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How Long Do Roof Coatings Last

How long do roof coatings last

How long do roof coatings last?

If I had a $1 for every time this question was asked I wouldn’t be rich but boy would I have a great long vacation.  Sadly that question is not one that you can just answer with a number.  There are so many variables that can change that number that we could write 10 pages on that topic.  Although there are many variables that we can’t change or predict, but there are a few things that we can gleam from that can give us a great start.  First let’s talk chemistry because those are a variable that we can predict.  We will break these down into the Big 3, Acrylics, Silicon & Urethane’s.

Acrylics have been around in volumes since the mid 1970’s and have came a loooong way since then.  I know of one manufacturer who pioneered acrylic coatings “Conklin Roofing Systems” that are currently on their 6th generation of Acrylic coatings and they continue to advance the industry.  Acrylics are sacrificial in design, which is a common thing that many competitive chemistry manufacturers try to use to negate the proven performance of Acrylics.  By sacrificial what I am stating is that the coating by design slowly sluff’s of material (micro mil thickness’s) to continue to self clean and renew the coatings reflectivity.  This does not mean that they are bad coatings because they lose thickness’s over time. 

Quality Acrylic coatings will lose .25-.5 mils/year and even poorer quality acrylics typically only lose .75-1.25/year.

This is why Mil Thickness is important, because even if they are losing as long as they have the needed mil thickness they will perform for quite a while.  The main issue with acrylics and the main reason for failures found is the lack of education for contractors to understand that long term ponding water is detrimental to an acrylics performance.  Another concern that needs to be dealt with on acrylics is grease/animal fat contamination.  Oils can cause the acrylics to re-emulsify just as water can do which will drastically shorten the life span of the coatings, but there are spot treating options that we will discuss below.  That being said if water isn’t going to pond or if the roof isn’t constantly going to be wet and trying to dry then a High Quality Acrylic can perform with and even out perform in some instances any other chemistry and cost less over a life cycle analysis. To put it in lay-mans terms acrylics are a great balance of cost vs performance vs ease of use.

Acrylics are easily colored, and come in a variety of flexibility and tensile strength depending on the expected life span or performance needed.  Acrylics also offer proven long term sustainability at an economic cost. There are several 30+ year old acrylic roofs that are still in service and will remain in service for many more years to come as long as they are cleaned, maintained, and re-coated every 12-15 years.  With today’s technology that number may soon be extended to every 20 year needing re-coats.  Basically if it has a slope then there is an acrylic that will give great performance for that surface in most instances.

At about 50% what Acrylics are The Second largest chemistry by use is Silicone.

The second largest chemistry by use and one that has seen some great growth is the Silicone’s.  Silicone coatings have had their challenges over the years and still carry a bad taste in many contractors eyes but they are seeing growth.  I will be honest I am not a huge proponent of silicone but am perfectly fine with it used in areas that I see as its strength.  Low sloped/flat coastal areas with limited dry time really can benefit from silicon, as well as roofs that get limited to no foot traffic.  Silicone by nature is hydrophobic meaning  that if you were to look at the surface area of silicone under a microscope it has a very tight cell structure and leaves minimal amounts of surface area for adhesion.  That exact same physical property is what makes it extremely dangerous on any slope because water will bead up and then causes basically a hydroplaning situation under a persons feet.  If installed on a slope that is then magnified by gravity it can have very bad outcome if precautions are not taken such as guard rails and walkway mats.

Where silicone gets that “safety con” is also what gives it it’s industry “pro” from.  Silicone being hydrophobic allows it to be used in areas that pond water for longer than desired and not be as concerned about the detrimental effects of standing water that an acrylic would have.  Silicone basically in some eyes makes coating a roof less of a concern if there is some standing water areas.  That being said you should proceed with caution when coating any roof with standing water.  Standing water can be caused by several different things and all need paid attention to. 

First standing water can be from a leaking areas that has saturated the underlying boardstock and caused it to compress. 

Once a boardstock is saturated and starts to compress it then allows even more water to stand in that area which is adding more weight to that area and causes even more compression compounding the issue. This is a main reason why the NRCA states that standing water is anything that is left in place over 1/4” deep after 48 hours of dry time.  When 1 gallon of water weighs roughly 8# you can only imagine what  3-4” of water over any size of area can add up to in a un-approved dead load.  The building’s structure is designed for a given dead load in designing it, and if you start throwing large ponded water areas on it then happen to get a large wet snow or a clogged drain it can be disastrous if the structure is over its bearing capacity. 

Secondly although not much off the first reason, but somewhat different is that a roof substrate can be dry but the structure have a built in sag or structural component issue.  By coating this roof and not dealing with the underlying  problem you are now actually making the issue even worse.  Using a silicone restoration system because it can take standing water on a roof that has an issue that needs fixed is not smart practice for you or is it going to move the Fluid Applied industry further.  It’s more of a bandaid to a bigger problem, and that is my number one concern with silicon’s. 

