When a coating is a smart buy
- The roof is aging but mostly watertight, with leaks in a few known spots.
- Moisture testing shows the insulation underneath is dry.
- The membrane or metal roof surface is chalking, crazing or rusting on the surface, but is still attached and solid.
- You want a cooler, reflective surface to cut the heat load on the building.
- You want to put off a full re-roof for a planned number of years, at a lower cost now.
When you need a replacement instead
Insulation is wet. Coating over wet insulation traps the water, and the roof keeps rotting from the inside.
The deck is rusted through, soft or sagging.
Large sections have blown off, split or shrunk away from the edges.
There are multiple layers already, or the roof has been patched so many times there is little sound surface left.
Hurricane or hail damage is widespread. On the Texas coast, a significant roof repair or replacement generally needs a windstorm inspection and WPI-8 certificate, and a coating is not a substitute.
Why the Corpus Christi climate changes the math
Our sun and heat are hard on roof surfaces, which is exactly what coatings protect. That makes coatings a good tool here on the right roof.
But humidity, wind-driven rain and ponding water after storms are also hard on roofs, and they get into insulation. That is why moisture testing is not optional on the Coastal Bend.
What a good roof assessment includes
- A walk of the whole roof, with photos of every problem area.
- Moisture testing or core cuts to see whether insulation is wet.
- A look at drains, edge metal, flashings and rooftop equipment, where most leaks start.
- A straight answer: coat, repair, or replace, and why.
How Nelson Roof Contracting helps
We install roof coatings and we install new roofs, so we do not have a reason to push you toward one. With over 50 years of hands-on roofing experience and every job supervised, we will tell you what the roof actually needs.