Brent McFarlin, who manages the Project Managing and Estimating Department, joined KCommercial Roofing — Single Ply, Built Up & Modified
KPostCompany's expertise extends to virtually all commercial flat roofing systems (please visit our sheetmetal page for info on commercial metal roofing). We are certified applicators of Sarnafil, GAF, Johns Manville, Soprema, Siplast, Firestone, Carlisle, and others.
The 33 TV Dallas (July 24, 2009)
One of the properties of thermoplastic roofing membranes is that the material temporarily changes from a solid to a semi-solid state when heated sufficiently, enabling the sheets or panels that are overlapped to be fused together and return to a solid upon cooling. Thus, a monolithic, continuous sheet membrane is created.
Sika Sarnafil’s specially formulated thermoplastic membrane is also designed to withstand the everyday occurrences of ponding water and other natural elements such as birds, biological organisms, pollution, wind, hail and snow.
“Vinyl” is the shortened term for “polyvinyl chloride.” Vinyl, or PVC as it is more commonly referred, is a molecule comprised of carbon, hydrogen and chlorine (taken from salt). It is the most well-known of the available thermoplastic roof membranes. Vinyl membranes for roof applications were first developed in Germany and Switzerland in the early 1960s and arrived in North America in the 1970s. Today they have the longest track record of any thermoplastic roof membrane and continue to gain in market share.
Besides the important feature of heat-welded seam technology, Sika Sarnafil’s PVC roof membranes offer many other benefits including:
- Proven performance history of over 40 years
- Good low-temperature flexibility and high-temperature tolerance
- Inherently fire resistant
- Highly puncture and impact resistant
- Easy to repair
- Available in a spectrum of colors including energy efficient reflective white
- Proven durability against rooftop soiling and contamination
- Installation friendly and installed by a variety of attachment methods
- Aesthetically appealing, and can be used to create the look of standing seam metal
- Provides excellent visual feedback of workmanship during and after installation
Sika Sarnafil has used the same basic formulation in its manufacturing processes of PVC membranes since 1964. Proven performance of any roofing or waterproofing membrane using the same formulation, whether it be PVC or TPO (thermoplastic polyolefin), is the key to making a wise, long-term decision.
GAF Materials Corporation has grown to become North America’s largest manufacturer of commercial roofing.
Professional installers have long preferred the rugged, dependable performance that only a GAF roof can offer, and have made it the #1-selling brand in North America.
GAF's quality roofing products are regularly recognized by leading industry experts, including:
- Fireshield® brand roof restoration system named "Best Product" by the editors of Buildings magazine
- Winner of the Builder’s Choice award
- Freedom™ TPO self-adhering roofing systems chosen Product Of The Year by Commercial Building Products magazine
Johns Manville Roofing Systems are dedicated to helping you defy the elements with the most extensive offering of low slope roofing solutions. To construct highly protective, energy efficient and cost effective roofs, an integrated JM system delivers more value than individually purchased components. Tested and proven to work together, the elements of a JM roofing system are designed to meet the specific requirements of each individual building.
Part of their system approach is the inclusion of technical and customer support as well as strong guarantees which add peace of mind to the value equation. Single-source supply also means single-source responsibility and single-source dependability. For long-term performance look to JM for advanced capabilities in the building sciences.
Comprehensive Roofing Solutions
Their portfolio of commercial roofing systems includes a complete line of single ply, built-up and modified bitumen membranes, including Cool Roof solutions. They are complemented by quality thermal insulations, cover boards, adhesives, cements, roof coatings and specialty roofing products — all with the convenience of a single-source provider.
Innovative Products
JM's emphasis on research and development helps us anticipate market needs and meet evolving building requirements with creative solutions.
The science behind their materials and products is extensive. Working in partnership with their customers, JM's new product development teams are challenged to adapt new and innovative technologies that cost-effectively increase the performance of commercial/industrial roofing systems.
The Johns Manville Technical Center in Littleton, Colorado is one of the best-equipped research facilities in the country, with extensive capabilities in structural, chemical, mechanical and thermal analyses. Here, JM scientists and engineers test and develop products to find technology-based solutions for specific market and product needs.
