Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Using an EPDM Roof for a Maintenance-Free Building

One of the older roofing choices came in rolls and had to be coated over or re-applied within about eight years, and sometimes even sooner. There were even roofing choices known as “torch-down” roofing, but you’d have to rent a torch and it’s a dirty, unsafe job to apply this type of roof.

EPDM Roofing is Cost-Effective

A popular option now is EPDM roof membrane. It’s easy to install and quite durable. Single-ply EPDM rubber roofing has solid advantages over many other types of roofing options. The membrane is flexible even in extreme temperatures, and it won’t deteriorate quickly from the sun’s radiation, as some older roofing choices did.

EPDM rubber membrane for roofs is not cheap, but it lasts a lot longer than many other roofing options. It is available in black and white, and the black membrane is normally less expensive. However, the white membrane reflects the sun’s rays back and helps make cooling your building cheaper.

Pro Home Adviser suggests that the cover strips for EPDM roof surfaces are usually black, and many business owners opt to paint them white, so that the building will retain its energy-efficiency. More than one coat may be necessary in order to make sure that the entire roof surface remains white.

Warranted Roofs

EPDM roofing has an excellent warranty, which includes products for residential buildings, as well as commercial properties. Most business managers who have used the single-ply membrane feel that it will last a lot longer than the typical warranty period. As more people use this product, it is becoming easier to find in many local areas.

Installation Tips

EPDM roof membrane works best if installed when temperatures range from 40F to 80F. The glue that is used to secure the product does become aggressive if used during a time of high temperatures. There are special installation techniques used for high temperatures, though.

Benefits of Light-Colored Roofing

It has long been the goal of environmentally friendly businesses to supply their buildings with energy efficient and sustainable roofing systems. In fact, United States Energy Secretary Stephen Chu mentioned that all available roofs should be white, to make all buildings more energy-efficient.

Epdmroofs.org considers whether the comment was focused on making buildings easier to maintain or on helping the environment. His statement may have been rooted in issues related to climate change, but it still makes good fiscal sense to make commercial buildings less expensive to cool.
Dark roofs absorb more heat, especially during the sunniest days of the summer, and light colored EPDM roofing materials absorb a good deal less. In urban and commercial areas, any dark-colored area, including roadways and parking lots, creates increased temperatures. It has been demonstrated how much more comfortable it is to stand on a lighter colored surface when the days are hot and the sun is strong. This carries over to buildings, where a lighter surface makes for easier maintenance and cheaper cooling.



For product information or ordering Visit their Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/liquidepdm or call them at 855-281-0940. 

2 comments:

Fabulous69 said...

Could the epdm rubber roofing system be used on a houseboat (flat roof)
Previous pooling problems.

Roof Repair Forum said...

yes if there were any 3rd party coatings applied to the original epdm you will need to first apply the proflex primer otherwise it is one coat of the liquid roof
Thank you