What does GoNano's flat roof treatment actually do?
Most flat roof coatings lay a new skin over the membrane and ask that skin to hold. This treatment penetrates deep into the membrane instead. That matters because a flat roof deck moves: it expands in July, contracts in January, and flexes every time the temperature crosses zero. A membrane that has hardened splits under that movement, usually at the seams and at the base of curbs.
A film-forming product relies on the film surviving all of that. This treatment fortifies the membrane itself, so there is no new skin on the roof to fail, lift or delaminate later.
It does three things. It makes the membrane hydrophobic, which is the waterproofing part. It fills microfissures so freeze-thaw cycling has less to work on. And it reflects UV rays to limit heat absorption and aging, which is what dries and embrittles a membrane over time. It extends the service life of the roof by up to 15 years, and certain conditions apply to that figure.
Which flat roof systems can PROTEXA coat?
Elastomeric membrane roofing that is still structurally sound. We confirm the membrane type on the roof at the free inspection before we quote anything.
| Roof system | Status for this coating |
|---|---|
| Elastomeric membrane cap sheet, sound condition | The system this treatment is made for. |
| SBS modified bitumen cap sheet | Assessed on the roof. In eastern Ontario and Quebec trade usage "elastomeric membrane" normally means an SBS cap sheet, and we confirm what is actually up there at the inspection rather than treating it as a rated substrate sight unseen. |
| Single-ply TPO, EPDM or PVC | Not a system we apply this treatment to. Ask before scheduling. |
| Sprayed polyurethane foam, metal, gravel-surfaced built-up | Outside the scope of this treatment. Bring it up at the inspection rather than assuming. |
| Any membrane over saturated insulation or a soft deck | Not a candidate at all. See the replacement section below. |
On a mixed portfolio this matters more than it looks. A property manager with six buildings can easily have three membrane types across them, and the answer is genuinely different per roof.
Does a roof coating fix ponding water?
No. Ponding is a slope and drainage problem, and no roof treatment changes the slope of a deck or the position of a drain. During the inspection we identify areas that hold water after a rain.
On an Ottawa roof ponding is also a winter problem. Water in a low spot freezes, expands and pries at whatever it sits on, then thaws and refreezes with the next swing in temperature. A pond over a lap is one of the more reliable ways to open that lap. Blocked or ice-choked drains and scuppers do the same at a larger scale during a thaw, because the meltwater backs up across the field of the roof.
So get the water moving first, then talk about coating. Clearing drains, correcting a sump, adding a cricket behind a large rooftop unit and repairing a settled area are drainage work, and they come before any treatment. A roof that dries out within a day or two of rain is a straightforward coating candidate. A roof with permanent standing water is a conversation about drainage work or replacement.
Does a flat roof coating reduce summer cooling costs?
Not in a way you should budget against. There is no cool-roof or SRI rating behind this treatment. What it does is reflect UV rays to limit heat absorption and aging. Ottawa is also a heating-dominated climate: a cooling saving is real in July but is not the lever it is in a southern city, and a lower rooftop temperature in January is not a benefit.
The real argument is durability. A membrane that absorbs less heat ages more slowly, and thermal cycling across a smaller range puts less strain on the seams. Treat reduced heat absorption as a service-life effect with a possible cooling side benefit, not the other way round.
What does an Ottawa winter do to a flat roof?
Ottawa flat roofs fail at the seams and the details, and the cause is freeze-thaw cycling rather than any single cold snap. Meltwater works into a lap or a flashing joint on a mild afternoon, freezes overnight, and widens the opening by a fraction. Repeat that through a shoulder season and the fraction becomes a path.
Snow sits on a flat roof for months, so the deck carries weight and the membrane stays wet under it. Ice builds at drains, scuppers and low points. Spring melt delivers the whole winter's water to the drains over a few days. And roof crews and snow removal add traffic to a surface that is at its most brittle.
That is the case for treating the whole roof rather than patching. A patch fixes the seam that has already opened. Treating the membrane addresses every seam, including the ones that have not opened yet: planned maintenance rather than reactive, on a building you intend to hold.
When should a commercial flat roof be replaced instead of coated?
