The Value of Sealing and Flashing on Commercial Metal Roofs
How do you keep a commercial metal roof from leaking?
That is the question many business owners of commercial metal roofs are asking. Metal roofing is suspect to a high exposure to weather elements. This puts “watertight” protection at a premium across chimneys, roof hips, skylights, side seams, ridge vents, and endlaps. Even a seemingly insignificant gap in protection can result in long-term damage affecting your roof deck’s health and safety.
When it comes to sheet metal flashing for commercial metal roofs, it’s important to know the distinction between counterflashing and base flashing. No matter what substrate your metal roof adjoins to, the counterflashing is specifically adhered to the joining substrate (masonry, concrete, standard construction, etc.) and extends down towards the metal roof with an “L”-shaped angle away from the substrate and over the roof. This allows any moisture to travel down the substrate and be ejected out onto the base flashing. At no point is the counterflashing securely fastened to the metal roof or base flashing.
The base flashing is attached at the top of the metal roof with washered screws and sealed with urethane sealants for waterproofing. The base flashing extends up to the base of the adjoining substrate where it then angles upward and beneath the counterflashing. This creates a natural overlap to prevent backsplash of moisture that might penetrate beneath the metal roofing panels.
With this double layer of protection, your roof joints and substrates are properly protected from incoming moisture to keep your roof healthy and strong for many years ahead.
Our R&A Contracting metal roof solutions are based on over 30 years of standard-setting excellence. We specialize in metal cool roof restoration, which highly reduces the effect of rust and weather with a seamless protection. We use polyurethane roof sealant to seal seams, fasteners, and exposed openings and adapt to temperature extremes while reducing energy costs.
If your metal roof is springing a leak, don’t wait to call R&A Contracting! We provide on-site commercial metal roofing inspections to see where your flashing and sealants aren’t getting the job done. It’s our job to keep your roof strong and dry because we put the proof in waterproof!