subject: Flat Roofing Types And Features [print this page] The roof of you flat or home is much more than just a shelter above your head. It defines the etiquette and the structure of your building and speaks a lot about your tastes and preferences. So, you need to take great care while deciding upon the type of flat roofing for your home. From among the numerous choices available, you need to choose the best one depending upon your necessity and budgetary restrictions. Here, we have tried to give you a brief overview of the different types of flat roofing materials available and their pros and cons.
The different types of roofing systems are as follows:
Built up Roofing (BUR): Asphalt BUR is the most popular and common type of roofing nowadays. BUR consists of alternate layers of reinforcing fabrics and asphalt or bitumen to create a complete membrane of waterproof roofing. The number of plies used in the roof is the number of plies in one such membrane. For example, a four ply roof means four plies have been used in a cross section. The bitumen used is usually asphalt or cold-applied adhesives. The cold adhesives hold an advantage over asphalt in the fact that they dont need to be heated in a furnace before its application. Also, asphalt degradation is a major problem with the asphalt coated roofs, where the sun rays oxidize the asphalt coating to produce a residue and creating cracks. Hence, regular maintenance is necessary to keep your roof in good condition.
Single Ply Membranes: They are factory manufactured sheet membranes and are generally categorized as thermoset Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer (EPDM) or Thermoplastic Olefin (TPO or PVC). EDPM is a rubber roof single ply membrane used on low slope roofing surfaces. It is relatively less expensive and easy to install. The EPDM roofing is highly dependable and resistant to natural calamities like hurricane to a great extent. Also, its high efficiency the low installation labor cost makes it the material of choice for installation of new roofs or up gradation of existing ones. TPO or PVC roofing use sheets of PVC made by extrusion or calendaring with lamination or extrusion coating techniques and usually reinforced with polyester. They, owing to their chemical properties are usually seamed with hot air by heat welding or by solvent welding.
Modified Bitumen: These consist of reinforcing fabrics which serve as carriers of the hot polymer-modified asphalt. Two types of modified bitumen roofing systems are available, the SBS roofing which can be installed with hot asphalt or cold adhesive or with self adhesive backing and the APP membranes which are heat welded.
The kind of roofing you choose determines the longevity of your roof. Thus you need to give a good thought before choosing the perfect roofing for your building.