Manufacturers promoting we don’t have a ponding water exclusion in my eyes says more of a “buy our product we don’t really care if it should be used or not” .  I am more inclined to use a Silicone from a manufacturer that says yes this will perform way better in ponding water areas, but we abide by NRCA standards and want to see water off in 48-72 hours because that is good roofing practices.   Now ok before one of you very opinionated guys gets off your rocker, remember I am a 20 year veteran in the fluid applied industry and I know in some cases it is literally close to impossible to get water off an area and you have to deal with it in the best way possible and Silicone/Urethanes are your option.

Also I must make light of the fact that although silicone does not re-emulsify like an acrylic does, don’t think that it is a magic bullet when ponding water is a concern.  Silicones do still absorb water, and even in small amounts in the right situations silicone will disbond and release from the substrate allowing water to get under the coating and then cause issues to the existing roofing system. More common in the Midwest and North with freezing temps. Silicones can weather great, but durability is a concern . This is another reason why the silicone manufacturers have implemented a urethane/silicon system that incorporates our final chemistry Urethane with a Silicone topcoat for durability and standing water performance. 

Our final chemistry is Urethanes. 

This chemistry is the smallest by gallons used, yet in my mind and many others holds the most potential.  Urethane’s have been held back mainly because of financial driven reasons.  Urethane’s are costly to produce and do to that reason there has been limited amount of funding for research to grow their market share of the coatings sector.  But breakthroughs have helped lower some of that cost and now many more companies are looking into the urethane line of chemistry’s. Urethane’s bring several pluses to the table.  Urethane has been successfully incorporated into other coatings as hybrid which helps bring tensile strength way up for durability and still maintains good dirt resistance as well as impact resistance.

Like silicon’s hydrophobic properties, urethane’s perform very well under ponding water as well. One of the main benefits in my eyes is two fold. Urethanes can typically be recoated with an Acrylic or Silicone so sustainability is great, but Urethanes also hold up very well with standing water and grease/animal fat contaminants. This makes Urethane’s as an ideal Base layer for numerous hybrid systems that can give us a legitmate life expectancy into the 20-30yrs all Fluid Applied and its self flashing & seamless.

As you can see there is a whole multitude of opportunity for product selection and advancements in technology such as Quick Set Catalyst coatings, Kraton based polymers and more that we will discuss in the future. But until then stay safe and spray on. Lets Hop to It.

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The Fluid Applied’s Rising Tide

Fluid Applied Growth

In the last 15 years the Fluid Applied industry as a whole has been gaining traction in all facets. In the last 5-7 years, the curve has been virtually straight up. This is also a growth trend that doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. The list of FA products and systems available are long & extensive. Today we are going to talk specifically about waterproofing/air barrier, insulating & roofing systems.

On the waterproofing & Air Barrier front, Fluid Applied systems are proving themselves to be front runners in the industry, solving age old building envelope waterproofing issues. A couple companies that have really took a front running position are PolyWall and Prosoco. These 2 companies have amazing products for basement/wall fluid applied membranes and sealants that eliminate the typical failures we see with sheet systems failing at the seams. Remember the primer behind the sheet product typically is not serving as a quality waterproofing system.

The Prosoco line of products focus mainly on above ground & include air and water barriers, liquid flashings, & joint/seam fillers. They have proven products that even have a Cat 5 (155 mph+ wind rating). Using these 2 companies line of products allow you the contractor to apply proven products/systems to buildings. This lets you be confident and know that they are going to perform and do the job that you were hired to do.

“On the Insulating side it is pretty well dominated by spray foam. “

Spray foam’s ability to be applied by a trained professional allows it to go on in a liquid state and then expand 30-100x its volume to fill any voids and stop airflow all while providing a stable R value. When you combine spray foam with your exterior water/vapor/air barriers you create a building that is ideal for energy efficiency and healthy air quality. As long as you work with a quality HVAC that understands air exchanges and air tightness in construction then your on your way to a quality building envelope.

Now lets move to the roof of the building. The line of Fluid Applied products and systems for roofing has literally exploded exponentially in the last decade. They have taken a larger piece of the pie in commercial roofing, & its one that continues to grow annually. Some major players in this field are Progressive Materials (Mainly silicon), Tropical (Mainly Silicon), Aldo (multiple chemistries), Henry (acrylic & silicon), 838 Coatings (multiple chemistries), Gaco Western ( Mainly silicon), & the Conklin Roofing Systems which produces multiple chemistries.

I have personally used almost if not all of the manufacturers listed above. Most if not all the products have all served the purpose that we used them for. But our go to systems have predominately been the Conklin Roofing Systems for a handful of reasons. Firstly the products are some of the highest quality products that we have used. Secondly the training and knowledge base that is available from other existing veteran Conklin contractors is available to new contractors. Thirdly is the companies proven longevity (42+ yrs) and systems approach to roofing. They are not called Conklin Coatings, it is Conklin Roofing Systems for a reason.

