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Comparisons

1. Compare Flat Roofs

Leakmaster’s first question on any flat roof is this: “After a rain does your roof have heavy ponding water on it or does it have a low slope so that the water runs off?” A little “bird bath” here and there is OK, but if you do have heavy ponding water that will dictate what type of flat roof you need to install. Heavy ponding is usually described as water that doesn’t burn off after 24 hours of no rain.

Here’s our general rule of thumb:
If you are on a budget, and your roof is in decent condition, Leakmaster can install a Reflectivity Coat.

Roofs with light or no ponding water do well with water based Acrylic coatings such as Hawaiian Sunguard, Roofmate, Hydrostop, Roofmate, Apoc Sta-Kool and others. Roofs with heavy ponding water do best with either a Silicone Coating or a Single-Ply Roofing system.

If you are on a budget, and your roof is in decent condition, Leakmaster can install a Reflectivity Coat. That’s usually two coats of an Acrylic coating at about 3 gallons per 100SF that is NOT reinforced with our polyester fabric. This coating will protect your roof against the sun’s UV degradation and cool down your roof’s surface by over 60 degrees in the summer.

If you have any known leaks in your roof–or small areas of ponding water– we can reinforce just those specific areas with our polyester fabric. That’s what we call a Partial Fabric System. Your warranty will usually vary from 1 to 5 years, depending on the condition of your roof, and how much fabric we install.

What we usually recommend in Acrylics, if you can afford it, is our Full Fabric Reinforced System. Here we are sandwiching our reinforcing polyester fabric between heavy coats of Hawaiian SunGuard, using between 4 to 5 gallons per 100 SF. It’s usually the last roofing system you will need. Simply re-coat with a new top coat every 7 to 15 years, using only a fraction of your original material. Repeat for the life of the structure. Unlike the old days of asphalt roofing, you no longer have to tear off your old roof every 10 years of so and haul it to the dump–at great expense. Those days are long gone. Here you can see just a few of the many colors you can tint the Acrylics.

Acrylic Coatings

Silicone Coatings

Single Ply Roofs

Brands

Brands

Brands

 

 

Price

Price

Price
  • $3.00 to $4.75 per SF for most jobs. The lower price is for a Reflectivity Coat, while the price goes higher for more difficult Full Fabric jobs.

 
  • $3.50 to 4.50 per SF for most jobs. Jobs with extensive roof prep can go higher.

 
  • $6.00 to $12.00 per SF for most jobs. However, prices can go higher for complicated roofs with a lot of A/C or concrete decks.

Warranties

Warranties

Warranties
1 – 5 Years for Reflectivity Coats. Full Fabric Systems usually have 5, 7, 10, 15 year Warranties, depending on the amount of material we put down. Description for Silicone coating warranties goes here… 10, 15 or 20 years from the Material Manufacturer.

Pros +

Pros +

Pros +
  • Can be reinforced with polyester fabric for incredible tear resistance when your roof expands and contracts in the sun.
  • If no fabric is needed it is very economical as a Reflectivity Coat.
  • Proven track record in harsh Hawaiian conditions over many years.
  • Available in Ceramic Titanium for a tough cool roof.
  • Not as slippery when wet as Silicon coatings.
  • Can be tinted to many different pastel colors.

 
  • Seemingly unaffected by heavy ponding water and mildew.
  • Doesn’t chalk or “sacrifice” it’s coating over time like Acrylics (or so claim the Manufacturers.)
  • Price is comparable to a Full Fabric Reinforced Acrylic coating.
  • Long labor and material warranties by the Manufacturer of 10, 15 and 20 years are available on qualifying projects. Ask Leakmaster if you qualify.

 
  • Longest lasting flat roof system with a proven record
  • Great solar reflectivity keeps AC prices down
  • Heavy ponding does not usually affect system or warranty

Cons -

Cons -

Cons -
  • Can bubble up in areas of heavy ponding water.
  • Removing dirt and mildew stains is harder on Acrylics than on Silicone or Single Ply.
  • Hard to apply when weather is threatening. It takes a longer time to cure if you don’t use the special Fast Dry formula by Hawaiian SunGuard.

