Metal or Spray Foam- Which One to Choose?

Do you have a leaking commercial rooftop building owner? Are you unsure what the best to install roofing system is?

This article is meant to offer building owners general knowledge of the four fundamental roofing systems in existence today.

Before choosing a roofing contractor, see here to know the benefits and shortcomings of metal and single foam roofing.

Single Foam Vs Metal Roof Coating

Single-level roofs are light and easy to maintain and have small initial costs, if many penetrations are lacking but they have extremely critical seam and penetration integrity.

Metal roofs can last for a long time, be aesthetically pleasing, but are very costly to be installed or replaced.

Spray polyurethane foam has a very high R-value, is smooth, can be installed quickly, the thickness is adaptable to eliminate pot water and it can be renewed repeatedly, but it's weather-sensitive.

Roof coating systems are easy to apply and seamless to customize the thickness to grant shorter or longer warranties, but quickly dirty and do not offer significant R value.

Single-Ply Roofing Pros and Cons

Single plate roofing prices

• Lightweight (when not ballasted)

• Easy to keep (when not ballasted)

• Low cost (unless there are details/penetrations)

Lightweight

The roofing system can be lighter when the TPO and EPDM sheets are either fully adhesive or mechanically attached (with fasteners and screws). The system is no longer lightweight when ballasted (the use of rock to hold the system down).

Easy Maintenance

By monitoring seams, flashes and fasteners a single-ply roof can be kept by a roof contractor. You will also inspect the membrane to ensure that it is properly adhered to and that no hole, crack or puncture exists.

Low-cost

A one-ply roof usually cost materials and labor between $3.50 and $8.00 per square foot. There are numerous price variables including:

• The condition of the existing roof

• Choice of isolation (polyiso, EPS, XPS)

• Choice of diaphragm (usually TPO or EPDM)

• Choice of setup (ballasted, fully-adhered, etc.)

• Duration of the warranty you want

• Number of pulls

• Fixing failure

• Critical seam health

• Only one layer of roofing to prevent intrusion into water

Cons-

Expensive

If the ceiling is full of skylights, curbs, pipes, drained lanes and anything that sticks out of the membrane or other taper/slopes required, it can cost $5.00 to $8.00 on the upper side of the single-ply roof.

Failure of the attachment

Attachments are susceptible to reverse or rusting. Foot traffic can also damage them.

Seam health is essential

A single-ply roof has many seams. Seam failure is the one-ply rooftops in which most leaks occur.

Just one layer of the roof to prevent water intrusion

The outermost membrane is the system's only water-resistant layer. Water can move and saturate a large area of the roof when it goes beyond it and into isolation. Call our roofing contractor at Elliot Roofing in Oklahoma City.