Commercial Roof Restoration at School in Chagrin Falls, Ohio

Quick Summary – An elementary school restored a 30-year-old EPDM roof by installing a silicone roof coating system, receiving a new 20-year, renewable, transferable warranty with no tear-off.

Location: Chagrin Falls, Ohio

Building Type: Elementary School

Roof System: EPDM Rubber Roof (Installed in 1995)

Solution: Silicone Roof Coating System with a 20-Year Renewable Warranty



When commercial building owners wait too long to address an aging roof, they often leave themselves with only one option—a complete roof replacement.

Fortunately, that wasn't the case at Timmons Elementary School in Chagrin Falls, Ohio.

Thanks to proactive planning and a roof that was still structurally sound, the school was able to restore its existing EPDM roof with a silicone roof coating system, avoiding the significant expense and disruption of a full tear-off.

How the Project Started

This project actually began because of a relationship built years earlier.

The maintenance supervisor responsible for Timmons Elementary had previously worked for Midview Schools, where West Roofing Systems completed a commercial roofing project in 2019.

After moving to his new position, he already knew our team, our process, and the quality of our work.

When it came time to evaluate the roofs at Timmons Elementary, he reached out to us to perform an inspection.



Relationships and trust matter in commercial roofing, especially when managing public facilities where budgets and long-term planning are critical.

Inspecting a 30-Year-Old EPDM Roof

The school's EPDM roofing system had originally been installed in 1995, making it approximately 30 years old.

At first glance, many building owners assume a roof this old automatically needs to be replaced.

However, age alone doesn't determine whether a roof has reached the end of its service life.

During our inspection, we found that although the roof had aged, the membrane remained in good overall condition.

There was no widespread deterioration that would prevent restoration.



That made the roof a great candidate for a silicone roof coating system.

Why a Silicone Roof Coating Was the Right Solution

Instead of removing thousands of square feet of roofing material and installing a brand-new roof, the existing EPDM roof could be restored.



After cleaning and preparing the roof surface, our crews installed a high-solids silicone roof coating system designed to protect the existing membrane from weather, UV exposure, and future deterioration.

The result is a fully restored roofing system backed by a 20-year renewable and transferable warranty.

This approach provides several advantages:

• Extends the life of the existing roof

• Avoids sending roofing materials to landfills

• Minimizes disruption to students and staff

• Is completed much faster than a roof replacement

• Costs significantly less than a complete tear-off and replacement

• Provides a new long-term warranty

For many schools and commercial buildings, restoring an existing roof is one of the most cost-effective capital improvement projects available.

Timing Is Everything

One of the biggest lessons from this project is that roof restoration only works when a roof is still in restorable condition.

If building owners wait until widespread water infiltration, saturated insulation, or severe membrane deterioration occurs, restoration may no longer be an option.

At that point, the only reasonable solution is a complete roof replacement.

For Timmons Elementary, the maintenance team acted at the right time.

By restoring the roof before it reached the point of failure, the district secured decades of additional service life while avoiding the substantially higher cost of a complete tear-off.



In many cases, a roof replacement can cost at least twice as much as a silicone roof coating system, making proactive maintenance a smart financial decision.

Why Schools Choose Roof Coating Systems

School districts are constantly balancing maintenance needs with limited budgets.



Silicone roof coating systems have become an increasingly popular solution because they enable districts to maximize the value of existing roofing assets rather than replacing them prematurely.

Additional benefits include:

• Having a seamless membrane (loss of seam adhesion is the #1 cause of leaks)

• Long-term leak protection

• Lower lifecycle costs

• Very easy to maintain

• Renewable warranties that can extend roof life for decades