 
  • It hasn’t had a long enough track record in Hawaii, yet, to recommend it whole heartedly. However, initial results are promising.
  • It can’t be reinforced with large rolls of Polyester Fabric like Acrylics can, so we are concerned that over time it may split in areas of high movement.
  • Very slippery when wet. Don’t have service people walk on roof when it is wet.
  • If you want a proven performer in heavy ponding water–look at Single Ply Roofing.

 
  • The best warranties are usually reserved for larger commercial projects
  • They are tough, but can be punctured by careless AC workers or falling branches
  • If equipment is added later to the roof it must be repaired by an Authorized Installer
  • The glue welded seams of the Carlisle EPDM system can unravel over time.

LeakMaster’s Opinion

LeakMaster’s Opinion

LeakMaster’s Opinion
There has been a dogfight in the last few years between Acrylics and Silicones in the marketplace. We like them both. If there is no ponding we feel safest with Fabric Reinforced Acylics. If you have prolonged ponding water go with Silicones or a Single Ply system like Duro-Last. If you have heavy ponding water and can’t afford Single Ply roofing–the undisputed king of flat roofs– we recommend Silicone coatings.Because it’s only been in widespread use in Hawaii for about 4 or 5 years, we are still watching it carefully for signs of cracking or bubbling. So far, it’s holding out very well, but it doesn’t yet have the track record of the fabric reinforced Acrylics, which have been in Hawaii for over 10 years. Stay tuned. We’ve installed many large projects and all of them are in great shape. We are partial to Duro-Last but have lately been blown away by incredible performance of the Fiber-Tite roof on the Safeway Beritania store that has been untouched by heavy ponding and plant growth. See our amazing “Welcome to the Jungle” video that we shot for our “Roof Detective” Series. It will blow you away. On the other hand, we are less impressed with Carlisle EPDM membranes. Their glued seams tend to unravel over time. Stick with heat welded systems.


2. Compare Sloped Roofs

CertainTeed Architect 80

GAF Timberline

Landmark Solaris

Owens Cornering

Price

Price

Price

Price
  • $$$$

 
  • $$

 
  • $$$

 
  • $$$$

Warranties

Warranties

Warranties

Warranties
  • 30, 20, 15 years

These are Manufacturer’s Labor and Material Warranties which are considered the gold standard in roofing, Why?

Because they remain in place even if your humble roofing contractor goes out of business, God forbid. The most common Warranty is for 15 years. The longer Warranties are not available for all roof situations and cost more. As always, refer to the Manufacturer’s docs for the final word.
  • 20, 15, 10, 7, 5 years

The most common Manufacturer’s Warranties on Roof Coatings are for 10 years. You can get 15 years if you install a special “Infra-Red” topcoat for some brands, including Hawaiian SunGuard. 20 years is much tougher to get. Residential homes are often limited to the Contractor’s 7 years Labor and 10 year Material Warranties. However, in many cases you can get a Manufacturer’s 10 year Warranty if you pay a little extra and your roof conditions warrant it. Recently, we have added an optional “Infra-Red” topcoat to our line, which can add 5 more years to the Manufacturer’s Warranty. It is super white, with a blinding reflectivity that resists dirt and mildew stains. If a better ingredient comes up in the future than we’ll add that in too.
  • 20, 12, 10, 7, 5 years

The typical Warranty is usually 7 or 10 years, but longer Manufacturer’s Warranties can be had for up to 20 years if roof conditions allow.
  • 20, 12, 10, 7, 5 years

The typical Warranty is usually 7 or 10 years, but longer Manufacturer’s Warranties can be had for up to 20 years if roof conditions allow.