When the problem is below the membrane rather than on it. This treatment restores a roof that is still sound. It does not dry out wet insulation and it does not rebuild a failed assembly. The signs:
- Saturated or compressed insulation. Treating over wet insulation leaves the water where it is, and the roof keeps deteriorating out of sight.
- A soft or rotted deck that gives underfoot. That is a structural finding, not a surface one.
- Leaks that are already inside. Ceiling tiles, tenant complaints and stained deck edges mean the assembly is compromised, not just weathered.
- Blistering or delamination across the field. The treatment needs a sound membrane to penetrate. It cannot re-adhere a cap sheet that has released.
- Failed flashings and curbs across the roof.
- A roof at the end of its design life with a known history of repairs. The coating spend then competes with a replacement you are going to do anyway inside a few years.
We would rather tell you to budget a replacement, or that a roof is outside scope, than take money for a treatment that will not hold. If your roof is on the line between the two, the coating versus replacement comparison for Ottawa buildings walks through the decision.
What happens during the roof inspection before a quote?
A crew member goes on the roof. The visit is the first of the three steps we use on every job:
- Free roof assessment. We assess the membrane at no charge and photograph its current condition before we quote. You keep the photographs whether or not the roof turns out to be a coating candidate.
- Prep and repair. If the roof qualifies, we carry out any necessary minor repairs and clean the surface thoroughly so the treatment goes onto sound membrane.
- Protective treatment. We apply the treatment across the prepared membrane.
Bring the roof's history to the visit: age of the membrane, what has been repaired and when, where leaks have shown up inside, and the drawings if you have them. It is the difference between a quote based on what is visible and a quote based on what is actually there.
How much disruption does a flat roof coating cause to tenants?
Coating is exterior work carried out from the roof, so tenants keep working and the building stays open. There is no tear-off, so no debris chute, no roll-off bin cycling through the parking lot and none of the noise of a deck being stripped. Roof access, hoisting, crew parking and any air intakes that need managing during application are agreed before the date is booked.
For occupied buildings this is usually the deciding factor. A tear-off opens the deck to the sky in stages, brings weeks of noise directly over occupied space, takes up ground-level laydown area, and carries real weather risk while the assembly is open. For a medical or professional tenancy where downtime is expensive, that difference can outweigh a fair part of the cost difference.
When can a flat roof be coated in Ottawa?
In the frost-free part of the year rather than in winter, because the treatment needs a dry, clean surface and a stretch of mild weather to cure. Late-season bookings depend on overnight temperatures and the forecast for the cure window, so the realistic date is set at the assessment once we have seen the roof.
A building with a 2026 roof line item should be inspected early in the season rather than in October. The inspection has no calendar constraint, but the application does, and the good bookings in the Ottawa season go early. If the answer is replacement, you also want it while there is still budget cycle left to act on it.
What determines the cost of a flat roof coating?
The building does: total roof area, the condition of the existing membrane, how much cleaning and how many seam or flashing repairs are needed first, the number of curbs, drains, penetrations and rooftop units the crew has to detail around, and how the crew and material get onto the roof. We price it on the roof, not over the phone.
Detailing is the variable that surprises people. Two roofs of identical area price differently when one is a clean rectangle and the other carries eight rooftop units, a screen wall, three vent stacks and a skylight, because each of those is hand-worked rather than rolled. Access is the second: interior stair access with a small hatch and nowhere to park a lift is a different job from a roof a crew can reach directly. The guide to what determines roof coating cost in Ottawa has the full list.
For capital planning, the comparison that matters is the coating spend plus the years it adds, set against the replacement you would otherwise fund and the year you would fund it in. That needs a real number for your roof, which is what the free inspection produces.
How long does a commercial flat roof treatment last?
It extends roof life by up to 15 years, certain conditions apply, and the roof decides where in that range it lands. We assess the membrane, the seams and the drainage on site first, then confirm what applies to your building in writing before the crew is booked.
Where in the Ottawa area is this available?
We treat commercial flat roofs across Ottawa, Kanata, Nepean, Barrhaven, Orleans, Gloucester and Stittsville. The inspection is done on the roof, so we see the actual membrane, the drains and the access before quoting anything.
For sloped asphalt shingle roofs in the same portfolio, the same approach applies through GoNano NuRoof Fortify for asphalt shingle roofs. Concrete walkways, entrances and pads are covered by concrete sealing.