How to Restore a Commercial Metal Roof

Commercial metal roof restoration delivers excellent performance at a fraction of replacement cost. Here's the complete process.

Step 1: Assessment

Inspect the metal panels for structural integrity — not just surface rust. Panels with significant corrosion through the metal or structural compromise require replacement sections. Panels with surface rust and aging fasteners are excellent restoration candidates. Also check for panel deformation, seam separation, and flashing failures.

Step 2: Surface Preparation

Power wash the entire metal surface to remove dirt, loose rust, bird droppings, and any loose coatings. Mechanically treat any heavy rust areas to stable rust. Apply rust-inhibiting primer to all treated areas and as a base coat on severely weathered metal.

Step 3: Fastener and Seam Treatment

Apply reinforced fabric tape embedded in compatible sealant over all exposed fasteners, seam locations, and ridgeline transitions. This creates a reinforced base layer at all historical failure points before the coating is applied over them.

Step 4: Flashing and Transition Treatment

Address all roof-to-wall transitions, ridge caps, and edge conditions with compatible sealant and reinforced fabric tape. These transitions are critical — a coating over the main roof field that fails at edge transitions will still leak.

Step 5: Coating Application

Apply silicone coating in two coats at the required mil thickness for the chosen warranty. The coating covers the entire roof surface — all prepared fasteners, seams, and transitions — under a continuous seamless membrane.

Step 6: Warranty Issuance

Third-party inspection verifies mil thickness and coverage. Manufacturer issues 10–20-year warranty. Total cost: $2.50–$5.00/sq ft vs. $8–$15+/sq ft for replacement.