How to Extend the Lifespan of Your Commercial Roof

A commercial building is a huge investment whose every part, including the roof, costs an arm and a leg to keep in tip-top shape. To protect your costly investment, you must ensure your roof is always in its best shape, as it covers and protects a significant portion of the entire investment. 

If your roof is destroyed the damage can extend to other building sections, which is even more expensive to repair and recover. Below, we’ll share some effective tips on extending the lifespan of your commercial roof so your building can remain protected for a long time.

Pick the Right Roofing Material

It all starts with the roofing material you choose for your property. The most common options are:

• Metal/R-Panels: Metal roofing systems or R-panels provide exceptional durability and are great for styling your commercial roof. The right quality panels can notably improve your commercial building’s aesthetics, serving you for decades. 
• EPDM: Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer (EPDM) roofing is a popular roofing material that offers a multifaceted low-slope solution ideal for commercial structures. This high-quality, robust rubber effectively protects commercial buildings irrespective of the climate, offering 30 to 40 years of service with effective care.
• Asphalt: If you plan to build a low-slope or flat commercial roof that will perform well across various climates, Asphalt is the material to consider. Asphalt can be configured into various roofing systems that work best in cold and hot climates, giving you the best performance.

Regular Inspections

Your commercial roof’s continued great performance depends on how regularly it’s inspected and maintained. Maintaining a semi-annual or annual roofing inspection schedule can keep your roof in perfect condition throughout its lifespan. During an inspection, roofing professionals can catch problems early and correct them. 

An inspection is only effective if you address any issues pointed out during the inspection early. Work with professionals to rectify available damages, wear, and deterioration before they escalate to bigger problems that would push you to a roof replacement.

Remove Overhanging Branches

Having many trees around your commercial property is a great way to protect your roof from harsh winds and provide a cool, fresh environment for working. However, if these trees are left to grow too close to your roof, their overhanging branches can cause serious problems to the roofs they protect. They could drop on them during a storm, or the leaves could scrub off the surface, loosening the roofing nails off the shingles.

To avoid these problems, every overhanging branch should be removed, especially when a storm is approaching. You can trim the branches or remove the entire tree if it’s growing too close to your building.

Minimize Foot Traffic

As simple as it seems, minimizing foot traffic on your roof is an effective way of ensuring its longevity, as excessive traffic will eventually lead to damage. There are moments when someone must go up there for inspection and repair, but you can minimize the foot traffic by restricting access to authorized personnel only. Don’t let anyone walk on the roof for any little reason, and install some rooftop walkway pads to ensure your roofing system is protected anytime someone walks on it.

Most of the responsibility for extending the lifespan of your commercial roof lies with you, but you need the intervention of professionals to manage your roof successfully. Ensure you keep up with these tips for the optimal performance of your commercial roof.