive
  • Difficult installation

Below, Roofer’s Guild outlines eight silicone roofing problems to consider:

1) Not All Roof Materials Adhere to Silicone

When it comes to selecting the best roof coating, you must consider your circumstances. Right off the bat, this could be a big problem. Not all existing roof materials will adhere to silicone.

A lack of adhesion means you must remove the entire surface or opt for materials that will stick to silicone. Investing in adhesive materials can drive up your installation costs. 

2) Not The Best for Heavy Foot Traffic

An ideal candidate for silicone roof coating is a roof that will not see much foot traffic. There are a couple of problems that can arise if a silicone roof coating is applied to a roof that gets a lot of foot traffic:

  • Silicone becomes more slippery than other roof coatings when it gets wet, presenting a safety hazard for people on your roof.
  • Frequent foot traffic can damage silicone, reducing its projected lifespan.

Foot traffic may not be an issue if your building’s roof rarely receives visitors. However, if you frequently need roof-top HVAC maintenance, have people working on skylights, or your roof requires a lot of care, this may be a problem. 

3) Compromised Reflectivity

One of the main advantages of installing a silicone roof coating is that it can reflect a lot of UV light, saving you money on cooling costs.

However, this is not an infallible advantage. Silicone roof coatings attract dirt and dust more than other materials. Dirt and other build-ups will compromise its reflectivity and negate energy savings. 

While investing in regular roof cleanings can negate many of these concerns, doing so adds more maintenance to your property.

4) Limited to Flat Roofs

A silicone roof coating will not work very well on pitched roofs. Very few homeowners are clamoring to install a silicone roof coating on their houses, but not all commercial roofs are flat.

Silicone will not hold up or perform as well as other roof coating systems if you have a pitched commercial roof. 

5) Shorter Warranties

While some other types of roof coatings typically come with warranties that last up to 25 years, the warranty you are likely to get from a silicone roof coating is significantly shorter.

You can usually expect a warranty period of only ten years. While some manufacturers/contractors may offer you 15-year warranties for silicone roof coatings, you can also expect to pay more for them. 

6) Prone to Tearing

Silicone roof coatings are inherently prone to tearing. They are not as durable as some other roof coatings and should not be installed in areas where hail, foot traffic, and abrasion are common.

Hail and debris whipped up by the wind could tear the coating and expose the substrate. When a tear occurs, the entire coating can become compromised. 

Tears can occur in many ways, including hailstones, heavy tools hitting the surface, pest infestations, falling debris from trees, and more. 

7) More Expensive

One of the most unattractive silicone roof coating problems is that it is typically more expensive to install than other materials.

For example, installing a silicone roof coating costs around $2 to $3.50 per square foot. On the other hand, the average price to install an acrylic roof coating is only about fifty cents to a dollar per square foot. 

Silicone roof coatings are also more expensive than other coating options because they require more cleaning and are more prone to tears.

When it comes time to replace your silicone roof coating, you are likely to pay more because, depending on the replacement materials, the entire surface may have to be removed.

8) Difficult to Install

Many roofers dislike working with silicone because it is messy and difficult to apply correctly. As a result, most contractors offering silicone coating installation have undergone special training, which will again drive up the installation cost. 

On the other hand, an inexperienced contractor installing a silicone roof coating could cause more problems. That’s because improperly installed silicone roof coatings can damage your roof. 

Making Sense of Silicone Roofing Problems

Vetting the problems of any roofing material will yield concerns. The goal is not to dissuade you from choosing silicone as your next roofing material but to equip you with the knowledge to make a more informed decision.

While we’ve clearly outlined potential problems with this popular material, it’s worth noting that its popularity is based on many positive attributes.

Ultimately, your choice of silicone roofing will likely be positive for your property.

Nevertheless, gaining awareness of silicone roofing problems is essential before investing time and money.

Common Causes of a Loud Banging Noise on The Roof

Loud banging noises from the roof are unsettling, especially at night. It’s easy for your mind to wander to the worst-case scenarios, such as severe structural issues. However, in most cases, the source of the noise is actually less severe.