“They provide in house almost every product required for their systems.”

Those products include cleaners, caulks, fabrics, primers, coatings and specialty products in certain circumstances. Their 40+ years of successful manufacturing is an added bonus and peace of mind to have in your corner as well. If you have any interests in learning more about the fluid applied roofing industry then shoot us an email at RoofCoatingLife@gmail.com. We would gladly help you position yourself for success.

No matter how you slice or spray it the Fluid Applied Industry is growing and does not look to be slowing down. It is a huge opportunity for you as a Coatings contractor to capitalize on an industries growth. This allows you to provide services and solutions that will solve your clients problems.

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How Do I get into the Commercial Roof Coatings Industry!!!

Metal-Roof-Restoration

I have guys constantly contact me and ask how do I get into the Commercial Roof coatings Industry? Now let me be blunt and say that there is NO single thing that just gets you rolling care free. If it was that easy the perceived liability would be gone and everyone would be doing it thus the profit margins would be little to zero. BUUUUUTTTTTT there are a few things that we have seen used that have been proven by dozens upon dozens of contractors and if followed have increased the % of success to an amazingly high number. Here are a few of those steps to get things rolling.

1: Set up a contractor account with your chosen manufacturer.
2: Choose a Company Name (add the word coatings to it) or start a new commercial division for better brand awareness.
3: Get busy with any form of marketing to get publicity &/or exposure. Tell EVERYONE you know what you are now involved with and that any referrals would be extremely helpful.

“People want to help”

4: Get to the next manufacturer provided training as soon as you can and commit to make a go of it.
5: Commit yourself or an employee to 20 cold calls a week for next 6 months minimum and record all address’s in a database for future marketing
6: Get a seo optimized website specifically for your coatings division.

“A company without a digital fingerprint doesn’t exist in today’s market.”

7: Blast a (min) 5-7k piece DM campaign and be prepared to do it 2-3x per year
8: Follow up with bid opportunities in 48 hrs or less, & show up when you say you are going to be there.
9: Do demos & face to face presentations in every bid opp if possible.

“Lead deficit disorder is one of the fastest ways to fail in a new business”

10: Stay committed and persistent

If you are interested in a proven training platform, equipment supplier, vast experience in the Industry, and a support system to help you succeed then contact us from our www.RoofCoatingLife.com page and lets see if we can be a fit.

Chad Hedrick

RoofCoatingLife.com

Chad Hedrick, owner of Roof Coating Life commits to helping 10 new Contractors succeed in the Fluid Applied Industry each year. He’s selective in this process because realistically, his time is limited. He offers his valuable time and best mentor ship to the guys who are serious about making 30%-50% profits with Roof Coatings. Check out the Requirements for working with Chad to see if you might qualify.
Get the FREE eBook “7 Unique Ways To Market Your Fluid Applied Roofing Business.” It’s packed with outside the box Marketing Strategies (Strategy #6 landed us 5 commercial projects last Summer!) that will help you best serve your clients and live the Roof Coating Life like a boss.

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Spec’ing Products for Roofs

Ok bear with me this week is a Looooong post but worth it so read to the end. I recently read an article on the Facilitiesnet.com site/forum (great site BTW) that brought out a few topics that I feel can be expanded on. One of the topics was about which product should facility managers, architects, owners, engineers and contractors specify on a given building.

The author of that article broke it down into the 3 big categories as most do and based the decision more on existing substrates than on specific products & systems. While I agree I still feel there are more situations that the decision should be based more on the system as a whole not a single product or existing substrate.

My point is that there have been such improvements in technology in certain chemistrie’s that the window of differences is becoming very narrow.

The industry and the demands from the end user have dramatically changed what’s expected and what’s required from a fluid applied system. Here’s my $0.02 when we are talking Fluid Applied Roofing systems.

Yes in the consideration on which product/system to use, one should always take existing substrate into consideration. Also we should be looking deeper into the specs of a fluid system and how is it going to enhance or decrease the effectiveness of the existing system once its applied. Remember there are a whole lot of existing restoration opportunities that include: Metal, EPDM, CPA, PVC, TPO, Hypalon/CSPE, Spray foam, Mod Bit, BUR, concrete as well as multiple boardstocks. This is a lot of opportunity for error if not looked at with a open mind and a complete system approach.

Today most all of the quality roof coatings are pretty compatible with these substrates.

Acrylics with the use of a primer can pretty well be applied to all of the above and have great adhesion and long term performance, but do require do diligence on insuring positive drainage. Another concern or issue can be the way that certain substrates literally drink coatings such as Mod Bit, to the point that if aged to much it can take so much acrylic to get your specified mil thickness that a silicon or urethane would have been a better choice financially for the building owner.

