METAL RESTORATION

Commercial Building – 35 Potomac Creek Drive

Seam and fastener sealing with a white roof coating

Project Overview

This multi-tenant commercial building at 35 Potomac Creek Drive is in Stafford County, just outside Fredericksburg. It has a long standing-seam metal roof with pipe penetrations, vents and seam caps along its length.

The roof was leaking. With several tenants under one roof, the owner needed the leaks stopped across the whole building, not just in one space.

Job Photos

Standing-seam panels with exposed fastener rows along a seam before restoration (Commercial Building – 35 Potomac Creek Drive, Fredericksburg, VA) — Standing-seam panels with exposed fastener rows along a seam before restoration

Seam caps and panel laps on the metal roof before sealing (Commercial Building – 35 Potomac Creek Drive, Fredericksburg, VA) — Seam caps and panel laps on the metal roof before sealing

Light-blue sealant and fabric applied at seams around a roof cap (Commercial Building – 35 Potomac Creek Drive, Fredericksburg, VA) — Light-blue sealant and fabric applied at seams around a roof cap

Pipe penetration detailed with sealant built up around its base (Commercial Building – 35 Potomac Creek Drive, Fredericksburg, VA) — Pipe penetration detailed with sealant built up around its base

White coating over the standing-seam panels and raised seams (Commercial Building – 35 Potomac Creek Drive, Fredericksburg, VA) — White coating over the standing-seam panels and raised seams

Coated metal roof running the length of the multi-tenant building (Commercial Building – 35 Potomac Creek Drive, Fredericksburg, VA) — Coated metal roof running the length of the multi-tenant building

The Challenge

Standing-seam metal roofs usually leak at the details: seam ends, panel laps, fasteners at transitions, and penetrations. The roof has fastener rows, seam caps and end laps, which are the places where sealants wear out first.

On a multi-tenant building, a leak above one suite can come from a seam well upslope, so it made sense to treat every seam and fastener instead of chasing individual drips.

Our Solution

We did a standard metal roof restoration. We sealed all of the seams and fasteners, detailed the pipe penetrations, and applied a white coating over the roof. Light-blue sealant and reinforcing fabric went on at the seams and penetrations before the white coating.

1We prepared the metal roof surface for sealant and coating.
2We sealed all seams and fasteners, using light-blue sealant and fabric at the seam laps.
3We detailed each pipe penetration with sealant around its base.
4We applied a white coating over the full roof.

Why This Approach

When the panels are in decent shape and the leaks come from seams, fasteners and penetrations, a restoration fixes those leak points directly and costs much less than new metal. It also avoids opening the roof over occupied tenant spaces. Sealing every seam and fastener, not just the ones that are leaking today, gets ahead of the next leak. The white coating protects the sealant work and the metal from the sun and reflects heat off the roof.

Results

All seams and fasteners sealed
Pipe penetrations detailed
White coating over the full standing-seam roof
No tear-off over occupied tenant spaces

Common Questions

Where do standing-seam metal roofs usually leak?

Most leaks come from the details rather than the panels themselves: seam ends and laps, fasteners at transitions, ridge and seam caps, and pipe or vent penetrations. A restoration targets those points with sealant and reinforcing fabric before coating.

How are pipe penetrations sealed on a metal roof?

The area around the pipe is cleaned, and sealant is built up around the base, often with reinforcing fabric, so water cannot get in where the pipe passes through the panel. On a restoration, the penetration is then covered by the roof coating as well.