Restoration vs. Replacement

While replacement is sometimes necessary, restoration can be a smart alternative. Restoring roofs, along with other critical components such as joints and façades, using silicone coatings and sealants offers several advantages. These include cost savings, reduced environmental impact and minimized disruption.

The case for restoration

1. Cost efficiency

Restoring a roof or a building façade with a silicone coating can significantly extend its lifespan at a fraction of the cost of full replacement or more invasive structural repairs.

Restoration may also allow FMs to classify the expense as maintenance rather than capital expenditure to permit tax advantages.

Coatings can be applied directly to existing roof systems and building exteriors, eliminating the need for costly tear-offs and disposal. This reduces labor costs and lowers the expense of new materials, offering substantial long-term value.

Beyond the roof, restoring failed or aging expansion joints, curtain wall seals or building façadeswith high-performance silicone sealants can extend the life of the entire envelope without the need for disruptive demolition or reconstruction.

2. Minimized disruption

Roof replacement is a time-consuming process that often disrupts building operations. It requires extensive demolition, heavy equipment and prolonged construction, which can lead to operational downtime, a great deal of noise and inconvenience to the building’s occupants and potential safety concerns.

In contrast, roof restoration is far less intrusive. The process involves cleaning, prepping, and applying the coating - tasks that can often be completed in days rather than weeks. With no need for tear-off, businesses can continue operating without major interruptions, reducing productivity losses and inconvenience.

Similarly, targeted restoration of building exteriors, façades, or joints with silicone sealants and coatings can be completed efficiently, with minimal disturbance to building occupants or daily operations.

3. Sustainability and Environmental Impact

Cool roof coatings reduce energy consumption by reflecting sunlight and reducing heat absorption. This lowers indoor temperatures, decreases reliance on air conditioning and cuts overall energy consumption. Research by the Heat Island Group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found that cool roofs can lower air conditioning energy use by 32-48 kWh/m^², depending on the climate, lowering the building’s carbon emissions.

Re-sealing curtain wall seals, façades, and expansion joints can also help to improve the energy efficiency of a building – stopping air leaks and improving temperature control, which can reduce the need for energy intensive heating and cooling.

4. Energy efficiency & cost savings

Cool roof coatings can reduce energy costs by improving the building’s thermal performance. Reflecting sunlight prevents excessive heat gain, keeping interior temperatures lower. This reduces the demand on HVAC systems, leading to lower cooling costs during warm seasons and lower HVAC maintenance requirements.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), cool roofs can reduce building energy use by up to 15 percent in hot climates. This energy efficiency translates to potentially lower utility bills and a reduced carbon footprint, making the building more environmentally friendly.

Hashem Akbari, the Heat Island Group’s lead scientist and a professor of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering at Montreal’s Concordia University, calculated that if every building in every city in the world switched to a reflective roof, the difference would offset the emissions from the equivalent of 600 million cars.

When replacement is necessary

While restoration offers many benefits, there are instances when more invasive repairs or full replacement are unavoidable. Roofs that are failing, with extensive structural damage, multiple layers of old material, or widespread water infiltration may require complete replacement. Coatings will not be effective in cases where the existing roof system is compromised.

FMs should conduct thorough roof inspections to assess whether the existing structure is viable for restoration. Substrate condition, age and water damage levels will determine whether restoration is feasible.

Similarly, joint systems or façades that have failed structurally or been improperly installed may require replacement. Using silicone sealants for reinstallation can help mitigate the risk of future failures as they can provide durable adhesion to ensure long-term performance.

The benefits of silicone coatings & sealants

Silicone coatings and sealants are popular for their durability, weather resistance and long-term performance. Their inherent properties make them particularly suitable for roof restoration and leaky façade projects.

1. Durability & longevity

Silicone coatings form a flexible, waterproof membrane that withstands ponding water and extreme temperature fluctuations. Some silicone coatings can be applied in a wide range of temperatures, from below freezing (0 F/-17 C) up to 150 F (49 C), with service temperatures ranging from -40 F to 300 F (-40 to 149 C).

Silicone does not become brittle over time; instead, it maintains its elasticity, unlike acrylic coatings. This helps to reduce the risk of leaks. With warranties of up to 20 years, silicone coatings offer a long-term solution for roof protection.

The same materials science applies to silicone sealants. Silicone sealants maintain bond strength and flexibility over decades of building movement, ensuring watertight performance at critical junctures and openings.

2. Weather resistance

Silicone coatings provide excellent protection against UV radiation. In hot, sunny climates, UV exposure is a common cause of roof deterioration. Silicone is highly resistant to UV damage and exposure – staying flexible and weatherproof after decades of exposure. A silicone coating can protect the roofing materials from damage, prolong the lifespan of the roof and reduce maintenance requirements.

3. Waterproofing performance

Flat and low-slope roofs are particularly vulnerable to ponding water, which can lead to leaks and roof deterioration. Silicone coatings are inherently water-resistant, preventing water infiltration even under ponding conditions. This makes them ideal for facilities in regions prone to heavy rainfall.

