Roof installation service:

We offer a complete-package roof installation service, from pulling all necessary building permits, to coordinating with other contractors and service providers (such as utility companies, architects, etc.) involved in your roofing project.

Our installers and roof mechanics work safely, wear all necessary safety equipment and use state of the art installation tools and equipment. We pay top wages and provide premium workmanship and services.

While a standard labor warranty in the roofing industry (a minimum required by law) is the 2-year period, all our roofs installations include a Labor warranty that matches the material warranty (i.e., 80-mil IB membrane has a 25 year material warranty, which we match with our 25-year labor warranty).

Roof consulting service:

We offer roofing consultation services which include complete analysis of your present roof condition, inspection of structural components, roof deck and roof insulation. We analyze your roofs drainage situation, and identify whether you may need more insulation, drains / scupper or other roof components installed to improve your roof’s performance and extend its service life. We will provide you a complete report of what has to be done on your roof, and identify parts you may not need. We can also negotiate with your General Contractor and/or Architect on your behalf, to get you the right products/services, while including need items and eliminating unnecessary and costly items. This will prevent future “change orders” and up-charges from your GC / Architect / Contractor, and save you money and frustration.

We hold all necessary State Construction Licenses and Registrations:

• MA Home-Improvement Contractor registration (HIC) and Unrestricted Construction Supervisor License (CSL)
• CT Home-Improvement Contractor registration (HIC) and Major Contractor Registration
• RI Home-Improvement Registration and Special Commercial Roofing Contractor Registration

Flat Roof installation service details:

For a flat and low-slope roofing application, we exclusively install IB Cool roofing single-ply membranes with up-to 25 years Commercial and Lifetime Residential warranties.

IB Roof is a versatile flat roofing system that can be adapted for any flat roof type and level complexity. IB roof is a perfect, long-lasting flat roofing choice for:

• Condos, Cooperatives and other Multi-Unit residential buildings.
• Restaurants
• Storage Facilities
• Office buildings
• Manufacturing and Warehouse facilities
• Auto Repair stations and garages, Gas Stations
• Stores and Shopping malls
• All other commercial buildings with a flat roof

With its Cool-roof properties, IB will save you an average of 20% or more on the Air-Conditioning costs, which can run into hundreds of dollars per month. With ever-rising electricity prices, this is especially crucial for climate-controlled storage-complexes, restaurants, and refrigeration-facilities, but will greatly benefit any building that uses Air-Conditioning equipment.

IB is also an environmentally friendly roof and you can have a Green / Garden roof installed, without worries of roof leaks or environmental incompatibility.

IB with its Lifetime Residential warranty, is perfect for any type of residential application: Your Home roof, Garage or even a walk-on flat roof deck. IB can be installed as a water-proofing membrane under a solid wood deck or you can choose an IB DeckShield* – a slip and water-proof, ADA (American Disability Act) compliant decking material. (* Due to anticipated constant foot traffic, IB DeckShield carries a 10 year warranty)

Your One Stop informational source about all aspects Flat Roofing, Cool Roofs, Solar BI-PV Roofs & Roof-top Gardens.

We specialize in Energy-Efficient flat roofing solutions for Residential flat roofs and Commercial / Restaurant flat roofs. We strive to provide our customers, with Eco-Friendly roofing solutions that are recyclable, & will help you conserve energy, as well as benefit environment.

Our Customer’s comments:

CoolFlatRoof installed an IB roof on a flat section of my house. They did an excellent job. I had problems for years with leaks and would hire someone to repair it but after awhile it would leak again. It had never leaked since Leo and Alex put this excellent roof on my house. It also seems to be more insulated: warmer in winter and cooler in the summer. Thanks guys. I recommend you to everyone who mentions a roofing problem. – Jack from Providence, RI

CoolFlatRoof quality promise: We are so confident in the quality of IB roofing systems and our installation, that we guarantee our roofs against any leaks. If the roof we installed ever leaks due to installation error, not only we will fix it, but we will also give you a check for $250.

Flat Roof leaks and repair information

For your convenience, we created a series of roofing guides that will help you choose the best solution for your flat roof and provide you with information that many roofing contractors and manufacturers do not want you to know. Check out our Do-it-yourself guides to rubber roof repair and tar & gravel roof repair for immediate steps you can take to temporary stop roof leaks, until you can perform a complete re-roof.