Secondly Certain solvent based products for example are not typically spec’d for single ply’s such as EPDM or Mod Bit because of the reaction from the solvents and the EPDM/MB. Also remember that in some circumstances a primer is typically required and recommended to insure that no excessive bleed out happens that could cause dis-bonding/adhesion issues.

Now recently there has been a barrage of silicon manufactures start flooding the market with advertising and claims that it is the best all around product for fluid applied systems.

Now before you get to worked up realize we actually market our own silicon manufactured specifically for Conklin and only Conklin by the BASF company in a private labeling agreement. Unlike many other silicon companies who are having their products produced by 1 of the other 5-6 producers in the industry.

The number one problem with the ‘cure all’ approach is that silicon is being promoted with the so called easy way out, but doesn’t fix the problem. It is no different than putting brand new tires on a car that is severely out of alignment. Yep you have good tires that will do the job, and the cars going to drive fine, but guess what until you fix the front end alignment you basically put a fake facade on that car and will end up spending more money on tires and possibly other issues from the root cause.

Fluid applied roofing systems should be treated like any other system in the way that the NRCA regulations state for ponding water.

If the roof has more than 1/4” of water in an area after 72 hours it is deemed ponding and needs attention. Reasoning behind this is many layers deep.

  • 1: It can be a weight issue if the area is of large sq footage and the buildings dead load can’t handle the additional weight that the water adds to the overall dead load.
  • 2: It allows for enhanced degradation of the roofing system in place, no matter what the technology is. It does this via excessive dirt pick up, increased heat gain via UV absorption (bad for white roofs designed to be cool) and holds pollen, leaves, tree buds and debris that hold moisture and don’t allow for proper dry outs cycles between weather events.

There are products &/or methods that can be used to remedy those low spots whether it is a high build lightweight filler or spray foam or even internal drains, if there is a will there is typically a way to get the water off.

If our industry is going to continue to move forward and capture market share we have to have all hands on deck promoting and providing viable alternatives that follow Roofing Industry standards set forth. If we have manufacturers that are willing to promote a product even though it goes against the Industry standards I feel we are doing ourselves an injustice that will hurt us long term. 

Just as silicon in my opinion is incorrectly marketed as ponding water exempt, and even used by many reps as a stand alone selling point, you have the exact opposite on the acrylic side of the equation. Acrylics can not take standing water for the length of time that most roofs that have water ponding issues but hold up extremely well on slopes surfaces as long as due diligence is given to quality control & mil thickness. The Problem commonly seen in the acrylic industry is guys using a cheap product on any roof even if it has water drainage issues and premature failure is inevitable.

Urethanes are the black sheep of the family due to minimal resources placed into that chemistry.

But due to raw material outlooks and demands from the industry on sustainability the Urethane market share is growing very quickly and looks to continue its growth into the future. Urethane is ideal for Restaurant roof restorations and roofs with high levels of animal fats or chemical contamination plus gives no issues/concerns with re-coat’s within any reasonable time frame of weathering. Also from a ponding water standpoint quality urethanes will hold up as well as any of the Big 3 chemistry’s.

All in all the Fluid Applied Industry has lots to offer and has a solution for the vast majority of the existing roofs out there. But as with anything else in any industry there is seldom a 1 system cure-all that’s the best decision for every party involved, so let’s promote the Industry as it is needed to be which is a diversified, sustainable, evolving, problem solving industry that’s here to stay.

Chad Hedrick, owner of Roof Coating Life commits to helping 10 new Contractors succeed in the Fluid Applied Industry each year. He’s selective in this process because realistically, his time is limited. He offers his valuable time and best mentor ship to the guys who are serious about making 30%-50% profits with Roof Coatings. Check out the Requirements for working with Chad to see if you might qualify.
Get the FREE eBook “7 Unique Ways To Market Your Fluid Applied Roofing Business.” It’s packed with outside the box Marketing Strategies (Strategy #6 landed us 5 commercial projects last Summer!) that will help you best serve your clients and live the Roof Coating Life like a boss.
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Market or Exit

One thing that is quite obvious is that Marketing your coating business is of the utmost importance. But sadly the vast majority of contractors are unprepared for this aspect of their new business and thus suffer and sometimes even fail because of it.

In order to accumulate qualified roof leads, a Marketing Strategy that is tailored to your business, resources, demographics and even your personality needs to be implemented into your business as soon as possible.

Plan to invest a minimum of $5-$10k in your business if you want to accelerate your results.

The sooner it is implemented the sooner your return on investment will happen. Many marketing techniques exist in today’s business world. However with our 20 years of fluid applied experience we have settled mainly on 4 marketing strategies that have consistently proven capable of producing substantial business within 2 years and often see great results in year one. The single greatest hurdle to seeing success is the failure to initiate a strategy quickly and thoroughly.

Marketing & advertising are designed to produce leads & from these leads if properly nurtured Sales will result. But first you must set your course with a strategy and invest into it to see the fruits of your labor.

