Roof Coating Miami – Pinecrest, Fl

This “before” shot of a roof coating job near Miami in Pinecrest, Fl. was taken after an extensive roof cleaning, so you can imagine how dirty it was before the algae stains were removed.  Flat roofs benefit from maintenance more than any other residential system and should be inspected every year. We offer FREE yearly inspections to all residents in our service area.

In general, the life cycle of a flat roof is proportionate to the degree it is maintained. Particular attention must be given to the buildup of debris which can eventually rot the roof membrane or clog roof drains, which can prove disastrous. Excessive standing water, or “ponding”, can also cause problems and shorten the roof’s life expectancy. Excessive ponding, as defined by Miami-Dade County, is any water that doesn’t evaporate after 48 hours. This criteria is flawed as a flat roof in Miami could be submerged for most of the summer, so we have adopted a 24 hour standard for our low-slope applications.

The application of elastomeric roof coatings is the most effective maintenance practice for low-slope roofs. These coatings slow the aging process of flat roofs and increase a home’s energy efficiency by blocking solar radiation.

Roofer Mike Inc has extensive experience in the application of acrylic, polyurethane, and silicone roof coatings in water based and solvent based formulas. Solvent-based coatings tend to be much more expensive and must be used where ponding conditions are present. Water based coatings are used on flat roofs with good drainage, metal roofs and even tile roofs but should not be applied to shingle roofs.

This flat roof in Pinecrest turned out great after we applied two generous coats of Somay Roof Mastic, a high-quality acrylic coating from a local manufacturer formulated for tropical climates. This application comes with our 5-year workmanship warranty.

The South Florida roofing market features many local and national manufacturers of elastomeric roof coatings. From economy coatings to pro-grade, there is a coating for almost any budget. Roofer Mike Inc is familiar with all of them and can recommend the best product for a customer’s needs.

By Michael Slattery

Miami Roofers Tarp a Flat Roof

In Miami roofers face a daunting task whenever they must replace a flat roof in the middle of rainy season. Many of these are backyard residential low-slope roofs tied in to a sloped roof - usually a concrete or clay tile roof - creating problems when protecting the home. To avoid a catastrophic flooding of the house during a low-slope replacement we follow these basic steps. Two rules of thumb I’ve picked up over the years when dealing with flat roofs in Miami can be summed up like this: plan ahead and don’t be cheap!!

Pick the right day to tear off the roof. Give yourself the best possible chance to have a day free of the drama that comes with having a flat roof half torn off in the face of a fast-approaching thunderstorm. I simply will not open a roof when rain chances are 40% or more. This is all an exercise in patience not only for you but the customer who should be briefed on the importance of choosing the right day.

Tearing off , drying in & torching - be ready 

Remove roof tiles in advance of the tear-off at the tie-in. Usually we tear off two rows of tile to accommodate the tie-in. When the flat roof is complete we put one row back, ensuring we’ll have enough. This can be time-consuming so it is helpful to have it done in advance.

Make the cut at the tie-in right away. On the morning of the tear-off the cut should be made 18” – 24” above the break at the slope transition. Explore the tie-in area and find where the existing tin-caps are. They are typically installed in rows so if the cut is made immediately above a row there will be plenty of free space to slide in the base sheet for a head-lap of at least 4” or, when necessary, a tarp. Once a flat roof has been significantly torn off there is no choice but to tarp it when a thunderstorm pops up – be ready. Having a phone that will give you real-time animated radar shots is mandatory – you must to be able to see the storm coming.

Tarped flat roof - didn't spill a drop . . .

Use a good tarp – blue won’t do!! When buying a tarp there are basically two rules. RULE 1: DON’T BE CHEAP!! Tarps are color-coded, blue tarps are light duty (5-6 mil) and a too thin to trust here. They puncture easily and that is a disaster on a flat roof full of water. I like the silver tarps. At 12 mils they are heavy duty and UV resistant so you can get more use out of them. RULE 2: DON’T BE CHEAP!! Make sure you buy a tarp big enough to extend over the eaves. The roof shown here was L-shaped so we used two tarps with a 3 foot lap. Placing 2 x 4s under the lap and weighing the tarp down on each side has worked well for me.

I know, the big orange box and roof suppliers have mostly blue tarps and heavy duty tarps are hard to find with a limited selection. My Tarp has all the tarps you can possibly imagine at great prices. With a little planning you can always have the right tarp for the job.

By Michael R. Slattery

  

North Miami Premium Ruberoid Roof

This client in North Miami did not want to deal with this flat roof anymore in his lifetime so we installed this 1 ½” insulated GAF Ruberoid low-slope featuring Ruberoid Smooth as a ply sheet with a Ruberoid Granule cap.

We don’t do hot tar much because I hate it for reasons both personal and technical. In short, it’s more dangerous and technically a logistical pain in the butt with these little back yard additions.
We mechanically fasten insulation with screws and 3” plates and when everyone gets on a drill it doesn’t take long. I’d rather carry a bunch of drills than lug a kettle around.

The screws and plates were simultaneously run through 2 plies of Gafglas #75 base sheet and 1½” insulation. If that looks like a lot of plates to you, “Welcome to Miami-Dade County”, which requires an engineer’s calculations to determine the fastening pattern. You can’t make this stuff up. . .

A ply of Ruberoid Smooth is then torched down before the drip-edge and wall flashings are nailed and primed. Then the Ruberoid Granule cap is torched with no granulating necessary for the seams. In its infinite wisdom Miami-Dade has determined that in order to achieve a Class A fire rating it must be coated with GAF Premium Aluminum Coating, one of the most flammable substances on the planet. Seriously though, I like this aspect as it gives the customer a head start on a maintenance regimen.

Flat roofs benefit from proper maintenance more than other systems. If this roof is kept free of debris and maintained with the use of elastomeric coatings periodically, it will not need replacement for a very long time.

Great Shingle Roof, Wrong House in North Miami

When it comes to shingle roofing in the Miami, Fl. area I stick to a very basic philosophy: white is right and proper ventilation is a must. Browse Roofer Mike blog posts and you will see photos of white shingle roofs with turbine ventilators or ridge vents and there is a whole article addressing the subject on www.roofermikeinc.com. It is simply too hot in South Florida for a shingle roof to last without incorporating Cool Roof concepts like reflectivity and ventilation into the design.

White 3-tab shingle roof with gable vents

A potential client emailed me with a request for an estimate using a new designer shingle with a “limited lifetime” warranty. He sent me a link to the manufacturer’s site and there were aerial photos of big, beautiful homes with these shingles that are supposed to emulate a barrel tile roof. Hmm, well – they looked good and on these steeper roofs I get what they’re going for. The colors available were generally quite dark and my client’s selection was a dark terra cotta.

When I went to the house for the estimate I was not surprised to find a typical “old Miami” type duplex with an “up-n-over” 2.5:12 gable roof. I practically begged the customer to reconsider his selection and went into my energy efficiency pitch but he explained that his Mom picked them out and liked the Latin flavor of these hyper-expensive shingles. “Oh well”, I thought to myself, “at least it has gable vents”.

Designer shingles on a roof in Miami, Fl.

We put the roof on that Mom wanted and as much as I hate the cliché “it is what it is”, it was appropriate here. They could have just put some white 3-tabs up there and spent a little putting a fan on one of those gable vents. They would have been cooler and had an extra grand.
What’s that? You can lead a horse to water . . .