What Building Owners Should Know About Different Types of Commercial Roofs

By September 16, 2022Roofing Company

Each material that could get used in a roof helps to determine the length of the roof’s lifespan. In addition, Roofing Contractor in San Jose knows that each such material provides the roofing with specific benefits and drawbacks.

Built-Up roofing

This contains tar and gravel, along with layers of reinforced fabric and bitten. Those layers hold up well under heavy traffic. Still, the same layers puncture easily, and fail to display resilience in cold temperatures.

Thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO)

This is a simple rubber membrane. It allows a building owner to enjoy numerous benefits: durability, flexibility, energy efficiency and resistance to mold. It is also UV-resistant, recyclable and lightweight.

PVC

This features, 2 layers of thermoplastic material, and that layered material has been reinforced with polyester. There is a permanent bond at the layered seams. A building owner can expect this type of roofing to last for 15 to 30 years.

PVC roofing is markedly strong, and displays resistance to the effects of water, chemicals, fire and wind. However, it is prone to both shattering and puncturing.

Modified bitumen

This is made with asphalt, along with reinforced glass fiber or polyester. It features high tensile strength, heat-reflective properties and recyclability. However, the layers can hide the source of a leak.

How should a building owner go about the task of selecting one of the different types of roofing?

It would be the owner’s job to study the benefits and drawbacks that are associated with each type of roof, while keeping in mind the specific needs of the structure that the same owner planed to furnish with suitable roofing.

For instance, if the structure in need of a new roof were one that had lots of foot traffic on its flat rooftop, then the owner’s evaluation of the choices might lead him or her to select the tradition type of built-up rooftop.

Yet that choice would force the same owner to forego the benefits of durability and flexibility, which can be enjoyed by those building owners that have made TPO their roofing-material-of choice. Moreover, other consequences could cause the building owner’s selection to be questioned for other reasons.

Once covered with the built-up roof, the structure would not be an example of heat efficiency. The heating bills could become quite large. Furthermore, the installers would have to deal with a heavy material.

Some owners might feel compelled to support efforts at sustainability. In that case, their selection should be either TPO or modified bitumen. Yet, a decision to go with the latter product could invite problems, if, at some time, there appeared indications of leaking.

Roofers would struggle to locate the source of the leak. That would make it hard for them to correct the problem.