Building code and manufacturer instructions are not competing alternatives. For many regulated assemblies, the Florida Building Code expressly requires installation in accordance with approved documents and manufacturer instructions. For ordinary coatings that are not themselves a code-listed system, the manufacturer’s technical instructions still control whether the product is being used as designed.
What the Code Does
The Florida Building Code establishes minimum construction requirements. For example, the Residential Code says roof assemblies are to be applied in accordance with the chapter and the manufacturer’s installation instructions. The Building Code also states that approved materials and equipment are to be installed in accordance with their approval, and exterior-wall-envelope documentation can require manufacturer installation instructions around penetrations and openings.
What Manufacturer Instructions Do
Technical data sheets define the conditions under which a coating is intended to work: compatible substrates, required preparation, primer, application temperature, moisture limits, film thickness, recoat time and other system details. A building inspector’s acceptance does not turn an incompatible application into a sound coating system.
A Product Approval Adds Another Layer
When a system has a Florida Product Approval, read the approval’s limits of use and the approved installation instructions. A contractor should not substitute a different substrate, layer, fastening pattern or system component and still describe the result as the approved assembly unless the approval permits it.
What a Coating Cannot Do
A surface coating does not waive underlying code requirements. Paint cannot substitute for required flashing, a water-resistive barrier, structural repair, roof drainage or a compliant roof assembly simply because the coating itself is marketed as waterproof or elastomeric.