It’s just a plain fact that the membrane roof is now one of the best all around roofing systems available, and this is for several reasons. Just the same though, real “nut and bolts” information on this new type of roof it seems can be hard to come by.
For instance, did you know that you can buy the materials locally to install your own membrane roof? Well it’s true. Also you can add to that, that in fact it’s one of the safest types of flat roofing systems to lay down because you don’t have to mess with a hot tar kettle.
Even so, before we get into where to buy and how to install a membrane roof, I want to go over the various types there are available. You see, times sure have changed and while roofing has become safer, the materials that you can find yourself working with have become more complicated.
Let’s Talk About Torch Down Roofing
So for the sake of simplicity, I’ll cover “torch down roofing” first. Now this style of membrane roof does go by a few other names but down at your local roofing materials supply house all the local roofers just call it “torch down”.
Once you see and feel a roll of torch down roofing, you just can’t help but be impressed with it’s straight forward simplicity. This membrane roof product is basically standard, mineral coated, rolled (90 pound) “top cap” roofing material, like you’ve seen before, but with one huge difference.
That is that this type of roofing system comes with a thick ¼ inch layer of tar on the bottom side of it. Not just any tar either. Rather, this is a unique new asphalt product with elasticizing agents blended into it to resist cracking. So it’s definitely a big step up from a standard asphalt roof.
Installing a Torch Down Membrane Roof
The way that that this type of membrane roof is installed is where it gets its name from because it is quite literally “blasted” on the bottom side with a blow-torch as it’s rolled out on the roof deck. Now of course a layer of felt or fiberglass matting is nailed down first, but that’s pretty much it.
Sound a little dangerous? Well don’t worry because it’s really not as out of control as it may sound and in fact the folks at your local roofing materials supply house no doubt have a torch, and tank of gas that they lend out. Ask them, and they’ll tell you that homeowners do it all the time.
The secret is to keep the roll moving so it “snuffs out” the flames as they’re created by the molten tar. Also don’t forget to wear a good pair of heavy leather gloves with a long sleeved “cotton” shirt. Oh! Just one more thing. Do remember to keep a 5 gallon bucket of water “handy”.
So that’s torch down roofing and if you can hold a flaming torch to a roll of membrane roof material while you push it along with your boot, this is one of the few membrane roofing systems you can do yourself. Also another surprise is that it really is quite affordable to buy, and it’s rated to last up to 20+ years.
Let’s Talk About Synthetic Rubber Roofing
Synthetic rubber roofing is also known by several names, but once again, down at your local roofing materials supply yard they simply call it rubber roofing. Now it comes in a few different forms, so you do have to clarify what your looking for when you buy it.
Synthetic rubber roofing systems also fall in a category of membrane roof called cold application, or what roofers refer to as “cold ap”. In short, what this refers to, is any of the new flat membrane roof systems that are applied without heat, and there are quite a few of them.
In their earlier years, about three decades back, cold application roofing systems in spite of being a better roof were somewhat of a hard sell for one reason only. That was that roofing contractors just found it hard to believe that a roof that was laid down without heat could stand stand the test of time.
Anyway that as then and this is now because today you still can find roofing contractors that do hot tare built up roofs, but they’re fast becoming a rarity. Face it. Hot tar is flat out dangerous to work with, and in fact insurance carriers rate hot tar roofing just below coal mining in terms of risk level.
New Synthetic Rubber Roofing is Amazing Stuff
Today’s synthetic rubber membrane roof products come in sheets, and in liquid form. Also you can buy liquid rubber as a one component compound that’s basically poured out of a container and onto a roof, or you can find it is a polymer. Two part products that have to be blended to react, and solidify.
Also as a roof patching compound for fixing leaks, synthetic rubber is also very effective and even more so than standard roof patching “mastic” that you can buy down at your local hardware store. Now be aware though that while it is better, it’s also more expensive.
For one thing liquid roofing rubber sets up tight as a drum after it has oozed its way deep into cracks and crevices. It also doesn’t crack like standard asphalt based patch, and will hold water for up to a solid year if it has to. It’s also rated to last up to five years in full exposure on a roof surface.
Even so a synthetic rubber membrane roof, unlike torch down is really not a “do it yourself” option, and in fact it takes a crew of a minimum three workers to install it correctly. This in spite of the fact that it’s a cold application process.
The problem, is that the actual sheets of rubber that have to be tugged and pulled around to install this type of roofing system are large, heavy, and quite awkward. Also the liquid rubber that is used to bond the edges, can be incredibly “unforgiving” to work with.
The big problem, is that the liquid rubber is used in the same way as contact cement. That is that in most cases, the edges aren’t bonded while it’s wet and slippery, but instead the bonding is done after it has been allowed to cure, and become somewhat tacky. It just takes more than one pair of hands to get it right.
Today’s High Tech Plastic Membrane Roof
The word “plastic” in fact doesn’t refer to a certain chemical composition as many people tend to think. Rather, the word is Latin, and translates directly into the term “to change”. So what this means, is that when you think of a plastic membrane roof, don’t think that it’s made from recycled soda bottles.
Rather, today’s plastic flat roofing systems can be made up of, or composed of any number of substances including polyvinyl chloride, or a litany of other plastics that go by acronyms like NPB, PIB, CPA, TPO, EIP and CPE. All high grade plastics, and this is why of any membrane roof you can buy, these tend to be the most costly.
Perhaps you may have driven by or seen a picture one of the newer domed sports complexes, and noticed that it had a solid white roof covering. Well that would be one of these newer high tech plastic materials that you saw, and you can’t help but notice how this type of covering seems to “shrink wrap” a building.
Now you can in fact buy the materials online and in many cases locally for a do it yourself plastic membrane roof job, but be aware that that they are expensive. For instance look to spend around $50 per gallon for the glue alone that’s used to bond the edges. Also just like cold ap rubber roofing systems, you’ll definitely need some help on the job.