The Cost of Metal Roofing in the COVID-19 Economy

The devastation from the COVID-19 pandemic reaches further than the health and well-being of our people. The effects stressed more than hospitals and healthcare staff. And the burden is carried by more than those who have suffered from the illness. Supply chain distribution and the workforce were both turned upside down. And that has been felt everywhere, from the grocery store to the construction industry.

In the roofing industry, specifically, contractors are dealing with higher prices, longer lead times, and overall fewer options when it comes to getting the materials they need to build roofs. While no one has entirely escaped the fallout from the pandemic, metal roofing materials are faring better than most other roofing products.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Metal Panels

Do you remember the early days of the pandemic when businesses were shuttered, and employees stayed home for weeks or months at a time? Outside of businesses deemed essential, production simply stopped on many products, and that stressed the supply chain.

Even when businesses were able to stay up and running, there was a disruption with logistics or components that continued to throw cogs in the wheel. Navigating production in the face of a global pandemic has been challenging, to say the least, and now roofing contractors, homeowners, and developers are feeling the squeeze. Let’s take a look at what this means.

Increased Prices

There has been a push-pull effect on industry prices. On one side, the pandemic caused a material shortage, and on the other, an active storm season has sharply increased demand. In January 2021, and in each quarter after that, suppliers began circulating price increase letters as they struggled to keep up with the growing demand. As contractors bid jobs and ordered materials, materials costs continued to climb. Suppliers initially softened the blow with a projection that prices might stabilize by the third or fourth quarter, but now that we are approaching the third quarter, it feels like higher prices might be here to stay.

Longer Lead Times

Another repercussion of a supply shortfall is longer lead times. Pre-pandemic, contractors could order and receive all of the supplies they needed within two or three weeks. But since supplies are limited, and demand is increasing, there isn’t quite enough to go around. It’s taking suppliers longer to fill orders, which delays projects and compounds the concern of higher prices since pricing is based on delivery date and not order date.

Delayed Projects

It stands to reason that if suppliers are struggling to fill orders, contractors are also struggling to meet completion deadlines. Compromising on material selections based on availability can help lessen the burden of delays, but at this point, they seem almost entirely unavoidable. While pricing may never return to pre-pandemic levels, project timelines should improve as the supply side catches up.

Product Shortages and Limited Selections

While manufacturers work hard to backfill shortages, the most effort will go to producing the most popular colors and styles. What this means is that product offerings may slim down temporarily, and specialty colors and styles may become completely unavailable. Special orders may be completely out of the question.

The entire roofing industry is feeling the impact of COVID-19 disruptions. But side-by-side, metal roofing is coming out on top with more manageable price increases and shorter lead times. Metal roofs have fewer components, often requiring just the metal panels, fasteners, and underlayment. That means there are fewer opportunities for supply chain delays.

Why Metal Panels?

Availability aside, metal roofing panels are an ideal choice for many other great reasons. Most importantly, metal panels are significantly stronger and more durable than asphalt. Metal roofing is resistant to both wind and fire, and lasts longer than traditional roofing materials. Asphalt shingles last anywhere from 15 to 30 years, but metal roofing could last up to 50 years or more! Metal roofs also require minimal maintenance and can be cleaned with a basic pressure wash.

Because of the reflective properties of “cool technology” paint systems, metal roofing is also an effective insulator. It reflects more UV rays, which helps to keep buildings and homes cooler, even in the summer months. Over the course of the warmer season, a metal roof can help save significant sums of money on energy bills. In addition, these panels are often made from recycled materials, and are 100% recyclable themselves. Metal roofing, then, is not just beneficial to the home or business owner; it is also beneficial to the environment.

Planning for the Future

There is no way around it; the COVID-19 pandemic has left its mark on the roofing industry. While metal roofing has been impacted to a lesser extent, higher prices and longer lead times are still causing big headaches for contractors and home or building owners. So, where do we go from here?

Things will undoubtedly improve with time, but hope is fading that we will ever see a pre-pandemic normal. Contractors can help ease clients into this reality by providing transparency in pricing, timelines, and supply selections. Many contractors are adding extra layers of protection in the form of pricing and force clauses that spell out liabilities in the event of new or prolonged events that interfere with their roofing projects.

As a roofing contractor, it’s your job to educate clients on the challenges in the industry and show them how your company is rising to the occasion in a responsible manner. While delays and price increases aren’t good news to anyone, clients will respond positively to open lines of communication and honesty upfront. The silver lining in all of this is that as we smooth out the bumps in the supply chain, metal roofing will continue to grow as a viable and even preferred material option.