Examples of JM innovations include:
- Multiple Cool Roof Systems — to include TPO and PVC single ply roofing systems
- Next Generation PVC — Johns Manville's PVC formulation with DuPont™ Elvaloy® KEE technology offering longer lasting protection
- JMCleanBond™ — a self-adhering technology for cleaner installation of SBS modified bitumen
- GlasKap® CR — a reflective, white mineral surfaced fiber glass cap sheet for greater energy efficiency
- Invinsa™ Roof Board — a lightweight board that reduces labor and optimizes longevity of the roof system
- PermaFlash™ Bituminous Flashing System — a flexible liquid-applied flashing system for use on any penetration, even the most challenging
Soprema, Inc., founded in 1908, is a manufacturing and contracting company (contracting in Europe only). They have eight manufacturing plants that produce SBS (styrene butadiene styrene) engineered asphaltic membrane.
Their experience runs the gauntlet from chemical engineering and manufacturing, through system design and installation technology. They currently offer ten installation methods for ease of application and design flexibility.
Involved since the inception of the concept of engineered asphaltic membranes, Soprema has consistently devoted a significant percentage of their annual expenditures to R & D in chemical engineering. In principle, elastomeric asphalt offers the remarkable qualities of pure waterproofing with great cyclic fatigue resistance. Longevity, however, is built upon the crucible of chemical engineering. They have pioneered several key components to create their proprietary blending technology. These innovations, tremendous resistance to heat aging and cyclic fatigue, have been adopted and become integral to the de facto standards for chemical blending by producers from around the world.
In manufacturing, Soprema has set the standard for quality assurance and productivity. Determined to develop their proprietary products, Soprema made a commitment to design and build their own SBS manufacturing lines. Their state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities make highly technical product designs. All of their facilities comply with ISO 9002 criteria. This systemic quality program creates a written (independently audited) record of all of their production parameters. Their Canadian facility was the first roofing material manufacturer to earn ISO 9000 status in North America in 1993. The Wadsworth facility was certified in 1996.
Their U.S. long-term warranty program is based upon real world successes that equal or exceed conventional warranty agreements of 10, 15 and 20 years.
They have successfully completed projects in over 60 countries on five continents in every conceivable climate. They are capable of this unique approach because they are true SBS technologists. Their proven track record of 25-plus years of demonstrated value to contractors, specifiers and owners is silent testimony to a superior system design and installation philosophy combined with a great revolutionary idea, elastomeric asphalt.
For more than 35 years, Siplast has been a leader in the development and manufacture of the world's most advanced roofing and waterproofing systems. A member of the Icopal Group, one of the world's largest commercial roofing manufacturers, Siplast has a history of innovation. In the late 1960s, Siplast Research and Development, working in conjunction with Shell Chemical of Europe, developed SBS (styrene-butadiene-styrene) modified bitumens. They found that by properly modifying asphalt with SBS, they could produce a highly durable elastomeric blend with exceptional elongation/recovery properties over a wide range of temperatures.
There are Siplast roofs applied in the early years of their SBS blend that are still in service today. Since then, Siplast Engineered Roof Systems have been applied over all types of deck constructions, in the extremely varied weather conditions of more than 40 countries.
Siplast offers complete commercial roofing and waterproofing solutions that include all of the accessory components necessary to build a great system. Whether it's edge metal, roofing fasteners, or sealant, you can be assured that Siplast accessories have been designed and manufactured to work with Siplast SBS-modified bitumen membranes.
Siplast is the only commercial manufacturer to offer a roof system package that combines SBS-modified bitumen membranes with the added benefits of lightweight insulating concrete. Siplast's SBS-modified bitumen roof membranes have a long performance history over lightweight insulating concrete. Their experience has shown that the insulation's encapsulated design provides a stable, monolithic surface for the roof membrane system. It has also demonstrated that the relatively high density of Siplast Lightweight Insulating Concrete can positively affect membrane life by impeding extreme temperature fluctuations and the resulting thermal stresses that can cause membrane fatigue.
Used together, Siplast SBS-modified bitumen roof membranes and Siplast Lightweight Insulating Concrete Systems result in a longer lasting roof. And, since Siplast Lightweight Insulating Concrete Systems are reroofable, significant cost savings over the life of the building can be realized.