When your flat roof begins to leak, the process is irreversible, and the sooner you start to deal with these issues, the less you will have to spend on repairs and roof replacement. Read our comprehensive Flat Roof repair guide to gain the insight on the issues and costs involved and ways to minimize your expenses when you deal with roof leaks.

Discover different types of flat roofing materials and choose the best roofing product for your home or business. It is a shame, how in the 21st century, many roofing contractors still use 19th century roofing technology, that is inferior, inefficient and cost you more than a modern single-ply roof. Learn about different single-ply flat roofing systems and compare them to IB Roofs, the leading manufacturer of long-lasting cool flat roofing products.

Compare the two leading single-ply cool roofing products in our PVC vs. TPO roofing guide.

Flat roofing job profiles: Industrial, Commercial and Residential.

Testex textiles Corp. Central Falls, RI

Restaurant/Meat Market/Deli Rt. 1 – Hampton, NH

9th St. Condominiums Providence, RI

We provide Residential and Commercial roofing services for businesses and home owners, using the best flat roofing material available on the market today – IB Flat Roofing systems – PVC single-ply cool roofing membrane. Any roofing system, no matter how good it is, can leak if installed improperly – that is why we install all our roofs in accordance with IB installation requirements, MA building code, and special attention to details and geographic location of the roofing job.

For example, a roof located near the ocean is more prone to strong wind blow-offs, uplift and wind-driven water leaks. That is why in coastal areas, we double the number of heavy-duty fasteners used to hold down the roofing membrane securely attached to roof deck.

We will treat your roof like it is our own:

Our Moto is ‘to install every roof right, so we won’t have to go back for a service call’. This may sound a bit selfish, but it is the most beneficial for your roof, and for you. Since we match the labor warranty of our installations for the same period as the product warranty, we install every roof to be sure there will be no leaks.

Getting IB roof installed for your home or business in MA:

We will closely work with you or your builder/architect to provide the best long-term roofing solution for you. We invite you to use our interactive roofing cost calculator to get an instant price quote to replace your roof. To schedule roofing project in Massachusetts, fill out the roofing estimate form.

Recent roofing jobs we’ve completed in Massachusetts:

Roofing Massachusetts – a series of mini roof installation reviews, covers a few flat and metal roofs that we’ve recently completed in different cites in Massachusetts – Framingham, Westminster, Hingham, Boston, Wellesley, Wayland. We will update this list as well as publish more roof installation reviews as we get more time to do it. New reviews will include flat and metal roof installations in the following cities:

- Metal Roof in Attleboro, MA – A slate impression steel interlocking shingles metal roof installed on a roof of a single-family home on a quiet street in Attleboro, Mass.

- Metal Roof in Revere, MA

- Standing seam metal roof in Plymouth, MA

- Residential IB traditions roof in Arlington, MA

- A flat roof on apartment building in downtown North Attleboro,  MA

- A roof deck installed in Brighton, MA

- A metal roof installed in Haverhill, MA

Massachusetts roofs installed during Winter 2009:

Flat Roof in Lowell MA – We removed old and leaking EPDM rubber roof, installed new 4″ ISO insulation with 24-r value and a new 50 mil IB PVC flat roofing membrane. Besides the IB roof installation overview, we point out the inherent defects in rubber roofing systems, and why homeowners should avoid installing EPDM roof on their home and dealing with shady roofing contractors “specializing” in rubber roofs.

New flat roofs, installed in August 2009:

Solar Decathlon house with IB flat roof & Solar PV panels: Team Boston (Tufts and BAC) built a solar home with innovative green construction technologies such as: 6.4 KW Solar Photovoltaic system, solar hot water and a Trombe wall – a solar-thermal-mass window/wall systems to compete in 2009 DOE Solar Decathlon. Cool Flat Roofs, together with IB Roof Systems sponsored and installed a 50-mil white IB PVC roofing membrane, with water collection system using IB U-flow drains, and helped the team install the solar PV / solar hot water array.

Old rubber roof replaced with 80-mil IB roof in Boston : The old roof was replace, and extencive brick work on parapet walls was perforemed to ensure highest quality of installation and long-lasting protection for this house in Boston / Roxbury. Roof size was just over 400 sq. ft. and it took 8 days total to install this roof. Read the complete review of this roof installation with many picture and videos.