Either way, it’s worth diagnosing the culprit for your peace of mind and to ensure your roof’s functionality today and into the future. In the following post, Roofer’s Guild will outline some of the common causes of a loud banging noise on the roof.

Key Takeaways

The loud banging noise on the roof is typically caused by thermal shock, which is most common during winter when rapid temperature fluctuations cause a sudden release of tension in the roofing materials.

The noise is not always a cause for alarm. However, a professional roof inspection can diagnose a potentially dangerous cause, such as snow buildup or ice dams.

1) Thermal Shock

The winter months cause tension between your warm attic and the cold air. Meanwhile, various roofing materials (wood, metal, plywood, etc.) expand and contract at different rates, leading to thermal shock.

The popping sound itself normally comes from nails slipping under shifting wood members when they can no longer hold the tension. The attic amplifies this slip into a loud bang.

2) Loose Gutters

If the loud noise occurs during windstorms, the culprit is most likely to be a mechanical issue, likely with your gutters. This is especially true if the noise is louder near the corners of your property.

For example, a loose gutter bracket empowers the wind to lift the gutter and slam it back against the fascia board, generating a hollow thud that can echo through the rafters.

3) Tree Branches

Extended tree branches can reach the roof deck during windstorms, even if they don’t appear close enough during calm weather days.

The sound of an oak tree or a pine branch hitting your roof deck is extremely loud, like a sledgehammer. When trees are the cause, it’s best to contact a professional tree trimmer or arborist.

4) Animals

If the banging sound is rhythmic or is followed by a scratching noise, the culprit is most likely an animal, such as a squirrel, opossum, or raccoon.

Squirrels can also generate this sound by dropping walnuts or pine cones onto your roof from overhanging branches.

5) Ductwork

Properties with an attic furnace or rooftop AC unit have another possible suspect for the loud banging noise, as duct walls can expand and contract, generating a metallic pop or bang loud enough to wake a deep sleeper.

This phenomenon is sometimes referred to as oil canning and is normally resolved by a professional adding V-crimps to the flat side of the duct or attaching angled metal across the flat span.

Investigating The Cause of a Roof Banging Noise

While you should never go onto your roof because of the grave danger it presents, there are ways you can investigate the noise without putting yourself at risk.

Weather Monitoring

Identify the weather conditions that overlap with the noise, if one exists. It’s often windstorms that foster these sounds, but there are also cases where they occur only with sunlight or at night.

Attic Test

If you are comfortable going up to your attic, bring a flashlight. You are looking for any rays of sunlight peeking into your attic, which indicates the presence of holes.

The attic is also a place where you will notice evidence of animal activity, such as finding nests.

Shiner Check

Observe your roof from the ground and look for any exposed silver nails, called shiners. You can also keep an eye out for loose shingles.

Depiction of Roof Expansion and Contraction During Winter

Next Steps if You Can’t Diagnose Loud Banging Noises from Roof

While the banging noise might be alarming or frustrating, it is fairly common in colder regions of the country, especially with asphalt shingle or metal roofs.

If you cannot identify the culprit of the loud banging noise, it’s best to contact a professional roofing company for an inspection.

In many cases, it will not require a roof replacement or an expensive repair. However, there are less common cases in which snow or an ice dam is causing consistent creaking noises on your roof.

Snow or ice dams can put your roof, your property, and its occupants in danger and would qualify as an emergency roof repair situation.

Hail Size Roof Damage Chart

When a storm rolls through your town, there are a lot of things that can do damage. Heavy winds are the usual culprit, but hail is another type of storm that can do significant damage. The most recent annual data estimates over 3,700 hail storms in the United States.

After these storms, it’s handy to have a hail size roof damage chart at your disposal, like the one below:

Hail Size Damage Chart

Key Takeaway

Any hail larger than a ½ inch can damage a roof, meaning ¾-inch to 1-inch hail (quarter size) and 1 ¾-inch to 4 ½-inch hail (golf ball size) should prompt a call to your insurance company.

Assessing Roof Hail Damage by Size

When hail grows in size, you can be concerned about things like your car or, even worse, your roof. The costs can be heavy when there is damage to your roof. Even minor damage can cost thousands of dollars, and most of us do not have that kind of money lying around.