Here are the strategies that we have see work in our industry.

  • #1 Direct Mail is a staple for our guys efforts and should definitely be entertained in yours. Here are a few highlights on DM. The list, the piece and the mailing house. The list is the names and addresses of the potential buildings that you are interested in bidding roofs on. You can use your own list if you have one, but if not there are a multitude of list companies out there that can provide you with a list.
  • The piece is the actual postcard, trifold or other piece of mail that will physically be delivered to your list. Whatever you choose to use, here is a tip, put your face on it so it builds rapport with your client so they feel they get to know you in your branding campaigns.
  • The mailing house is where the work gets done. You deliver your piece and have your list sent to them electronically and they will do the hard work. They will run your piece through their equipment that will print your address and the postage onto the piece and then they will combine the common zip codes and deliver them pre-sorted to the Postal Service to help reduce your postage costs.

Warm up those doors.

  • #2 Cold Calls are an easy way to drum up leads as well. Cold calls allow you to take rain days and build your own lists that you can then use as your own verified DM campaign list.
  • All a Cold Call needs to consist of is simply stopping in and getting a business card or name of the decision maker for the buildings maintenance. You are not necessarily trying to sell anything, mainly making your name known and seeing if you can get the decision makers info for later use. TIP: Use one of your pre-printed direct mail pieces as something to leave the secretary so when they get your next piece they now have see it 2x at minimum.

Don’t give up on face to face.

  • #3 Trade Shows can still be beneficial lead generators. One Main reason is that you are typically the only commercial roofing contractor there at the show and all of those that attend the show either own, work at or know someone who owns a commercial or agricultural building that could use your services. This alone is a good reason to attend shows as it builds your brand for typically a small cost. Combining DM and tradeshow’s is also a very effective combination.
  • #4 Lead generation through social media. Having a business page that you consistently post pics of your work &/or problems that you solve for building owners is a very effective method of lead generation.  Using Facebook ads targeting audiences that are in your geography and fit the profile of the type of customer your after has become a large player in the service based industries.

Using these strategies all at the same time playing off of each other builds credibility and Brand awareness and can often maximize the dollars you are spending for best ROI. Whatever you do just implement one as soon as possible so you can start seeing results.

If your interested in more details on these methods we share things in way more detail with our Roof Coating Life clients and would love to help you build your business.

Chad Hedrick, owner of Roof Coating Life commits to helping 10 new Contractors succeed in the Fluid Applied Industry each year. He’s selective in this process because realistically, his time is limited. He offers his valuable time and best mentor ship to the guys who are serious about making 30%-50% profits with Roof Coatings. Check out the Requirements for working with Chad to see if you might qualify.
Get the FREE eBook “7 Unique Ways To Market Your Fluid Applied Roofing Business.” It’s packed with outside the box Marketing Strategies (Strategy #6 landed us 5 commercial projects last Summer!) that will help you best serve your clients and live the Roof Coating Life like a boss.

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What are your Customers Costing You?

Do you know what a customer costs you? I recently read a story about a guy who had a friend ask him for a reference to a good roofer. He responded and said no problem you need to call “this guy” and even called his roofer friend and told him that the friend was expecting his call.

His Roofer friend did call and set up an appointment to check out the roof, but about a week or so later when he asked his friend to see how it went with his “Roofer” his friend said your roofer called and set an appointment and never showed or ever followed up so I already had another guy do the job. Can you imagine the embarrassment of him being the one who recommended the roofer and then having him drop the ball like that.

So it got me thinking what did that customer cost that roofer?

Not the profit he loses, but the actual lead acquisition cost for a customer. We all have them but few know the actual cost associated with it.

Quality Contractors actively market their roofing companies using Direct Mail, Digital, Shows, Web site, Social Media & More.

That all amounts to some sort of annual $ spent on marketing. Now I know this customer was basically a freebie but since he dropped the ball lets run some numbers for your business.

  • First: lets take the total $ you spend annually on marketing.
  • Secondly: Let’s take that number and divide it by the total number of jobs closed in that same year.

Here is an example:
Digital Ad Spend: $5,000
Web Site: $3000
Direct Mail: $7500
Trade Shows: $2500
Social Media Ads: $4000

Total Spent: $22,000
This is definitely not a huge ad spend, I know companies who spend this on strictly digital media.

Now let’s look at the total number of customers acquired in that same time period.

Let’s assume you did 1 job every week in the Midwest Roofing season which is about 30-36 weeks so lets assume that is about 20-25 commercial roofs & 15-20 repairs, for a total average of 40 clients.

So $22,000/40 clients = $515.71/client cost.

So using this analysis that guy lost $515 not to mention the profit that he left on the table by just not showing up. This is a unique way to look at your marketing so your team understand the importance of following up in a timely fashion. So when anyone on your team does something to lose a customer you can put a dollar figure on what it cost your company.

