Thanks again for the detailed response. You’ve been a tremendous resource, from me finding IB Roof on your site (googled single ply membrane roofing) to these well thought answers to my novice questions.

I talked to Katrina Harrison, IB Warranty Dept. She said they do allow materiasl substitution on the ISO board, and have an approved supplier list. ISO board was the one item that seemed unreasonable to force installers to use. As you said shipping costs & logistics, like bulk storage, are problematic.

I know i’m only dealing with a residential roof….but if a manufacturer is ofeering a Lifetime warranty on materials I figure it makes sense to follow the proper guidlines.

Thanks again for all your help. I emailed Todd Lesnett and let him know how helpful your site is.

In short, if you don’t plan to use it as deck, you probably do not need IB Deckshield – it’s a special product for decks, and costs much more than regular IB roof.

If cost is in fact almost the same (which I find hard to believe – DeckShied over DensDeck substrate is very involved and time consuming installation, and materials are much more expensive compared to typical 50-mil IB Roof over ISO insulation) than why not.

As far as warranty – EVERY roofing manufacturer requires use of their accessories for the warranty – not just IB Roofs.

Is this quality control or IB bankroll assurance? – I think both, though their accessories are pretty much same price as if their were bought locally. The only thing for me, is getting insulation from Chicago or Dallas – it’s bulky and shipping is expensive. We get insulation locally and I am almost 100% sure that IB will not be knit-picking the fact that we use “not their” insulation if there is ever an issue with material. Insulation is essentially the same, whether you get it from IB or local roofing supplier.

All other stuff besides insulation (and sometimes screws, if we run short), we get directly from IB. This is especially important, when it comes to flashing and adhesive. Flashings – inside / outside corners, pipe boots, drip edge metal, etc are made from same PVC material as IB roof, so it is essential to use them, and not other brand. Besides, IB makes some of the best flashings on the market, and has the widest selection.

On the other hand, I never heard of an actual IB Roof material failure, where the warranty would have to come into effect.

She has a front porch & rear deck, and will be in the house for 15-20 years. So she does not need to use it as a deck. (I just thought if the cost was the almost the same, why not?)

I did learn from Tood Lesnett, that for the IB warranty to be good, all accessories (adhesive, flashing, fasteners, ISO board) must be IB brand. Is this quality control or IB bankroll assurance?

Railing posts – IB makes railing post flashing which can be made to order, or a standard 4×4 post flashing. Either see the link to a flat roof deck installation above – or check our “roof decks” link all the way at the top. We do not use pitch pockets either, and they are really not needed anymore for most situations, as IB makes flashings to fit almost any roof penetration.

IB DeckShield and the 10 year warranty:

There is no loss of quality. Here is the thing that many people fail to understand or even acknowledge – ANY roof’s warranty assumes NO regular foot traffic, and will be voided if manufacturer knows there is foot traffic on the roof besides the regular maintenance and repairs.

IB warrants a membrane which they know will receive regular foot traffic, deck furniture, plants, grills, dropping objects, etc. It will most likely last much longer, but because the roof will be “abused”, IB limits liability to 10 years.

Regular IB roof (as well as most other flat roofing materials) are not made for foot traffic, and even the “ohh so durable modified bitumen” roof will need a walk thread for service personal.

Other than that – no quality difference between the 2 membranes.

It sounds like your roof is in fact a deck, and not just a porch roof. So my price estimation that I gave you earlier, would be much higher as now there are so many more things to worry about. I actually recommend going with a DeckShield membrane if you plan to use that as a deck.

Plain IB roof is not for walking and will be slippery, and can be punctured, or you would have to build a floating deck on top of the membrane, and in that case you would need to use 80 mill, and overall it would be much more expensive than DeckSheild.

Leo.

Noticed that DeckShield has a limited 10 year warranty, as compared to IB Roof lifetime warranty. Do you know why?

I’m trying to figure out if there is any loss of qulaity, etc. using the DeckShield vs. standard IB Roof PVC.

Obviously, the price is about $5 per sq. ft. more.

I believe IB DeckShield will hold up just fine – IB has many roofs installed in Alaska, and I never hear of any temperature / weather related issues with them.

When you will bi removing snow, make sure to use plastic shovels, as not to damage the membrane. Other than that you should be just fine. The roof is fully adhered to the densdeck, or other substrate that your contractor uses, and that gives it that much more durability. I dropped a knife onto installed deckshield roof, and it just bounced off of it – no damage whatsoever. Here is more details about IB DeckShiled, including installation videos: http://www.coolflatroof.com/roof-deck.php

Good Luck