ROOF COATINGS

Featured Roof Coating Project

This design-build Comcast National Data Center included site selection, land development approval, site work construction, complete shell, core, and partial fit-out. The three-building construction project included over 60,000 linear feet of underground PVC and more than 260,000 linear feet of computer cable.

Roofing Construction:

F&F Roofing

Client:

Kohl's Department Store

Project Location:

Port Jefferson, New York

Square Footage:

22,000 SqFt

Roof Coatings

EPDM is an extremely durable synthetic rubber roofing membrane (ethylene propylene diene terpolymer) widely used in low-slope buildings in the United States and worldwide. Its two primary ingredients, ethylene and propylene, are derived from oil and natural gas.

EPDM is available in both black and white, and is sold a broad variety of widths, ranging from 7.5 feet to fifty feet, and in two thicknesses, 45 and 60 mils. EPDM can be installed either fully adhered, mechanically attached or ballasted, with the seams of the roofing system sealed with liquid adhesives or specially formulated tape.

Installing a Roof Coating

There are three ways to install an EPDM roof. Adhered, mechanically fastened or ballasted. Each installation method has its own benefits and uses. A fully adhered system means that the roof is being glued to the surface beneath it. This is both the most time-consuming installation and the longest lasting of the EPDM systems.

The most common EPDM system is mechanically attached, which has fasteners that are screwed into the deck through the insulation. Ballasted systems are loose-laid over the insulation and held in place by smooth, river-washed stoned or concrete pavers.

What are the Benefits of Coating a Roof?

EDPM lends itself especially well to low-slope roofs, which makes it a popular choice for many commercial buildings, as well as on car ports and patio roofs. One of the advantages of a rubber roof is its cost. While costs vary somewhat from region to region and between installers, the cost of an EPDM roof is generally very favorable when compared to most other types of roofing.

Whenever possible, a sheet of EPDM is installed whole, covering the entire roofing area. This eliminates the need for any seams, which further enhances the waterproofing characteristics of this type of roofing. Even with a seam, EPDM is virtually waterproof, and if a leak ever does develop, repairs are fast, easy and inexpensive.

Not only that, EPDM roofs are fire resistant. They are almost impossible to ignite, and they can actually impede the progress of a fire.

An EPDM roof lasts a long time. In fact, even with only minimal attention, an EPDM roof can last 50 years or even longer. New formulations for the rubber make these roofs virtually impervious to radiation and damage from UV rays. They are wind resistant and stand up well to hail as large as three inches across. These roofs are pliable and settle right along with a building. They are also impervious to extremes of heat or cold. In fact, unless there is some very unusual event, these roofs virtually never leak.