Search for a commercial roof coating and you'll find plenty of dark roofs next to bright white ones. They're satisfying to look at, and they don't tell you as much as they seem to. We're Signature Roofing & Coatings, based in Boerne and working on flat, nearly flat and metal roofs across 14 Texas towns. Here's how to read these photos, whoever is showing them to you.
Notice how that caption is worded. It says what the photos appear to show and stops there. We won't put a town, a client or a year on a photo unless we can stand behind it, and you should expect the same from anyone trying to win your job.
What a before photo of a commercial roof can tell you
A good before photo is useful because it shows what the coating had to deal with. Look for:
- Weathering and discoloration across the surface
- Cracks, open seams and old patches
- Marks that show where water has been sitting
- The condition around units, pipes and anything else that comes through the roof
If a before photo is taken from so far away that none of this is visible, it’s mostly there for the contrast.
What an after photo should show
Bright isn’t the test. Any coating is bright when it’s new. Look at the places that are hard to do well:
- Even coverage, with no thin or streaky areas
- Clean work around pipes, vents and rooftop units
- Seams and edges that were clearly treated
- The same roof, from a similar angle, with the same units and features in the same places
What no photo can show you
The part of the job that matters most is the part a photo can’t capture. The coating is only as good as the surface beneath it, and a rushed prep job creates failures later. A picture of a finished roof can’t tell you:
- Whether the roof was properly cleaned and repaired first
- Whether the coating bonded to that material
- How the roof drains
- Whether the roof should have been coated at all
A photo taken the day the crew left can’t tell you how the coating is holding up either. Time is the test, so it’s fair to ask how long after the work a picture was taken.
What to ask about any before and after
- Is this the same building, and was it your job?
- How long after the work was the after photo taken?
- What was repaired before the coating went on?
- What was wrong with the roof, and why was coating the right call?
- Can I see the report you gave that owner?
A contractor who did the work should be able to answer those without having to go and check.
Take your own before photos
If you own or manage a building, start a record of your own. Date the photos, stand in the same spots each time and keep them with the building’s file. If you’re not sure what to look for, our commercial roof maintenance checklist covers it. Stay off any part of the roof you can’t reach safely.
What you get from us
We take photos and measurements at the walk-through. When the work is done, you get a full report with photos showing what was done, and we document everything for your records. So your own before and after exists, along with what happened in between.
Read how a commercial roof coating is applied, see our fluid-applied roof coating systems or our roof coating page, or book a free roof inspection and find out what your own roof needs.
