In terms of durability and quality, a metal roofing system is a wise choice for homeowners looking to secure the ceiling over their heads. These installations can be the difference between sleeping like a baby or suddenly waking up to a stream of water drops on your left cheek. Finding someone who can assist you with this procedure is as easy as looking up roof repair specialists in your state, e.g. “commercial roof repair in Indianapolis.”
Despite its decades-long durability, however, improper installation means that water could be your home’s most problematic intruder. In the event your metal roof suffers from this fate, here are some things to keep in mind when looking for a sealant.
A Brief Description of Metal Roof Sealants
At their core, the purpose of sealants is to effectively fill up gaps between surfaces and prevent moisture, gases, or dust from leaking into the building. Metal roof sealants carry out the same task, being a material that serves as an additional – emphasis on additional – source of defense against intrusion of your roofing system.
Metal’s high coefficient of expansion – which causes it to move unpredictably with drastic temperature swings – means that commercial roofing in Indianapolis needs that layer of protection against severe heat or steady downpours.
From polyurethane or silicone to butyl or acrylic, sealants can be made from a number of materials. Generally speaking, a silicone sealant will be your best bet when it comes to offering maximum insurance for your roofing system, although the more economical butyl tape could be the most optimized choice for your metal roof’s needs.
Silicone Sealants vs Butyl Tape
While both devices fulfill the same overall purpose, their application must be reserved for specific scenarios to maximize the product’s efficiency. As a rule of thumb, both sealants should be employed on overlaps, downspouts, joints, gutters, seams, and fasteners.
Mostly dispensing silicone, gun caulking sealants can be used to seamlessly inject the material and exercise total control over where it goes. Usually pigmented to match a metal roof’s color, these sealants are considered the more aesthetically pleasing option, possessing excellent adhesion to metal and striving in extreme temperature zones.
Gun caulking silicone sealants specialize in providing adhesion between panel seams and fastening metal to metal connections on your Indianapolis metal roofing system. On the other hand, butyl tape is a flexible sealing material made from synthetic rubber, coming in various shapes and sizes.
Because of its affordability and easy use, butyl tape is a great alternative solution used by many commercial roofing contractors in Indianapolis, but its application should be limited to taping joints and seams of a roof deck in terms of maximizing its efficiency.
Butyl tape is also ideal for repairing gutters suffering from leaks in joints that are too big or small for the pipe.
While duct tape is a last resort option for an emergency patch-up, commercial roofers in Indianapolis will surely tell you that it should exclusively be used in a pinch; it doesn’t last long.
Making the Right Pick for Your Roof
If you live in an area where downpours, rainstorms, or any other form of wet weather patterns are common, investing in a sealant that is optimized for your metal roofing system’s needs is indispensable.
Nonetheless, we hope this guide will assist you in your decision on which roof sealant is the most efficient solution to your water intrusion problems and aid the subsequent installation done by experts in commercial roofing in Indianapolis.