This is a large custom home in Paradise Valley, and the roof is polyurethane foam, which is considered a lifetime roofing material. If properly installed and maintained, it should never need to be replaced. However, regular maintenance is required, including cleaning debris and recoating the roof when necessary.

One of the most common questions I receive is about when and how to recoat polyurethane roofs. As a general guideline, these roofs should be recoated every 5-7 years with 2 gallons of elastomeric coating per square. Elastomeric coating is a sacrificial layer, meaning it wears down over time. The rate of wear depends on the roof’s location and surrounding elements, but on average, it wears at a rate of 3 mils per year.

A typical 10-year warranty roof starts with 28 mils of coating. At a loss of 3 mils per year, this gives the roof about 9.3 years before recoating is needed. Once you reapply the elastomeric coating, the cycle begins again. However, both overcoating and undercoating can lead to roof system failure.

Let me explain: if you recoat too frequently, the elastomeric coating builds up before it has time to wear down, causing it to lose its flexibility and eventually crack and fail. On the other hand, if you wait too long to recoat, the coating may wear too thin, exposing the roof to UV damage. Remember, the primary purpose of the coating is to protect the polyurethane foam from UV rays.

The good news is that with proper recoating and maintenance, a polyurethane roof can and should last a lifetime.

The roof was at the end of it’s recoat cycle The customer wanted a 10 year warranty so to achieve that we power washed the roof and did 2 coats of SunTech’s elastomeric coating at a rate of 1.5 gallons per 100sqft. 

Check more out at: thunderbirdroofingsystems.com