Source: Roofing Contractor

Understanding Roofing Systems

Part 3: TPO and PVC

TPO is a single-ply roofing material that can be manufactured in bright white; there is not an urgent need to coat a newly installed TPO roof system. However, there is a demand for coatings that will extend TPO roof systems' life cycles.

Unfortunately, TPO roof systems' smooth, inert surfaces present a significant adhesion challenge to coatings. For TPO roof systems, manufacturer-approved primers are available, allowing for an elastomeric white top coat, such as water-based acrylic. Suffice to say this is not a common application and is an area of ongoing research.

PVC also is smooth, chemically resistant, water-resistant and not easily coated—special primers are required to coat these roof systems. PVC's high levels of liquid plasticizer seem to present a bigger challenge than its slick surface. The polymer's chemical resistance also inhibits the development of suitable primers. PVC gets its white color from pigments added to the polymer during the manufacturing stage.

It's worth mentioning that TPO and PVC membranes easily can be misidentified in the field. Because they require different primers and coatings, examining a test patch is a prudent caution before coating an unidentified white membrane.

Source: Professional Roofing

Understanding Roofing Systems

Part 2: Modified Bitumen

Polymer-modified bitumen roofing is a subset of asphalt roofing. Before these roofing sheets are formed, asphalt is heavily modified with APP or SBS rubber. These two technologies provide products with significantly different properties. SBS materials can be installed in moppings of hot asphalt, with cold adhesive or torch-applied. They may be used as hybrid systems and typically are finished with a mineral-surfaced cap sheet. A thick APP base sheet often is used with granulated SBS sheet on top, and, in most parts of the U.S., it is torch-applied rather than adhered with hot asphalt or adhesives. APP most commonly is available as a smooth-surfaced material though granule surfaces also are available.

Recently, some manufacturers have introduced white polymer-modified bitumen cap sheets that may be used to cap traditional BUR systems. If they provide reflectance values above 0.70, the roof systems qualify for an exemption from California's Title 24.

Various protective and reflective coatings also can be applied to polymer-modified bitumen substrates in the field.

Much of what applies to BUR systems also applies to polymer-modified bitumen roof systems. Polymer-modified bitumen roof systems generally are compatible with coatings developed for conventional BUR systems; aluminum and white coatings commonly are used. Elastomeric acrylic coatings can be applied to smooth polymer-modified bitumen and mineral-surfaced cap sheets to turn their black surfaces white and extend roof system life cycles while lowering energy costs.

Elastomeric acrylic coatings featuring non-bleed formulas recently were introduced. These coatings provide asphaltic substrates with a cool, bright white, protective seal. These specially formulated coatings maintain their bright white surfaces for long-term performance.

Roof systems with asphaltic substrates must be aged at least 90 days before white elastomeric acrylic coatings can be applied. If a substrate previously was coated with an unknown coating, an adhesion test must be performed. After a successful adhesion test, all loose existing coatings and debris must be removed and the roof surface power washed with water. Excessively soiled or greasy surfaces—common on smooth APP—may require additional cleaning with a stiff-bristle broom or scrub brush.

Mineral-surfaced cap sheets are perhaps the easiest to coat in the field. These surfaces are rough enough to provide excellent adhesion but not so rough as to require a large volume of coating material. Mineral-surfaced cap sheets have a surface roughness of 30 to 50 mils. An initial coating of 10 mils with asphalt emulsion tends to fill in the voids and serve as a good substrate for a white coating.

A smooth polymer-modified bitumen roof system also can be coated with an asphalt emulsion coating and topped with a compatible white acrylic coating depending on the target reflectivity value.

Source: Professional Roofing

Wherever a beautiful soul has been, there is a trail of beautiful memories.

In loving memory of Naphis Mitchell-Reyes

Naphis Aliel Mitchell-Reyes, age 56, passed away on October 16, 2021, in Dallas, Texas. He was born on March 10, 1965 to parents, Louis Manuel Mitchell and Rosa Delima Reyes in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. Naphis was a man who valued honor, truth, and family above all. Always seeked excellence in all his endeavors; he would say "I will never stop learning." He was loved by every person that met him, he will forever be remembered in our hearts.