They say they are there for us when disaster strikes, but most insurance companies will find any reason not to pay out a claim. After all, it is how they strengthen their bottom line.

When hail becomes a concern, it can help to know what size hail can damage your roof. Again, not all hail is worth worrying about, but when those bigger chunks begin to hit, you can wonder what to do. Inspecting your own roof is dangerous, and you may not know what to look for.

Most people won’t be able to manually measure hail during a storm, so you can estimate using common identifiers like “golf ball size” and “marble size.”

Understanding which hail sizes can damage your roof gives you a good idea of when to call in an inspector to check for damage on your roof. Here are a few of the most common hail sizes that damage roofs nationwide.

¼-inch Hail (Pea-sized Hail)

Milder hailstorms generally produce this size of hail, but only for a few minutes at a time before it shifts over to steadier rainfall. When dealing with this size of hail, a roof can often fair pretty well.

Use some common sense and judgment before jumping to any conclusions.If you have an older roof with existing damage, pea-sized hail could exacerbate the present damage. Be aware of the condition of your roof before judging whether it needs an inspection after a hailstorm.

½-inch Hail (Marble-sized Hail)

Marble-sized hail can also fall into the safe zone when it comes to hail, meaning it generally doesn’t cause damage to roofs that don’t already have substantial damage. 

Remember that hail is produced by updrafts of wind that shoot raindrops higher into the atmosphere. It freezes when it gets higher into the atmosphere and then falls back to Earth.

When you have more extreme winds, the hailstones will generally be larger. While the quarter-inch-sized hailstones might not be of much concern, exercise caution and common sense again.

If you have any thoughts that there might be damage to your roof, call in an inspector immediately.

¾-inch to 1-inch Hail (Dime to Quarter-sized Hail)

You should call an inspector immediately when you see hailstones larger than the ½-inch described above. Finding a reputable local roofer is a great place to start, and you also need to make sure that you place a call to your insurance agent.

Hail this size generally damages roofs in the form of dents and cracks, though in some cases, it can definitely cause greater damage.

Do not leave this unaddressed. As expensive as it can be, if you leave the damage unaddressed, it could become a more expensive, extensive, and potentially dangerous condition to live in.

In any event, you must talk to your insurance agent immediately. Knowing what your policy covers and what might be paid for can help you determine your budget and which contractor to use.

Part of the headache of dealing with damage to your roof is dealing with the insurance company; try to get that duck in a row as soon as possible.

Once hail size approaches 1 inch, you will most certainly have roofing damage of some form. It’s important to contact your insurance company as soon as possible.

1 ¾-inch to 4 ½-inch Hail (Golf Ball-sized Hail)

While not an uncommon hail-size range, golf ball-sized hail can still substantially damage your roof, car, and home. Like with dime-size hail, you should contact your insurance agent by phone to discuss your options.

Agents might send a roofer to determine the overall damage before proceeding. Your policy may cover a portion of the damage your roof sustained.

Hail can be a nasty beast, even if it only occasionally rears its ugly head. Whenever there is hail in your area, you must assess the size of the hailstones first and foremost. Under ¾-inch, you are probably fine unless your roof already has substantial damage and age.

Anything larger than 1/2 inch should prompt you to discuss the next step with your insurance agent and find a roofing contractor to inspect your roof.

The Bottom Line for Roofs With Hail Damage

Being calm and knowing the steps to take when a hailstorm hits your area can make all the difference in the world when trying to get the necessary repairs done.

The key is not to panic and not jump to conclusions. Make sure that you take all of the proper steps so that you can not only get your roof repaired but get it done in a cost-effective way.

Because hail damage leads are often hot items for roofers, cities recently hit by storms will be ripe with them. Be aware of whom you’re dealing with.

If you are unsure whether or not your roof was damaged by a hail storm, getting an inspection is the best option. Even if the hail is around 1/2 inch in size, it can exacerbate existing problems with the roofing system.

When hail is larger than 1/2 inch, including quarter and golf ball size, your roof is almost certainly in danger. The more quickly you address damage from hail storms, the less future complications arise.

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