Liquid applied roofing is a fast-growing segment of the $5.1 billion commercial roofing industry in North America. While this segment represents only 24% of the total market today, these roof coatings are primarily used in the reroof portion (including maintenance and restoration) of the market which represents over 70% of overall demand for all commercial roofing.

The liquid applied roofing (LAR) market is a fragmented market which includes many participants including manufacturers and suppliers of private labeled products. With its high growth rate and relatively recent status it is a great new way for roofing contractors to generate new accounts and revenues. LAR accounts for only 24% of overall commercial roofing demand but is growing at nearly 10% annually – approaching 3X the growth rate for the commercial roofing industry. The market demand and new economic realities learned since the mid-2000’s recession combined with a focus on environmental ‘green movement’ has led to increased market interest in a lower cost and no-waste solution for roof restoration offered by LAR. From a building owner’s point of view, LAR is typically considered a maintenance expense, rather than a capital expense, allowing the building owner to write the full cost of the restoration off in the year in which it occurs, rather than writing down the full cost of a roof restored through a traditional depreciation schedule over time.

Key drivers of this technology;

  1. Sustainability. Extended life of the roof is provided by adding an additional UV protective layer and reducing the thermal expansion and contraction of the membrane.
  2. No tear-off. Roofing tear-off is not necessary, resulting in landfill diversion, less disruptive projects, and savings on tear-off labor and disposal costs.
  3. Cooling costs can be reduced by minimizing the heat transfer into the building.
  4. Cost savings. Cost benefits are realized versus tear-off and roof replacement. Also, tax benefits (considered a maintenance item) and rebates are available for these products.
  5. Application efficiency. Roof coatings are safe and easy to apply, with no torches, hot asphalt or expensive installation equipment.
  6. There are no joints in the membrane where failure is more likely to occur and a liquid roof can be used to seamlessly coat around various roof penetrations with ease. Furthermore, a liquid roof can be fully adhered to a roof substrate without the need for mechanical fixing.
  7. LAR can be used on a variety of different buildings, both in the commercial and domestic sector, such as private homes and warehouses.
  8. LAR’s flexibility means that it can adhere to almost any material and can be sealed around HVAC units and vents unlike some other traditional roofing systems and can be used in both flat and pitched roofing; as well as for both metal and bituminous roof refurbishment.
  9. Liquid roofs can be overcoated at the end of their guarantee period without the need for full renewal, which give them a longer shelf-life than other types of roofing systems.
  10. Additionally, LAR roofs require little maintenance, few repairs and do not have to be replaced as often as other types of roofs which saves you money in the long run.

For more information on liquid applied roofing systems please contact us www.SMCgroup.io 905-218-3507