We install spray foam roofing over existing commercial metal roofs in Hopkinsville, adding insulation and one smooth surface topped with a protective coating.
Foam and a plain coating solve different problems on a metal roof. Compare them before choosing.
| Question | Spray Foam Over Metal | Coating Only |
|---|---|---|
| Adds insulation | Yes, the foam layer insulates | Very little |
| Panel ribs | Filled for a smoother surface | Coating follows the ribs |
| Added weight and height | Some; check edge and gutter heights | Very little |
| Upkeep | Topcoat checked and renewed | Recoat when worn |
| Best fit | Uninsulated shops, cold storage, noisy roofs | Insulated buildings with a solid roof |
Foam needs dry panels and careful edge detailing at gutters and ridge caps.
These conditions are what lead owners from a plain coating toward foam over the panels.
Foam is one of three ways we cover an old metal roof. These are the combinations we put down most.
Spray foam goes over the dry panels, then a silicone topcoat protects it from sun and weather. Silicone fits foam areas that hold a little water near drains and curbs.
Silicone roof coating
On a foam roof with good slope, an acrylic topcoat protects the foam and recoats with acrylic later. The topcoat is the part that wears and gets renewed.
If the building already has insulation and the steel is firm, a metal roof coating closes the screws and laps without adding foam height at the edges.
Foam brings these gains to metal buildings whose panels are dry and whose framing is straight.
The foam layer insulates the building from the roof side, so the panels stay in place and nothing inside is opened up during the work.
Foam fills the ribs and covers every screw and lap in a single layer, closing the joints that leak most on an old metal roof.
Workers below a foamed roof feel less of the summer heat and winter cold that comes through bare steel. We make no promise about energy bills.
Topcoat is the wearing surface. When it thins, it is cleaned and recoated, which keeps the foam underneath protected from sunlight.
Call us and describe when the drips start. Cold-morning drips under bare steel point to condensation, and foam is one way we address it.
Call UsFour stages take an old metal roof to a foam surface with its protective topcoat.
We walk the panels for loose screws, rust-through, and soft spots, measure gutter and trim heights, and check that the framing is straight enough to carry the added layer.
Rusted-through panels are patched or replaced and loose screws tightened. Foam needs dry steel, so wet laps and damp areas are dried before any spraying.
Foam is sprayed over the panels to the planned thickness, filling the ribs. Rooftop unit intakes are covered, and edges at gutters and ridge caps get careful detailing.
Silicone or acrylic is applied over the foam at the specified thickness. That topcoat shields the foam from sunlight and is the layer checked and renewed later.
Insulated buildings often need only a coating. These systems close the joints without foam.
Choose a metal roof coating when the building is insulated and you only need the screws, laps, and rust sealed.
See metal roof coatingGo with silicone over low-slope panels where the main problem is water sitting at curbs and gutters.
See silicone roof coatingConsider an acrylic coat on steeper shops that already have insulation under the panels.
See acrylic roof coatingAnswers on foam over metal panels, from thickness to upkeep.
Yes. Spray polyurethane foam goes directly over existing metal panels, filling the ribs and creating a new insulated surface topped with a protective coating.
It fits buildings where the owner wants added insulation and one continuous surface without tearing off the old steel. The panels must be dry, and edges at gutters and ridge caps need careful detailing.
Thickness is set for each roof from the insulation the owner wants and the edge heights the building allows.
Every added inch raises the surface at gutters, trim, and curbs, so those heights are measured on the roof walk. The thickness is checked as the foam is sprayed, and the topcoat goes on at its own specified thickness.
An inspection is a walk of the whole roof with photos of each problem area. The inspector counts loose or missing screws, checks side laps and end laps, probes rusted spots for soft steel, and looks at skylights, ridge caps, gutters, and curbs.
Inside, stains are matched to the seams above them, and you get a marked roof plan with a plain explanation of what was found.
Units near the spraying are shut down or their intakes covered, so odor and overspray stay outside the building.
That is planned with you ahead of time, unit by unit, and the work moves across the roof so each one is off only while foam goes on near it. Curbs are flashed into the foam afterward.
Mostly care of the topcoat. Walk the roof once or twice a year and after hail, looking for thin areas, cuts, or bare foam showing through.
Sunlight breaks down exposed foam, so those spots get patched promptly, and the whole topcoat is recoated when it wears thin. Keep gutters clear, since foam raised the roof edge.
Yes, damaged foam is cut out, refilled, and topcoated. A puncture from a dropped tool or a hail bruise is patched in the area around it, so the rest of the roof stays as it is. Repairs work best when caught early, before water reaches the metal panels underneath.
Enter your roof size for a free ballpark range, or call to talk through insulation and edge heights.
Leave a name and number and we will call you back about your commercial roof. Or call now: (270) 236-5496.