Flat roof deck in Wellesley, MA: A new construction addition was built and a flat roof deck was installed over a garage roof. We used an 80-mil grey IB roof to ensure permanent water tightness. A new deck will now be installed over sleepers, for which we welded down 2″ wide strips of membrane to protect main roof. Also a prefabricated post flashings were installed over 4×4 railing posts to insure that post would not leak. Roof installation was completed in one day.

Sanding seam metal roof in Wayland:

In the middle a of June 2009, we’ve completed a standing seam metal roof installation. Roof was installed on a residential house in Wayland, Massachusetts. As some may recall, May and June of 2009 had lots of rainy days, so we had to cope with weather as well as many unnoticeable complications which this roofing job has posed for us.

In a nutshell, the roof was constantly subjected to Ice Dam related roof leaks, due lo relatively low roof slope and some heat loss from inside the house, falling ice which would tear off the gutters in the winter and pose danger to people living and visiting the home. One of the most strange things we’ve encountered was the masonry chimney which had a wood frame built around it and stucco installed on the outside, for visual effects. This was actually the first such chimney I’ve seen. Usually stucco is installed right over the chimney, which I though was the case here. Later, after the job was complete, we;ve discovered that the stucco shell of the chimney had cracks in it and was leaking. Where as before such leak would be attributed to old roof, now we could easily pinpoint and eliminate the source of leaks.

You can read more about this project on our roofing blog: Metal roofing in Wayland, MA

Home owner’s remarks after the job was completed and chimney leak eliminated:

Leo,

I did manage to find some time to seal and refinish the chimney. The moment of truth came yesterday when I went into the attic after a long steady rainfall to find the former leak site completely dry. The spot I suspect is at the joint between the concrete cap and the stucco on the front side of the house. There was a crack there that lined up with water flow marks down the side of the chimney. I think the water was able to curl under the cap to that crack and then pass behind the stucco to cause the leak.

I am now very happy to have a completely watertight roof that should stand up to winter ice and snow for a long long time. Thanks again for your work and for the trip you made to assess the leak. With any luck, you won’t hear from me for a long time about the new roof. I wish you and your crew success in your business and in life

Glenn.

EPDM Rubber Roof repair service in Mass.

Rubber roof repair in Massachusetts – we now offer a service to repair your leaking rubber flat roof (EPDM rubber roofing), for a fraction of the cost to install a new IB roof. Although it is usually a better idea to replace the roof as leak damages will only progress and throwing money away or roof repairs that last a short period of time in not economical, it may sometimes make sense to repair a rubber roof if it is only a small flashing that is leaking because of a bad seam, or a failed rubber components.

We can repair corner flashing (inside and outside corners), fix in-field leaking seams  with rubber seam tape, or re-seam the existing seams with 9″ cover tapes, to dramatically extend roof service life.

For these rubber roof repairs we use only the best flashing components such as Carlisle and Firestone peel-stick flashing and cover tapes in 6″, 9″ and even 12″ width – this allows us to be able to repair nearly every type of rubber roof leak, as well as install new flashing around skylights, chimneys and other flat roof penetrations and curbs.

We also do custom copper flashing work when performing a rubber roof repair. As you can see in the picture above, a new copper counter-flashing was installed after a rubber corner patch was applied to the chimney flashing. The couterflashing  was replaced after squirrels chewed and ate the lead flashing that was originally there.

Some of the Flat Roofs in Massachusetts, that we have done recently:

Some of Metal Roofs we have done recently Massachusetts:

If you live in Massachusetts and your rubber roof leaks, you can also hire us to professionally repair your EPDM Rubber Roof – fill out the Roof Repair Request form bellow. We will also provide you with an estimate to replace your old rubber roof with Lifetime IB PVC roofing membrane. We provide our rubber roof repair service for a very reasonable fee of $350, which includes 2 hours of repair work as well as high quality, peel-and-stick Rubber Roof flashing materials made by best names in the EPDM roofing industry – Firestone and Carlisle.

