Commercial roof coating, answered directly

Commercial roof coating in the Jacksonville market generally runs a fraction of replacement cost — most projects land at roughly 30 to 50% of what a comparable tear-off and re-roof would cost. The specific price depends on four factors: total square footage, the substrate (metal, EPDM, TPO, modified bitumen or built-up), how much seam, flashing and penetration repair the roof needs before coating, and the warranty term and mil thickness specified. We put an exact number in writing after a free on-site inspection.

We coat EPDM rubber, TPO, modified bitumen, built-up (BUR), standing seam metal, corrugated metal, roof-over systems and most flat or low-slope commercial roofs. The determining factor is not the roof type but the condition of the deck and insulation beneath it — a sound, dry substrate is what makes a roof a coating candidate.

For a commercial roof with a sound deck, coating is usually the better value: it costs far less, installs in days instead of weeks, generates no landfill waste and keeps the building fully operational. Replacement is the right call when the deck is failing, insulation is saturated across large areas, or the existing membrane has deteriorated past the point where a coating can bond to it.

Yes. A reflective white silicone or rubber roof coating reflects the majority of incoming solar radiation, lowering rooftop surface temperature and reducing the cooling load on HVAC equipment. In Florida's climate that shows up as lower summer utility bills and less thermal stress on the membrane below.

Yes — nearly every project we complete is on an occupied building. Because there is no tear-off, there is no exposed deck, no interior debris and no need to relocate tenants, staff or congregations. Work on hotels, churches, retail plazas and manufacturing facilities is scheduled around operating hours.

Yes. Florida Coating Pros is a licensed and insured Florida roofing contractor, license number CCC1327130, a certified Gaco reseller, and a manufacturer-trained, licensed GacoFlex applicator. Manufacturer licensing matters because a coating warranty is only valid when the system is installed by an approved contractor to the specified thickness.

Florida Coating Pros is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida and serves commercial properties across Florida and Georgia — including Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Naples, Fort Myers, Gainesville, Tallahassee, Pensacola, Destin, Melbourne, Port St. Lucie, Lakeland, Clearwater, Boca Raton, Hialeah, and Atlanta, Savannah, Augusta and Dalton in Georgia.

The clearest signals are active leaks, blistering or granule loss on the surface, open or lifting seams, and standing water that remains more than 48 hours after rain. The best time to coat is before the membrane fails outright — once water reaches the insulation, a coating can no longer save the roof.

An EPDM rubber roof coating restores an aging synthetic-rubber membrane by sealing its seams and flashings and adding a reflective, waterproof top layer over the existing roof. The difference from a standard silicone job is the preparation: EPDM demands seam-first reinforcement and a compatible primer, because the failure points on rubber roofs are almost always the seams, shrinkage at the perimeter, and UV/ozone-hardened surfaces rather than the field of the membrane.

An EPDM roof can almost always be coated rather than replaced, as long as the deck and insulation are dry and the membrane is still adhered. Replacement becomes the better option when the membrane has shrunk enough to pull flashings away from walls and curbs, or when moisture surveys show widespread saturated insulation under the rubber.

EPDM roofs almost always fail at the seams first, not in the middle of the sheet. Older adhesive-bonded seams lose adhesion over time, the membrane shrinks as it ages and pulls at perimeter flashings, and constant UV and ozone exposure hardens the surface until it becomes brittle and prone to splitting at stress points.

Yes — coating an EPDM roof typically costs 50 to 70% less than a full tear-off and replacement. The savings come from eliminating demolition labor, disposal fees and the insulation replacement that a tear-off usually triggers, and from avoiding the business disruption of an open roof deck.

Yes. Qualifying EPDM restorations carry the same 10, 15 and 20-year leak-free labor and material warranties as our silicone systems. The term offered depends on the membrane's remaining condition, the extent of seam repair required, and the specified coating thickness.