Category: Industry News

Posted on

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.

Posted on

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.

Posted on

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.

Posted on

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.
Posted on

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.
Posted on

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.
Posted on

Direct Mail and it’s Multitude of Benefits

pile-of-direct-mail

A Proven Marketing Strategy

If you have followed me for any amount of time you know that I am a firm believer in direct mail marketing. The reasons behind it are simple yet very intentional. Direct mail carries an intrinsic value that is easily perceived and appreciated especially when you look at the cost of a First Class stamp nowadays. Direct mail has driven and will continue to drive Billions of Dollars of business annually and it’s not by mistake, even in this digital world.

Recent studies have shown that Millennials actually consider Direct mail as a more trustworthy source of marketing over digital marketing. They know that anything is possible on the internet and that it may or may not be truthful.

Also, consider the age group that you are most likely targeting when you reach out to commercial building owners. Many of them will be 40-70 yrs old and they were born and raised as Direct Mail being a huge part of their lifestyle. They have more than likely purchased something or multiple things from a Direct response mailing.

Benefits of Direct Mail Marketing:

1: You can easily tailor your message to the client you are searching for with DM. If your clientele is upper middle class men, you can have images on your piece that resonate with them as being successful business owners or property owners and the problem that you are proposing to fix for them with your solution.

2: If you search hard enough there is a database somewhere that has your exact niche of people narrowed down for you to use as a mailing list. That, incorporated with a focused message piece is very powerful and gives a better ROI than mass marketing. Also, by doing this in a micro niche size you can do it multiple times and see a higher response from your efforts.

3: With DM you also have the option to send actual samples/products of value or intrigue that you really can’t do with any other method. Think dimensional and send a DM piece that is not an envelope, something unconventional to get your desired clientele to take the time to open and actually digest the message that you are sending. This not only will stand out and brand your name with that person, but when you do a follow up and bring the topic back up you are sure to have a great conversation concerning it.

4: Combining Direct Mail with Digital is a power packed option. If you use your DM campaigns and drive your clientele to a specific vanity landing page, you can you see through analytics of who has visited. You can also see how long they stayed and what they clicked on and then you can deliver an even more hyper focused ad geared towards their perceived interests.

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.

Posted on

Why Restore Instead of Re-Roof?

It’s no secret that a quality Fluid Applied Restoration System saves money upfront and money down the road on energy savings. Not only do fluid applied restoration systems extend the service life of your low slope metal or flat roof, but they also extend the life of your cooling system.

Depending on the type of roof you have, whether it’s an acrylic, silicone or urethane restoration, it will extend the life of your entire building by minimizing thermal shock. When you factor in the 25% to 40% reduction in costs compared to a complete reroof, along with the high rising costs to dispose of roofing materials into landfills, fluid applied restoration systems just make sense.

Benefits of Fluid Applied Systems

Here is a list of benefits that fluid applied roofing systems can give you:

  • Commercial roofs typically last roughly 20 years and restoration systems can add another 10 to 20 years to that life. By using a fluid applied system you can differ that costly complete replacement and allow your budgets and capital expenditures to match your time frame.
  • As stated previously, restoring with a Fluid applied system makes your building’s roof sustainable. You are using your existing roofing substrate to create a monolithic, seamless roof that has even more durability than the existing substrate.
  • If a high-quality coating is combined with a spun woven fabric reinforcement it allows the new fluid applied roofing membrane to increase the durability and Elastomeric properties of the roof it’s restoring, so in essence it’s an upgrade.
  • Since fluid applied roofing systems are less cost, it allows a building owner or a facility manager to be progressive in their management. Ignoring a roof and the fact that it is aging and deteriorating does not make that roof’s problems disappear, it only gets worse. Neglect of a roof only means total replacement will be eminent and will come sooner than expected & costs multiply. If a progressive roof maintenance program is enacted early enough, those roofs typically can be repaired and/or then restored with a complete Fluid applied restoration system.

Chad Hedrick, Roof Coating Life
“We Bleed White”

Posted on

How’s Your Hair?

man-doing-hair-maintainence

How’s your hair? Are you blessed to be bald like me or do you have that perfect Bon Jovi hair? More than likely you don’t have either and about every 3-6 weeks you have to do something with your hair to maintain it to the desired outcome you’re after.

Maintaining for the Desired Effect:

Building maintenance is no different. If your building owners allow gutters, kick outs, roof drains, tree limbs, HVAC covers, gas pipe stands, and other issues to be left un-checked they can end up causing & costing them thousands of dollars.

But on the other hand if they have a maintenance program in place to catch any of these concerns before they cause any long term issues, then they are actually decreasing the life cycle costing of their roofing system. Not only that, but at the time of a sale if a building is changing hands in a real estate transaction, a roof that has a proven maintenance schedule will be worth much more compared to one of the same age that’s been left unkept.

Keep it Under Control:

Building maintenance is a lot like long, shaggy, unkept hair: you have to do something to keep it in control or it will become a hairy situation that’s hard to manage. At the end of the day, sell the value of what you are doing by providing building owners with a maintenance agreement and show them how doing it is a long-term smart financial decision.

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.
Posted on

Are You Setting The Pace?

pace

What is “PACE?”

Pace stands for “property assessed clean energy.” It’s an industry organization that helps contractors and consumers finance projects. What the Pace program does is uses a bond program to finance energy efficiency projects in the residential & commercial world. Once a municipality’s financial district adopts the bond program, bonds can be issued. So homeowners or building owners who are adding energy efficient improvements can be granted loans through the pace program. The unique thing about the program is that the property owners are able to repay the loans with (obvious interest) over 20 years based on an annual assessment that goes onto their property taxes.

Why it’s a Good Thing

By doing it this way the pace loan program allows contractors to get over the two common hurdles for owners which are: upfront cost and the possibility of those costs not being recovered if the property was to be sold.

Pace allows them to install energy-efficient upgrades now and pay later. If the property happens to be sold before the repayment has been made then the remaining tax liability becomes part of the property’s new tax bill and the new owner just takes it over.

With credit being a serious thing in the Economy today, and having cash flow tightened, this type of program is a great alternative to traditional financing. If it’s offered in your area you should be taking advantage of it as often as possible. Your clients will be able to make the payments even easier by reaping the benefits of the energy-efficient upgrades that you are installing such a spray foam or cool roof coatings.

Unfortunately…

The only thing holding pace back is that it requires state by state approvals to create legislation to have their own pace programs, which is a slow process. PACE-enabling legislation is active in 36 states plus D.C., and PACE programs are now active (launched and operating) in 20 states plus D.C.

In states where the pace program is available a contractor should be doing their due diligence on educating their clients about the programs benefits. Contractors who do not have the pace program available need to for the benefit of the whole industry, encourage their state to pass the pace bond program.

Let’s Work Together to Pick up the Pace

If we can all come together as advocates we can get this program adopted across the entire United States and allow our clients to take advantage of the benefits of it. With the added ability to sell more jobs and building owners to be able to have the work completed, we can even add more economic benefit by creating new jobs.

Another benefit to the program is for the actual local governments benefit, which is that the program provides new revenue sources through interest charges that go out on the loans. Although the interest is minimal with added quantity they can add up to substantial stimulation for local economies.

So let’s gather together to get the Fluid Applied Roof Restoration Industry up to PACE and saving roofs & saving dollars one roof at a time.

Chad Hedrick, Roof Coating Life
“We Bleed White”