So when you are looking at new marketing methods you can do an analysis with this method to see what kind of numbers you are going to need to see an ROI. Marketing is expensive and not only can it drive profits, but it can cost as well, you just need to know how much so you can evaluate and adapt.

Chad Hedrick
Roof Coating Life

Chad Hedrick, owner of Roof Coating Life commits to helping 10 new Contractors succeed in the Fluid Applied Industry each year. He’s selective in this process because realistically, his time is limited. He offers his valuable time and best mentor ship to the guys who are serious about making 30%-50% profits with Roof Coatings. Check out the Requirements for working with Chad to see if you might qualify.
Get the FREE eBook “7 Unique Ways To Market Your Fluid Applied Roofing Business.” It’s packed with outside the box Marketing Strategies (Strategy #6 landed us 5 commercial projects last Summer!) that will help you best serve your clients and live the Roof Coating Life like a boss.
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People don’t buy a roof they buy YOU

I’m not certain but I don’t think many property owners just sit around day dreaming of buying a new roof. Actually most probably have nightmares due to the costs they know they will incur. So when your clients sign the dotted line what are they really buying is “Piece of Mind” “Fear of Loss”, etc.

There can be numerous reasons why and understanding them and tailoring your marketing towards those can make it more effective and shorten the sales cycle.

Let’s try and figure out why clients buy and why they choose you.

The obvious reason for a new roof is strictly necessity of protecting their assets. Being that a roof is the single most important piece of a building envelope when it comes to protection from the elements, keeping that in good working shape is a common reason for a re-roof. If that is a driving force then weighing your marketing towards that is key. Let’s say the economy is really slow you could use your fluid applied option as a low cost method of securing a good working roof for way less than a traditional tear off & re roof.

Maybe it is the only way or more of an investment or need for a real estate transaction to go through. If that is the reason then focusing on how your system can offer a new warranty for less $ up front and is sustainable is a great way to market.

Sometimes in the commercial world it is simply a financial reason or one that is motivated by cash flow. Focusing on that and how you can do as much roof up to what their capital expenditure cap is a great way to get your foot in the door.

Now the question is are you considered a status contractor that makes them feel comfortable?

Or are you more of a value oriented contractor that makes them feel as if they are getting a great deal. Or are you the one known for doing high quality and being honest?

Identify the buying reasons and incorporate methods to make that stand out to your potential clients. If you find those reasons you will be doing more installs than selling and that is a good thing. Now that you know these reasons you now have to set your self to be the one that they feel can provide those solutions, so let’s cover some basics of how you can fit one or more of those desires.

  • 1: Keep your trucks and workers in a neat and orderly fashion. Big companies wear uniform shirts for a reason it shows character.
  • 2: If you have a showroom keep it aesthetically pleasing and make it stand out.
  • 3: Make sure the voice on the end of the line that is as wearing your phone calls is the happiest person in the office. They are the first impression and can carry a lot of clout on how you are perceived. If they can’t answer the call make sure they call back as soon as possible.
  • 4: Same goes for your employees make sure they know that for the benefit of the company they need to be kind, compassionate, and enthusiastic around the public.
  • 5: Your marketing materials may need a face lift, make sure they are not dated and say something about you unconsciously that you don’t want to be said.

Use these methods to live the “Roof Coating Life”

Chad Hedrick
“We Bleed White”

Chad Hedrick, owner of Roof Coating Life commits to helping 10 new Contractors succeed in the Fluid Applied Industry each year. He’s selective in this process because realistically, his time is limited. He offers his valuable time and best mentor ship to the guys who are serious about making 30%-50% profits with Roof Coatings. Check out the Requirements for working with Chad to see if you might qualify.
Get the FREE eBook “7 Unique Ways To Market Your Fluid Applied Roofing Business.” It’s packed with outside the box Marketing Strategies (Strategy #6 landed us 5 commercial projects last Summer!) that will help you best serve your clients and live the Roof Coating Life like a boss.
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This Piece of Equipment is taking the Coatings Industry by Storm

Every once in a while something comes along to an industry that looks so simple, seems so simple, is so simple, yet has never been introduced to the public. Typically these topics, equipment or processes are slow to gain traction and meet resistance from those who have always done it their way. But just like the car changed transportation & then the plane changed it even more, change is inevitable in our world.

When it comes to roof coatings, you look at them and the process and think “what exactly can someone do that can make such a change in an industry like roofing?”

Except for types of materials being used, it’s been pretty much the same for decades. Even less monumental things have came into the smaller niche market of Fluid Applied Systems using Roof coatings. Until now that has been true, but is now rapidly changing.

The Patent Pending Roof Rabbit has caught the Fluid Applied industry by Storm and continues to gain traction daily.

The ability to hand a laborer this piece of equipment and know that with simple “mil plate” checks they can consistently and accurately apply coatings and do it in a quicker time period than with a wand. Andy L from PA says “Thank you for making a wonderful product in the Roof Rabbit. We love ours now that we got it tuned in. We did 19,000 sq ft today in under 6 hrs over foam.”

