Before and after

Was Ake’ Building

Wagner, SD · 22,960 sf · restored in 10 working days, with the original 1994 panels kept in place.

Before / existing

A 1994 standing seam at the end of its life

  • Actively leaking, with stained ceiling tile throughout the interior
  • Failing seams, with earlier repairs delaminating across the field
  • Loose and missing fasteners at the gutter edge, seam overlaps, and flashings
  • Surface rust across the whole roof, from minimal to moderately severe
  • Graded D+, with under two years of service life remaining
After / Gaco Flex S20 MR Restoration System

A sealed, warranted metal roof

  • Severe rust mechanically removed and primed
  • Loose and missing screws replaced across the roof
  • Every seam, bolt, and penetration sealed with flashing-grade product
  • A seamless fluid-applied membrane over the entire field
  • The original panels kept in place — no tear-off

Measured change

D+Warranted
Overall rating
Under 2 yr20 yr NDL
Service life
LeakingSealed
Roof status
RustingEncapsulated
Sheet metal
The Was Ake' Building's 1994 standing seam metal roof before restoration, showing weathered panels, patched seams, and rooftop units in Wagner, South Dakota
Documented condition · March 2026
The roof as A-1 found it on 30 March 2026: thirty-two years of weather on the original panels, earlier seam repairs delaminating, and rust spreading across the field. Graded D+, with under two years of service life left.

How the roof was renewed

  1. 1

    Wash

    Pressure-washed the surface with Gaco roof wash to strip oxidation and lift the loose, failing sealants left by earlier repairs.

  2. 2

    De-rust

    Mechanically removed the severe rust. Spot repairs cannot solve rust at this coverage — it simply returns and spreads.

  3. 3

    Re-fasten

    Replaced the loose and missing screws along the gutter edge, seam overlaps, and edge flashings before anything went over them.

  4. 4

    Prime

    Gaco rust primer over the severely rusted areas, then GacoFlex E5320 across the surface to guarantee adhesion.

  5. 5

    Seal

    Sealed every seam, bolt, penetration, and protrusion with approved flashing-grade products — the exact points the roof was leaking through.

  6. 6

    Coat

    Finished with the approved topcoat, closing the roof into one seamless waterproof membrane with no laps left to fail.

Gaco Flex S20 MR — NDL, labor and material
20yr

Leak-free warranty

  • Installed to specification MR-S20-38-20
  • Factory-inspected
  • Original 1994 panels kept in place
  • Renewable with a wash and recoat
A-1 Factory Warranty

Renewed, not replaced

A metal roof can be replaced with another metal roof, and the new one still has end laps, vertical seams, and thousands of screws — every one of them a way in for water. Restoring instead puts a seamless membrane over the panels that are already there. The building below, offices and conference space for the Yankton Sioux Tribe, stayed in use throughout, and a wash and recoat at the end of the term starts the cycle again.

A roof from 1994, still working — without a tear-off.

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