Pros +

Pros +

Pros +

Pros +
  • Longest Warranties, backed by the Manufacturer’s deep pockets
  • White membranes reflect heat and lower AC costs
  • PVC’s can self-extinguish in a fire
  • Duro-Last covers unlimited ponding water-no need to tear off

 
  • Affordable, lightweight
  • Goes over existing roof without expensive tear off
  • Ceramic coatings keep temps cool–lowers A/C
  • Warranties can be renewed after expiration

 
  • It’s an old, and generally reliable, roof system
  • Newer, reinforced membranes resist tearing
  • If you are in a chilly mountain area it can help to heat up your building
  • Often less expensive than single ply
  • It’s an old, and generally reliable, roof system
  • Newer, reinforced membranes resist tearing
  • If you are in a chilly mountain area it can help to heat up your building
  • Often less expensive than single ply

Cons -

Cons -

Cons -

Cons -
  • Most expensive roof systems
  • Manufacturers don’t usually warranty homes for labor costs
  • Limited choice of colors-white, tan and grey

 
  • Ponding water can create problems, unless coating has Lipacryl in it
  • Insist on a fabric reinforcement and a min. of 5 gals. per 100 SF
  • For good adhesion use an epoxy primer

 
  • The heavy weight means you often have to tear off old roof first
  • You must be very careful to make sure all seams are tight
  • These granulated membranes degrade under the intense Hawaiian sun
  • The heavy weight means you often have to tear off old roof first
  • You must be very careful to make sure all seams are tight
  • These granulated membranes degrade under the intense Hawaiian sun

LeakMaster’s Opinion

LeakMaster’s Opinion

LeakMaster’s Opinion

LeakMaster’s Opinion
When you are calculating life cycle costs, spread out over many years, they make sense. If your budget doesn’t allow for 5 to 10 year pay offs, then consider the fabric reinforced Roof Coatings which will do the trick for less up front costs. These are all good brands, but we prefer the Duro-Last Warranty and the fact that it can take unlimited ponding water–which often saves you big money on messy roof tear offs and re-sloping costs. It is also the only Warranty we know of that covers “Consequential Damage.” It covers such things as interior damage, loss of computers, etc. These are all good brands that we have installed successfully for many years. You will do well with any of them. However, we admit to being partial to our own brand, Hawaiian SunGuard, because we have it specially formulated for our Hawaiian weather. We added Ceramic which acts as a “heat dump” and keeps your roof cool. We have “White Titanium” for reflectivity and durability. We wouldn’t think of using “Yellow Titanium” which discolors in the sun. It contains Rohm and Haas’ amazing additive Lipacryl which protects against most ponding water. We have the maximum fungicides allowed to fight mildew growth. I started out roofing in the ’80′s pulling a smelly hot tar kettle on the back of my truck. Aaahh, the bad old days. I don’t miss ‘em a bit! Asphalt is struggling now in the market due to high oil prices and the fact that don’t always meet today’s Cool Roof standards. I prefer the ‘Torch Applied’ method because the seams melt together tighter. However, for insurance reasons, most new Asphalt Roofs are now ‘Self Adhering’ membranes-commonly called Peel and Stick. Sometimes we see these seams unravel under ponding water. It’s better to install these on roofs with some sort of slope. Few people use Hot Tar these days. Often, the best dollar value is to repair the existing roof and coat it with a fabric reinforced Roof Coating. I started out roofing in the ’80′s pulling a smelly hot tar kettle on the back of my truck. Aaahh, the bad old days. I don’t miss ‘em a bit! Asphalt is struggling now in the market due to high oil prices and the fact that don’t always meet today’s Cool Roof standards. I prefer the ‘Torch Applied’ method because the seams melt together tighter. However, for insurance reasons, most new Asphalt Roofs are now ‘Self Adhering’ membranes-commonly called Peel and Stick. Sometimes we see these seams unravel under ponding water. It’s better to install these on roofs with some sort of slope. Few people use Hot Tar these days. Often, the best dollar value is to repair the existing roof and coat it with a fabric reinforced Roof Coating.