“Thank you for making a wonderful product in the Roof Rabbit. We love ours now that we got it tuned in. We did 19,000 sq ft today in under 6 hrs over foam.”

-Andy L from PA

With the spray heads always positioned at 12-14” from the target surface you know you’re getting full coverage and not having light spots from back fatigue, not maintaining consistent passes. First time user laying down some primer, Ben V from Iowa says “Why in the heck wouldn’t every coating guy have one of these in their trailer?!!!”

“Why in the heck wouldn’t every coating guy have one of these in their trailer?!!!”

-Ben V from Iowa
Visit The Roof Rabbit Website

Secondly, the ability to stay in an upright position substantially minimizes back cramps and keeps production up even later into the day. With that added production (lower labor) you also gain cure times. If you know after 3 pm in your area is when pop up storms are common, you can have more roof done by noon and keep on schedule, versus using a wand and possibly having cure out issues. Billy P from CO says “My back hurt worse after 20-30 minutes of detailing with a wand than 4+ hours of using The Roof Rabbit.”

“My back hurt worse after 20-30 minutes of detailing with a wand than 4+ hours of using The Roof Rabbit.”

-Billy P from CO

Safety is another key topic these days & should be. With The Roof Rabbit & it’s forward cambered spray pattern, you have the ability to coat right up to the gutter edge of the roof and not have the wheels fall off the roof. This also allows the user to never cross the 6’ warning line from OSHA.

Change is inevitable…

…and more often than not it’s a change for the better of an industry. Stay open minded and attempt to be on the front end of things and it can be a game changer for you & your business. When you see something take off that you were using from the early days you can say that you were part of that movement and use that to your advantage. Spray on!!!!

Chad Hedrick, Roof Coating Life
“We Bleed White”

Interesting in owning a Roof Rabbit?
Chad Hedrick, owner of Roof Coating Life commits to helping 10 new Contractors succeed in the Fluid Applied Industry each year. He’s selective in this process because realistically, his time is limited. He offers his valuable time and best mentor ship to the guys who are serious about making 30%-50% profits with Roof Coatings. Check out the Requirements for working with Chad to see if you might qualify.
Get the FREE eBook “7 Unique Ways To Market Your Fluid Applied Roofing Business.” It’s packed with outside the box Marketing Strategies (Strategy #6 landed us 5 commercial projects last Summer!) that will help you best serve your clients and live the Roof Coating Life like a boss.
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Grow your Market Share and Not Become a Commodity Roofer

Fluid Applied Growth

Let’s all face it… we would love to have a higher percentage of our market, but doing so by lowering your pricing is not the way to do it. If you can’t find ways to keep your pricing the same and make the same or more profit, it’s not worth the effort required. Let’s discuss a few ways that you can accomplish this:

1: Talk to your past clientele.

Ask them why they chose you, what would they have like changed about you and your experience with them and what areas they were okay with but maybe thought you could still use some improvments on.

2: DON’T try to imitate Nike, Walmart, Lowes etc.

These large companies have millions upon millions at their disposal to literally test marketing each year and see which Branding ads work and which don’t. They also have the money to accrue the data and analyze it down to the penny. Most roofing companies do not fit this mold and are not trying to reach the same audience, hence will never have the capital to spend to accomplish anything like that. Your thoughts should be focused on a consumer who needs a roof and how to make that person want you to do that roof, without knowing you or meeting you.

3: Be definitive in your company’s elevator speech.

If you can’t tell your potential client why they should use you instead of company X, you’re losing sales.  Get it down pat in a way that differentiates you so well that they would feel wrong to choose your competitor over you know matter the price. Don’t say “we have been in business this long” or “our crews are trained and experienced.” Those are generic, simple statements that don’t set you apart.

4: Make sure your marketing game is on point and that it’s doing the pre-selling for you.

If your marketing is hitting the Why of the client, it’s building a relationship with them and they will see your price as a Value because of the impression they already have of you, all from your marketing efforts. Your sales will be easier to close, as the price won’t be the deciding factor.

5: Don’t give discounts, PERIOD.

All a discount says is “I don’t think the customer sees my Value and I am overpriced.” Once you make that statement, it is with you for eternity, every roof you do for that client they will expect the discount or a lower price that equates the same thing. If you are not sold that the value you bring them is worth the price your asking, then you are not sold on your product or service.

If you will drive these points home with everyone on your team, it will help every sales process close and flow much smoother and easier, without price haggling.

