A flat commercial roof bears little resemblance to the flat rooftop on a typical private home. For that reason, the owner of a large building needs to learn about the different materials that are used to make commercial roofs. This article gives the good and bad points associated with each of the listed systems.

A silicone roof coating

This can go directly onto an existing surface. It extends the life of an existing rooftop. It offers protection against the formation of “ponds” of water. That protection lasts for between 15 and 20 years. Although this coating gets painted or sprayed onto a rooftop structure, it does not produce a great deal of odor.

Elastomeric acrylic

This seamless protection provides a roof with a watertight seal. This system’s light but durable material ensures the existence of that protection for 10 to 20 years.

Built-up roofing

Layers of tar, gravel and ply sheet can be found in each of these built-up systems. Each layer-filled system provides a building owner with a roofing system that is easy to maintain and simple to fix. It is inexpensive but heavy.

In other words, it puts a great deal of stress on the rooftop’s underlying structure. Still each of these built-up systems is fire-resistant, crack-resistant and waterproof.

Modified bitumen

This is another roofing system with layers, but it has only 2 layers. The system’s materials come in ready-to-install strips. Moreover, it has features not found in the 3-layer system. It can withstand a larger amount of stress, and it holds up well when the temperature changes.

TPO roofing

Each thermoplastic roof membrane gets sold as a roll-on material. Once a TPO system has been rolled onto a rooftop, it gives that same structure the ability to resist animal-based oils and fats. At the same time, it demonstrates resistance to heat and cold.

The features associated with the TPO system makes that rolled-on membrane a great material for a roof on a restaurant. While the system’s ease of installation adds to its appeal, the cost of all TPO systems creates a drawback. Consequently, Roofing Contractor in San Mateo know that drawback must be weighed against the systems’ several advantages.

Every building owner has particular needs. The existence of those needs can add to the appeal of one particular system for commercial roofs. Still, the extent of that appeal could become clouded, once the same building owner has learned about the systems’ drawbacks.

For instance, building owners with limited funds might give serious consideration to the built-up roof. Still, any such owner might alter his or her preference for that inexpensive roof, after discovering that built-up roofs seldom hold up well, whenever any one of them has been placed under a decided level of stress.