‍Your Metal Roof Is Rusting.That Does Not Mean It Is Done.

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Metal roofs on industrial and commercial buildings throughout Portage, Gary, Valparaiso, and Michigan City are some of the hardest-working roofs in Northwest Indiana. Steel panels over warehouses, manufacturing facilities, and distribution centers take the full force of Lake Michigan weather — and then rust.

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Rust is not automatically a death sentence for a metal roof. But it does require the right response. Here is what you need to know.

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6 Things That Separate a Good Metal Roof Coating Job from a Bad One

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1.  Rust treatment, all of it, not just the obvious spots.  Acrylics and silicones require treating rust before coating. You cannot roll coating over active rust and expect adhesion. A-125 primer goes on rust areas at 1/2 gallon per square, every corroded spot, not just the ones visible from 10 feet away.

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2.  Structural assessment first.  Metal panels must be structurally sound before any coating goes down. A panel that flexes, rattles, or has lost its fastener grip is not a coating problem. It is a structural problem. Coating over it creates a false sense of security and a future failure.

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3.  Skylights get different treatment.  Never coat a fiberglass skylight the same color as the surrounding roof. Workers cannot distinguish it from the metal panels, it becomes a fall hazard. Every skylight gets clearly differentiated. This is a safety rule, not a style preference.

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4.  Fastener movement is real.  Metal expands and contracts. Wind creates uplift. Fasteners at seams move, and over time, they create micro-gaps. This is why the factory warranty over metal is 10 years, not 20. Metal roofs need recoat attention at the 10-year mark. Plan for it.

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5.  Odor matters on occupied facilities.  SEBS is a solvent-based coating that performs well on rusty metal, but it has strong odor and temperature restrictions. For occupied manufacturing or warehouse facilities, we prefer acrylic or our urethane system, both of which are significantly easier to work around people.

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6.  Seam reinforcement is not optional.  Roof panel seams are the highest-movement, highest-risk areas on any metal roof. Mesh embedded into primer at every seam is what separates a 10-year warranty from a 3-year failure.

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Dad joke break: Why don't metal roofs ever feel lonely? Because they always have a ton of fasteners. (We are sorry. No we are not.)

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When to Restore vs. When to Replace a Metal Roof

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Restoration makes sense when:

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✓  Panels are structurally sound , no severe buckling, no failed fasteners throughout

✓  Rust is surface-level and can be treated with primer before coating

✓  The building owner wants to preserve capital and extend roof life 10+ years

✓  The facility is occupied and a full tear-off would create unacceptable disruption

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Replacement makes more sense when:

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✗  Panels have significant structural damage or severe corrosion through the metal

✗  Fastener pullout is widespread, the deck can no longer hold a coat system

✗  Previous coatings have failed catastrophically and contaminated the surface

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The Metal Roof Coating Sequence

A.  Full structural walk, every panel, every fastener zone, every seam. Document before starting.

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B.  Clean with 115 Cleaner. Rinse completely. Metal roofs accumulate industrial fallout, this is Northwest Indiana. Clean it properly.

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C.  A-125 primer on all rust areas at 1/2 gal/sq. Two-part epoxy primer where silicone system is specified. Do not skip this step.

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D.  Mesh embedded at all panel seams. Movement is constant on metal. Reinforce what moves.

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E.  Base coat at 1.0–1.5 gal/sq depending on system. Wet mil and dry mil thickness tracked.

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F.  Finish coat at 1.0–1.5 gal/sq. Total system dry mil: 16–24 depending on warranty tier.

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G.  10-year NDL warranty filed. Recoat plan discussed with building owner at time of installation.

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Serving These Northwest Indiana Cities for Metal Roof Coating

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Hammond  •  Gary  •  East Chicago  •  Whiting  •  Portage  •  Merrillville  •  Crown Point  •  Valparaiso  •  Michigan City  •  Chesterton  •  Highland  •  Munster  •  Dyer  •  Lowell  •  St. John

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Get a Free Commercial Roof Assessment

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No pressure. No pitch. Just an honest look at what your roof actually needs.

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pristineindustrialroofing.com

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Pristine Industrial Roofing  |  Conklin Preferred Contractor  |  Northwest Indiana

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