Totally agree about coatings being underrated. When I replaced mine, the supplier kept pushing thicker gauge sheets, but after some digging, I realized their coating was subpar. Glad I did my homework—saved me from a costly redo down the line...
Good catch on the coating issue—it's easy to overlook. Did you end up finding a supplier with both solid gauge options and quality coatings, or did you have to compromise somewhere? Curious how you balanced that out...
Good point about the coatings—honestly, it surprises me how many people gloss right over that. From my experience, finding a supplier that nails both gauge options and coatings is like hunting unicorns...usually something's gotta give. Last project I worked on, we thought we'd scored with a supplier who had solid gauge sheets, but their coating started peeling after just one rough winter. Learned that lesson the hard way.
If you've found someone who checks both boxes, hats off to you. But if you're still juggling compromises, I'd say prioritize coatings slightly higher. Gauge matters, sure, but I've seen thinner sheets hold up surprisingly well when the coating is top-notch. You can reinforce thinner sheets structurally, but once that coating fails, you're looking at rust and headaches down the line. Anyway, sounds like you're on the right track—good luck out there.
"Gauge matters, sure, but I've seen thinner sheets hold up surprisingly well when the coating is top-notch."
Totally agree on this. Had a similar experience—went thinner gauge but splurged on a premium coating. Five years later, roof's still solid. Ever tried silicone-based coatings? Curious how others feel about those...
"Five years later, roof's still solid."
Five years isn't bad, but honestly, I'd be cautious relying too much on coatings alone. I've seen roofs with premium silicone coatings start peeling around the 7-8 year mark, especially in harsh climates. Maybe it's just bad luck or poor prep work...but I'd personally rather invest in a slightly thicker gauge upfront and not have to worry as much about recoating down the road. Anyone else had silicone hold up longer?