For leaky façades and hard-to-waterproof materials, like brickwork and masonry, a silicone coating can provide an effective long-term repair. Silicone architectural coatings can be used to provide waterproofing performance, while maintaining the original aesthetic of the building.

On vertical joints, waterproofing is just as critical. Silicone construction sealants are engineered to prevent air and moisture infiltration, even in high-movement joints exposed to wind-driven rain or seismic activity.

4. Creating a cool roof

One option to further enhance a building is to use the restoration opportunity to create a cool roof. Applying silicone coatings in white creates a cool roof that reflects more sunlight and absorbs less heat than a standard roof. This can provide substantial advantages for building owners and occupants, especially in warmer climates, improving cost efficiency, comfort, and sustainability, and as seen below, also helping with increasing building regulations and compliance.

A cool roof improves comfort and reduces a building’s reliance on air conditioning by lowering the building's internal temperature. The impact can be significant, with interior temperatures dropping by 2.2-5.9 F (1.2-3.3 C) in buildings without air conditioning.

As a result, air conditioning energy consumption can decrease by 10 to 50 percent in small commercial buildings, contributing to lower Scope emissions. Additionally, cool roofs have a further ripple effect as they can extend the lifespan of air conditioning units, reduce maintenance needs and enable smaller, more energy-efficient cooling systems.

Regulatory compliance & green building standards

Governments and regulatory bodies worldwide are tightening building efficiency standards. Silicone roof coatings can help FMs comply with these regulations while improving the building’s sustainability profile.

For example:

• California’s Title 24 mandates cool roofs for commercial and residential buildings to reduce energy consumption.

• The Chicago Energy Conservation Code encourages reflective roofing materials to improve energy efficiency.

• The European Union’s Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) promotes energy efficiency in renovation projects, and cool roofs can be a useful component of achieving compliance.

Additionally, cool roofs can contribute points toward LEED O+M (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification for existing buildings, helping facilities achieve green building credentials.

Return on investment

Restoring a roof with a silicone coating can offer an attractive ROI, a key consideration for FMs. The lower upfront costs, reduced energy bills and extended roof lifespan can add up to significant financial savings. According to a UK Government study, some offices with cool roofs can achieve a positive ROI within 5 years through energy savings alone.

Furthermore, by reducing maintenance and repair expenses, roof restoration helps FMs better control long-term operational costs.

Practical considerations

To help maximize the benefits of restoration, facility managers should consider the following:

• Regular Inspections: Conduct regular roof and façade inspections to identify minor issues before they escalate. This allows for timely restoration rather than costly replacement.

• Choose Certified Contractors: Partner with certified, experienced applicators to ensure proper installation and warranty coverage.

• Consider Lifecycle Costs: When evaluating restoration vs. replacement, consider the long-term lifecycle costs, including energy savings and reduced maintenance expenses.

Restoration vs Replacement: Case study

Roof restoration offers a cost-effective, sustainable alternative to full roof replacement, delivering long-term protection without the high expense and disruption. A recent case study highlights these advantages.

The 20-year-old hospital's 260,000-square-foot roof was showing signs of aging across its 70 percent concrete and 30 percent metal surface, each presenting unique challenges. The Panama location also ensured the roof had to contend with intense rainfall from May to December, extreme humidity and temperatures exceeding 104 F (40 C).

Instead of replacing the hospital’s aging metal roof, which would have been costly, disruptive and time-consuming, a silicone restoration system was applied.

The silicone chosen was a single-coat solution, which delivers a fast repair. This saved significant time compared to alternative solutions requiring a primer and multiple coats. The coating could also bond to concrete and metal surfaces and was designed to withstand standing water, extreme temperatures and damaging UV - ideal for Panama’s climate, where rain and heat often exceed expectations.

Furthermore, the products used alkoxy-cured silicone. This has little to no odor and, in the concentrations used, present negligible risks to surroundings. This reduced disruption of patient care, making the application as quick and efficient as possible.

Restoration provides a reliable, long-lasting solution for buildings with aging but structurally sound roofs. It offers similar weather resistance and waterproofing benefits as an alternative to roof replacement, but at a fraction of the cost. As evidenced in the hospital’s case study, a well-executed roof restoration can protect critical infrastructure, all while reducing disruption to the building’s operations and occupants.

Conclusion

For FMs, roof restoration with silicone coatings presents a viable alternative to full replacement. It offers cost savings, reduces environmental impact, improves energy efficiency and extends the lifespan of existing roofs. By embracing restoration over replacement, FMs can enhance their facilities' sustainability and financial performance while minimizing disruption.

As building efficiency standards evolve globally, restoration using high-performance silicone solutions across roofs, joints and façades represents a practical, sustainable and economically sound strategy for protecting and upgrading building envelopes, now and in the future.