A homeowner does not have to know the details, with respect to low-slope membranes, but a facility-owner or a building owner does. Those are the types of roofing structures that get placed on the flat surfaces at the top of commercial buildings.

Among membranes used most frequently are those that contain TPO.

It has thermoplastic properties. Due to the presence of seams, these membranes are mostly homogenous.

How PVC compares to TPO

• Membranes with PVC more pliant than the membranes with TPO.
• These do a better job of conforming to substrate changes.

Noteworthy features of an EPDM membrane:

It gets secured to the roof’s deck by ballast. It is joined at the seams by a 2-sided adhesive.

Noteworthy features of a multi-ply membrane system

Each system is built on top of an existing rooftop. Some of the membranes in this system are polymer modified. That means that each such membrane has a base layer of polymer and a modified bitumen membrane.

The various membranes in this system differ largely with respect to the method used to apply the cap sheet. Three different methods have been used by the contractors that have been hired to apply a given membrane’s cap sheet.

One method relies on the application of hot asphalt. A second method of Roof Repair in San Mateo relies on the availability of cold adhesives. During utilization of the 3rd method, a torch gets used to apply cap sheets to the appropriate membrane.

Beyond addition of the cap sheets, some of the membrane systems depend on utilization of a special coating. An aluminum coating appears to give visitors the best sense for what life was like for those that worked for a government service. That was the nature of the requirements for those that were used to dealing with low-slope roof membranes.

Why is a membrane system used on commercial buildings?

Such buildings usually have a flat roof. Yet each such building must provide rain water with a means for falling off of the roof. Most membranes are fairly pliable. That means each of them can be bent slightly. The bending of the membrane creates the desired slope.

Why do the membranes need cap sheets?

The cap sheet takes-on the role of the shingle on a roof’s deck. The shingle gets nailed to the deck. It is impossible to pound nails into a hard roof.

The cap sheets serve the same function as the shingles on a traditional roofing structure. Yet they cannot be nailed onto that structure. Instead the capping sheet gets applied to the membrane by means of a material with adhesive properties.

Sometimes that capping sheet gets covered with a protective coating. Typically, that coating contains aluminum. Its presence prolongs the membrane’s life.