Chad Hedrick, Roof Coating Life
“We Bleed White”

Chad Hedrick, owner of Roof Coating Life commits to helping 10 new Contractors succeed in the Fluid Applied Industry each year. He’s selective in this process because realistically, his time is limited. He offers his valuable time and best mentor ship to the guys who are serious about making 30%-50% profits with Roof Coatings. Check out the Requirements for working with Chad to see if you might qualify.
Get the FREE eBook “7 Unique Ways To Market Your Fluid Applied Roofing Business.” It’s packed with outside the box Marketing Strategies (Strategy #6 landed us 5 commercial projects last Summer!) that will help you best serve your clients and live the Roof Coating Life like a boss.
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Why is the Fluid Applied Industry Continuing to Grow????

That’s a great question. Let’s dig deeper…

Eco-Friendliness and Sustainability

First, the thought of not taking a roof off and putting it into a landfill for it to be there for the rest of our life, plus our kids’ lives is reason enough on it’s own. Fluid Applied Restoration allows a roofing system to be salvaged or restored prior to that condition. That does mean that property managers & building owners need to pay attention and do progressive roof maintenance. Better yet, they could get their buildings involved in a roof maintenance program which allows them to stay ahead of the ball, savings them lots of money in the lifecycle of that roof. We need to educate building owners to pursue that level of thinking.

If a building owner or facilities manager stays on the progressive front, and they use a quality fluid applied roofing system, they can easily extend an additional 10, 15, 20, 30+ years to that building’s roof without having to do a costly tear off and expose themselves to a high liability.

Energy Efficiency

Additionally, when highly populated areas start turning more of their dark heat absorbing roofs into white reflective cool roofs, there is a heat reduction in what is known as the “urban heat island effect”. This will actually benefit an entire community when there is buy in from everyone.

Economics

Another reason the Fluid Applied Industry is growing, is economics. Fluid applied coating systems not only add to that cool roof concept but they are less cost because the building owner is not paying the labor that’s involved with all of the other traditional roofing systems, not to mention not paying for the tear off, labor and disposal.

So they are economically and environmentally good choices for maintaining a building and have traditionally always been a tax advantage because of the opportunity for a complete year one write off in most instances.

Spray Polyurethane Foam = Added R-Value

If you are to toss spray polyurethane foam into the restoration or fluid applied industry as an option you also get the additional R-value and return on investment from cooling and heating savings that come along with that.

We have to face the fact that energy cost are no longer going to be cheap and they are going to continue to increase in the future, unless grave measures are taken to find alternative methods to reduce energy costs. If building owners as a whole can reduce the amount of energy used for the cooling load of their buildings by using highly reflective cool white roofs it’s a benefit to everyone.

Technology

Another reason why the Fluid applied industry is growing is because of technology. The technology advancements that have happened in the traditional roofing systems have also advanced in the coatings industry & have substantially reduced some of the issues that plagued the industry & led to those early coating failures we have all heard of.

Custom, Tailored Roofing Solutions

Next reason is because of the options available to suit a building’s existing substrate. The big three acrylic’s, silicone and urethane’s give roofing contractors an opportunity to make a selection that can be custom tailored to their clients needs. 

Let’s say you have a industrial client that has a low sloped 1/2:12 pitch to 3:12+ pitch metal roof: acrylic systems have proven themselves for decades to do great on these existing substrates. Silicones and urethanes will also serve these roofing substrate but can come with some unwanted additional baggage as in they are typically higher cost then a quality acrylic and they are harder to apply & have more chances of overspray concerns. When it comes to silicone it can be extremely slick when any moisture is present so rooftop foot traffic can become more of a liability.

Turn the tables and low slope or flat roofs under 1/2:12 or less (that have a chance of ponding water or slow dry times) lean more towards the silicone and urethane chemistries. Acrylics will take on water so they are more likely to loose adhesion in ponding water areas. Their counterparts silicone & Urethane are hydrophobic and actually repel water so they hold up better long-term in standing water.

Smaller Install Crews/Lower Labor Costs

A reason that is often overlooked in the industry is something that is plaguing all of the trades and that is a shortage of qualified labor. Your traditional single ply roofing companies, employee 8-10 to upwards of 15 employees to do jobs of any size whereas a fluid applied roofing system can easily be installed with half the labor or less, where a common crew size is 3 to 5 man crews.

Fluid applied roofing is going to continue to grow for the foreseeable future. 2017-2018 growth was great, but 2019 & on it will be exponential. The companies that react first will be the dominant ones in the industry as it begins to explode.

Chad Hedrick, Roof Coating Life
“We Bleed White”

Chad Hedrick, owner of Roof Coating Life commits to helping 10 new Contractors succeed in the Fluid Applied Industry each year. He’s selective in this process because realistically, his time is limited. He offers his valuable time and best mentor ship to the guys who are serious about making 30%-50% profits with Roof Coatings. Check out the Requirements for working with Chad to see if you might qualify.
Get the FREE eBook “7 Unique Ways To Market Your Fluid Applied Roofing Business.” It’s packed with outside the box Marketing Strategies (Strategy #6 landed us 5 commercial projects last Summer!) that will help you best serve your clients and live the Roof Coating Life like a boss.