Roof coatings in Long Beach, CA

A coating is not a cure for a failing roof, and we say that up front. It is a way to add years to a roof that is still structurally sound. The coating creates a continuous rubbery skin over the old surface, bridging hairline cracks and covering seams, and a white coating reflects much of the sun's heat that would otherwise cook the roof and the rooms below.

Our crews coat flat and low-slope roofs on Long Beach homes, apartment buildings and commercial properties. The key to a coating that lasts is not the product as much as what happens before it goes on: moisture testing, cleaning, repairs and primer. This page explains each of those steps and how we choose a coating chemistry.

Is your roof a good candidate for a coating?

Coatings bond to the surface below them. If that surface is wet, blistered or loose, the coating fails with it. Before we recommend a coating, we walk the roof, probe the seams and take core samples or moisture readings to confirm the layers below are dry. If more than a small portion of the roof is wet, we recommend repair of those areas first or replacement instead.

Good candidates are roofs whose problems are mostly on the surface: chalking, granule loss, hairline cracking, aging seams and a hot dark color.

• Dry insulation and decking confirmed by testing
• Membrane still firmly attached, without widespread blisters
• Drainage that clears water within a reasonable time
• Metal, single-ply, modified bitumen or built-up roofs in fair shape

Silicone, acrylic and other coating chemistry

Silicone coatings hold up well where water ponds after rain and resist UV for a long time. They attract dust, so they lose some brightness over time, and new silicone sticks well only to silicone when the roof is recoated later. Acrylic coatings are water-based, bright white and easy to recoat, but they do not like standing water and need a dry stretch to cure.

Other elastomeric products such as urethane are tougher under foot traffic and are often used as a base or on walkways. We pick the coating by matching it to your roof's drainage, traffic and existing surface, not by habit.

• Silicone: tolerates ponding, strong UV resistance
• Acrylic: bright, easy to recoat, needs good drainage
• Urethane: tough under traffic, often used at walkways

Prep work that decides how long a coating lasts

Most coating failures we are called to fix were caused by poor preparation, not bad product. Coatings peel off dirty roofs, crack over open seams and blister over trapped water. That is why prep is the bulk of our labor on a coating job.

We power wash the roof and let it dry fully, then repair blisters, reseal open seams with reinforcing fabric, rebuild flashings and clear drains. Some surfaces need a primer for adhesion. Only then does the coating go on, applied in at least two coats to a measured thickness rather than a thin layer spread to save material.

When to call about roof coatings

Coatings for Long Beach sun, salt air and winter storms

Long Beach roofs face months of dry sun with very little rain, and that UV is what wears flat roof surfaces down. A reflective coating takes much of that load. On apartment buildings along Ocean Blvd and in Alamitos Beach, and on commercial roofs along Long Beach Blvd and near the airport, coatings can extend roofs that are tired on top but sound below.

Timing matters here. Acrylic coatings need dry weather to cure, so we schedule them between late spring and early fall, well before winter atmospheric-river storms. Near the beach, marine layer mornings leave dew on the roof, so we start once the surface is dry. Salt film is washed off before coating so it does not weaken adhesion.