Why Excel Roofing No Longer Installs Roof Coatings, and Why You Should Think Twice Before Choosing One
At Excel Roofing, we believe in being completely honest with our customers, even when that honesty costs us a sale. That's why we're sharing something we feel strongly about: roof coatings are, in our professional opinion, the worst system in the roofing industry, and we will never install another one.
This wasn't always our position. We used to offer them. But after years of firsthand experience watching these systems fail, sometimes catastrophically — we made the decision to walk away from coatings entirely. Here's what changed our minds.
COATINGS FAIL — AND WHEN THEY FAIL, THEY FAIL CATASTROPHICALLY
Excel Roofing has dealt with coating system failures. These were not improperly installed jobs; they were applied correctly, per manufacturer specifications, by a certified applicator. And they still failed. When they did, the buildings suffered severe leaks and major damage. Excel Roofing stepped up to the plate and mitigated all the damage and did their best to help the property owners. The cost to fix those failures far exceeded what a straightforward roof replacement would have cost in the first place.
THE WARRANTY IS ESSENTIALLY WORTHLESS
Here's something manufacturers don't advertise: if your existing roof is not in absolutely perfect, flawless condition, the manufacturer's warranty is void. And manufacturers will look for any reason, any imperfection, any moisture, any seam issue, to deny a warranty claim and leave the contractor and the property owner holding the bag.
We've seen this happen.
COATINGS DO NOT SOLVE LEAKS
This is critical and cannot be overstated: if your roof is already leaking, a coating will not fix it. If there is moisture in your existing roof system and you coat over it, you are trapping that moisture and guaranteeing catastrophic failure down the road. A saturated roof that gets coated will fail.
Coatings are not a repair solution. They are not a leak solution. If your roof has a leak, the system is already compromised, and no coating product will change that.
THE CASES THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING
We want to share a real example, one that illustrates exactly how these projects are sold and why we no longer participate in that process.
A long-time local business owner and previous Excel Roofing customer needed a roof estimate for his commercial property in Denver. He had received bids from two other roofing companies and came to us for a third opinion. Glenn Summerlin, our flat roof expert, inspected the roof and gave the customer three options: two full reroof estimates and one estimate for a GACO Silicone Coating.
The customer had not been offered the coating option by the other companies, so Glenn explained it as an alternative to full replacement, thoroughly cleaning the roof, resealing the seams, and applying the GACO coating instead of tearing everything off.
The customer chose the coating. It cost $12,900 versus roughly $25,000 for a full replacement, nearly 50% less. It took three days. It came with a 10-year leak guarantee and a 50-year manufacturer material defect warranty.
On paper, it looked like a great deal. And at the time, this customer's roof appeared to be a reasonable candidate — it was TPO, the seams were addressed, and the application was done correctly.
But that's exactly the problem with coatings: the margin for error is razor-thin.
If there is any hidden moisture, any imperfection in the substrate, any seam that wasn't perfectly bonded — the system is at risk. And when it fails, the manufacturer will point to those imperfections to void the warranty. The contractor and the property owner are left with nothing.
THE INSTALLATION REQUIREMENTS TELL YOU EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
Applying a coating isn't simple. The roof must be completely cleaned. Every seam must be inspected and 100% bonded before the coating goes on, not 95%, not close enough, 100%. Then the entire surface must be primed. Then the coating is applied.
If the pre-existing roof is not in perfect condition at every single point, the manufacturer's warranty is void. And given that most roofs seeking a "cost-effective alternative" are doing so precisely because they are aging and showing wear, the odds of meeting that flawless standard are not in your favor.
OUR COMMITMENT TO YOU
Excel Roofing will not install another coating system. We've seen too many failures, too many voided warranties, and too many customers who ended up spending far more than a replacement would have cost.
If you have a flat roof that needs attention, we will give you an honest evaluation and real options — full replacement or repair solutions that actually solve the problem. We will never recommend a system we don't stand behind.
If your roof is leaking, call us. But know this: a coating is not the answer. Let's find a solution that actually works.
Call Excel Roofing today for an honest assessment of your flat roof.
To learn more about roof coatings and flat roof options, call Excel Roofing today.