Flat roofs are great choices for industrial buildings because they’re less expensive and easier to install than pitched roofs. With proper maintenance, your commercial flat roof can last 20 years or more. But sometimes Mother Nature throws a wrench into the longevity of a building’s roof and it starts to leak.

If your building is showing signs of water damage, you’re likely wondering how much it will cost to fix your leaking roof. Typically, flat roof replacement costs about $8 per square foot. Labor costs for traditional roof replacement could increase that to $10 per square foot. In comparison, flat roof repair and restoration through Keystone Commercial Roofing costs about $4 per square foot.

A commercial roof restoration is a far less-expensive solution to fix a leaking roof. While costs are estimates, the size of your flat roof and its existing condition will impact the final cost of your flat roof leak repair. Let’s look at the factors involved in fixing a leaking flat roof.

What are Some of the Options for Leak Repair?

Often, flat roof leaks are caused by a puncture in the roof membrane. If the entire membrane needs to be replaced, it could cost an average of $65,000.

We can repair leaking flat roofs with several durable roof coating systems that extend the life of an existing asphalt, shingle, concrete, metal, or wood roof.

Our TPO and EPDM single-ply roofing membranes create watertight seals on metal, wood, asphalt, and GRP.

We also restore waterproofing to metal roofs through a metal roof restoration process that repairs roof rust, seam weaknesses, holes, damaged flashing, failing sealing, and more. It’s a cost-efficient option for flat roof leak repair on metal.

A spray foam polyurethane, SPF, restoration will seal every nook and seam in your commercial flat roof to provide cost-saving leak protection for years.

What is Causing the Flat Roof Leak?

One factor in determining the final cost to repair a flat roof (and how to repair it) will be whether the cause of the leak is single-sourced. If so, a commercial roofing contractor may be able to simply patch or repair your roof rather than replace it entirely.

• Faulty Sealants: Sometimes, brittle sealants can be the cause of a leak. While these areas can be spot-repaired, you’ll want to make sure the proper sealants are used per your roof’s warranty.
• Compromised Drainage: A bad drainage system may be due to an inefficient slope (see any ponding?) or you could just have a drain that’s clogged from seasonal debris.
• Improper Flashing: If the flashing on your flat roof was improperly installed, it’s not going to create a seamless barrier against leaks.

Ideally, you’ll have a professional inspector examine your roof annually to determine where the source or sources of the leak exists. He or she can rule out any other troubling weak spots. Keystone Commercial Roofing near Meadville, Pennsylvania, offers free roof inspections.

We can help you decide which commercial roof coating best suits your budget and restores your roof’s ability to keep water out of the building.