Naphis is preceded in death by his father, Luis Manuel Mitchell-Estrada. He will be lovingly remembered by his wife of 14 years, Amparo Pastor. Also to cherish is memory will be his daughters: Veronica Mitchell-Garcia; Elena Mitchell-Pastor; and Rebeca Cabanes Pastor. As well as his sons: Naphis Aliel Mitchell Jr. and Jose Cabanes Pastor. Grandchildren Aliel Mitchell, Sofia Garcia, Mateó García, and Annie Cabanes.

Understanding Roofing Systems

Part 1: BUR (Built-Up Roof)

The roofing industry's workhorse is the built-up roof (BUR) system. Coatings commonly used on BUR systems include solvent- and water-borne asphalt coatings; solvent- and water-borne aluminized asphalt coatings; and water-borne white elastomeric coatings (generally acrylics).

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BUR systems can have several surface finishes—they can have bare or glaze-coated top sheets; be flood-coated with mopping asphalt; have a mineral (granulated) cap sheet as a top layer; or have a finish layer of gravel embedded in hot asphalt.

A mineral cap sheet generally is the easiest surface to coat because its small texture allows most coatings to achieve a strong mechanical grip. These minerals also block asphalt bleed. Smooth BUR systems are readily coated with solvent-borne asphalt coatings; they require careful preparation and base coats to accept water-borne coatings. Gravel-covered roofs generally are impractical to coat without removing the gravel, which will affect a roof system's fire rating.

Asphalt coatings, long recognized as effective for prolonging life cycles and restoring aging BUR systems, are applied after a BUR system's initial installation and at regular intervals during the BUR system's life cycle as part of a regular maintenance program.

Traditional solvent-borne bituminous roof coatings are made from cutback bitumen. To make cutback bitumen, distillate bitumen residue is refined to various specific physical properties through vacuum distillation or oxidation. This refined asphalt then is blended with a petroleum solvent, such as mineral spirits. This blend of bituminous resin and solvent is combined with special clay fillers or fibers to create a gel coating. These components' proportions ultimately determine a coating's consistency and properties.

For the past 60 years, water-borne asphalt coatings have been developed and used as alternatives to solvent-borne coatings. The mixture of bitumen, water and bentonite (clay) is referred to as asphalt emulsion because the microscopic asphalt particles are held in suspension by a clay coating.

In an ongoing, independent coating durability test program conducted by the Midwest Roofing Contractors Association it was observed that solvent- and water-borne coatings in all climates perform better on all types of smooth roof surfaces when applied over an asphalt emulsion base coat. One advantage of asphalt emulsions is they generally meet fire ratings of original asphalt BUR systems.

If an original roof system was applied in hot asphalt, an asphalt emulsion coating generally can be applied relatively soon, but if the original roof was cold-applied with an adhesive, it usually is necessary to wait about 30 days before applying an asphalt emulsion.

Aluminum pigments can be used to formulate solvent- and water-borne asphalt coatings to protect against ultra­violet (UV) radiation and provide significant reflectivity. These coatings have small flakes of aluminum pigment dispersed in them. They typically have solar reflectivity values between 0.40 and 0.50 though premium formulations have demonstrated initial solar reflectivities in excess of 70 percent.

Highly reflective white top coats have become more common during the past several years as a means to reduce peak roof surface temperatures. This minimizes peak electrical demand for air conditioning in many buildings and provides ultimate reduction in diurnal temperature cycles, which can stress and fatigue roof systems.

A majority of these white coatings are water-borne acrylic coatings. Because of the range of physical and chemical properties available within the general acrylic category, a particular coating's suitability for a given substrate should be verified with the coating's manufacturer. Most white acrylic coatings intended for use on asphalt roof systems can be applied directly to mineral cap sheets after appropriate surface cleaning (some don't require a barrier layer); smooth asphalt surfaces normally require a specified primer or base coat designed specifically to stop asphalt from bleeding into the top coat.

Asphalt typically contains light oils called exudates, which rise to a membrane's surface soon after application. Exudates often wash off roof systems after a rainstorm. Nevertheless, any exudate that remains on a roof system before coating application should be thoroughly removed. Exudates can cause staining or even debonding of a coating.

An optional coating for a gravel-surfaced BUR system is spray polyure­thane foam (SPF). This effectively changes a substrate from gravel-surfaced BUR to SPF. An advantage of this approach is the layer of insulation above the BUR keeps the BUR from being subjected to extreme heat. A white coating over an SPF roof system can result in additional energy savings. Typical coatings for SPF are acrylic, polyurethane and silicone.

Whitening of the existing base of a commercial BUR system is important. Although BUR systems are among the most durable roof systems available, it is possible to extend their life cycles even more with coatings.

Source: Professional Roofing