As a leading manufacturer of superior commercial roofing solutions, Firestone Building Products Company, LLC has been trusted by contractors, building owners and specifiers for nearly 30 years. The company has steadily diversified from a single product to a full line manufacturer of EPDM, thermoplastic, asphalt and metal roofing systems, polyiso insulation and accessories.
In 1980, Firestone introduced RubberGard EPDM, the benchmark product that launched the company’s influential role in the commercial roofing industry. That same year, Firestone’s first RubberGard EPDM roof was installed and warranted. Firestone opened its first RubberGard EPDM manufacturing plant in Prescott, Arkansas, in 1983.
With the introduction of its UltraPly membranes, Firestone entered the thermoplastic roofing market in 1986. The company’s first installation of UltraPly occurred the same year in Indianapolis, Indiana. In 1988, Firestone broadened its product offerings to include modified bitumen roofing systems with the acquisition of Teltex/ICM (International Construction Materials) in North Branford, Connecticut. Firestone began manufacturing ISO 95+ polyiso insulation with the acquisition of six insulation manufacturing plants from T.S. Industries in 1989.
To meet worldwide market demand for EPDM, Firestone added 45-mil, polyester-reinforced RubberGard membrane to its product line in 1991. Revolutionizing Firestone’s accessory product line, Firestone’s QuickSeam Tape System was introduced in 1993.
In 1996, Firestone expanded its product line to include self-adhered base systems. Firestone introduced UltraPly TPO (thermoplastic polyolefin) in 1999. That same year, Firestone opened its first TPO manufacturing plant in Wellford, South Carolina.
Firestone introduced the industry’s first 30-year warranty with the introduction of Firestone RubberGard Platinum EPDM in 2003. Through the acquisition of Copper Sales, Inc., Firestone began offering metal roofing products under the UNA-CLAD by Firestone name in 2005.
In 2006, Firestone acquired GenFlex Building Products unit from OMNOVA Solutions Inc. As a result, Firestone began offering a second brand of roofing products marketed under the GenFlex brand name, and attained a thermoplastic membrane manufacturing plant in Muscle Shoals/Tuscumbia, Alabama, and a product distribution center in Columbus, Ohio. Firestone Metal Products, a sister company of Firestone Building Products, opened a metal roofing plant and distribution center in Reno, Nevada, in 2006. Firestone unveiled the industry’s first 30-year TPO warranty with the introduction of the UltraPly TPO Platinum Roofing System in 2006.
Thermoplastic polyolefin, or TPO, is the fastest-growing segment of the commercial roofing industry, and Carlisle is a leading supplier of this type of roofing material. Fueling this growth is the increased use of TPO in southern climates, where reflective, energy-efficient and cool roof products are becoming the norm. Carlisle’s white and tan Sure-Weld® TPO membranes are ENERGY STAR®-rated and Cool Roof Rating Council (CRRC)-certified, and have been directly attributed to a reduction in a building’s energy use and cooling costs.
Carlisle's FleeceBACK® membranes are an ideal choice for buildings that require superior rooftop protection and long-term durability. FleeceBACK membranes feature 45-, 60- or 90-mil EPDM and 45- or 60-mil TPO membranes joined with a strong 55-mil fleece. The combination of fleece and Carlisle's proven membranes create a rooftop that can withstand the most demanding and extreme weather conditions. Often used with the FleeceBACK systems, FAST™Adhesive is a two-component, lo-rise insulating adhesive that offers superior staying power and adds to the rooftop R-value. A FleeceBACK - FAST system provides a bond that offers superior strength and wind uplift resistance to 120 miles per hour.
For HotMopped and ColdApplied FleeceBACK systems, Carlisle offers its patented AFX fleece. AFX offers additional protection against hot asphalt saturation, ensuring that it does not bleed through and discolor the TPO or EPDM membrane.
Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) is a trusted membrane that has been performing admirably for decades in the European market and in North America. Another option for reflective roofing, Carlisle’s Sure-Flex™ PVC membranes are ENERGY STAR®-rated and CRRC-certified, offering building owners the potential for decreased cooling costs. Sure-Flex PVC also offers excellent resistance to rooftop chemicals, including acids, oils and greases.