We recommend that you also read our guide to residential flat rubber roofing, which describes why your roof could be leaking, how most residential roofing contractors get into flat roof installations, their “training and experience” background and most importantly why you should avoid installing another EPDM rubber roof on your house.

If you are unsure if you are better off fixing your rubber roof yourself or hiring a roofing contractor like us – read our guide DIY rubber roof vs. hiring a roofing contractor. This article will explain advantages of both options as well as show you how much it costs to buy EPDM flashing materials, adhesives and required tools as well as describe step-by-step process of rubber roof repair using newer peel-and-stick EPDM flashing materials.

Rubber roof repair services in Massachusetts fill out form bellow or call: 617-444-9020

Roof repair service cost – $350 flat fee for first 2 hours of roof repair work, including peel-and-stick rubber flashing materials. Any work after initial 2 hours will be discussed and priced accordingly.

Find out more about our Rubber Roof Repair in MA – prices on projects over 2 hours, materials used, geographic area which we cover and warranty information.

We want you to also be aware that rubber roof repair can (should) be performed when the outside temperature is above 40 F. Otherwise the EPDM glue and/or primer will ether freeze or will not apply properly. In some cases contractors will keep the adhesives warm inside their trucks, and only take it out right before they actually use it. While this method somewhat works, we do not recommend it, as such repair can fail prematurely.

Rubber roof repair request form:

Name:	*
Address:
City:	*
State:	Massachusetts Connecticut Rhode Island New Hampshire Maine Vermont Other
Zip:	*
Phone:	*
E-Mail:	*
	Please describe your roof, leak problems (e.g. near skylight or at the roof-to-wall flashing, etc), and any additional information that would help us better prepare for your roof repair.
Roof Details:

You can also request an estimate to replace your existing roof. Select one or more products. You can select multiple products by clicking on multiple boxes.

IB Standard Membrane: IB 50-mil White IB 80-mil White/Color IB 80-mil ChemGuard

IB Specialty Membrane: IB DeckShield IB Tradition Classics IB Solar PV Roof

Other Roofing products: Metal Roofing (Standing seam, Steel or Aluminum Metal shingles) Thermo White Spray-On Roofs (For steel standing seam)

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DIY rubber roof repair guide – learn how to fix rubber roof using black rubber glue.

This do-it-yourself rubber roof repair guide will walk you through a simple rubber roof seam patching process, using old rubber glue. Please note, that due to accelerated “black rubber glue” failures, EPDM industry has switched to newer and better Peel-and-Stick method of gluing the seams between rubber membrane and flashing material. Peel-and-stick method uses special flashing material and a so called “rubber primer”, which gets tacky faster than rubber glue and hold the seams better and longer. Still, even the seams “glued” together using the newer peel-and-stick plashing method, will fail after about 7-10 years. After that period, most EPDM rubber roofs will require some kind of roof repair and in some cases complete “re-seam” job. Re-seam repair means that all seams are covered with a peel-and-stick cover tape of 6-12″ in width. This will usually buy you another 3-5 years of roof life, after which you will have to repair it again.

Therefore we recommend that instead of installing (or in some cases even repairing) the rubber roof, you install a new, Lifetime IB PVC Roofing system, which is installed using hot-air welded seams instead of being glued together. Once IB roof seams are welded, you cannot pull them apart without tearing the membrane itself.

This ‘Rubber Roof Do-It-Yourself repair guide’ is intended to give you the basic knowledge of how to
repair a flat rubber roof. However, such repairs are NOT considered DIY projects by the roofing industry professionals, and we recommend you to seek help with your roof repair from a professional roofing company specializing in Flat Roofing. If you are located in Massachusetts, Connecticut or Rhode Island, you can contact us by filling out Free Roof Estimate Request form, and we will provide you information and options to solve your roof leaks problems.

Rubber or Epdm roofs came to existence in 1960′s and since then, billions of sq. feet of rubber roofs have been installed all over United States. Rubber roofs are probably the Most used flat roofing technology, mainly due to its Very Low cost. Epdm roofs are very cheap to produce, so most commercial roofing manufacturers jumped the band-wagon and started making them in mass quantities. While Epdm rubber-like membranes are very common, so are the roof leaks associated with them.

Epdm membranes themselves are a decent roofing product, hence most of them carry warranties that range from 30 to 40 years. However, those warranties ONLY cover the membrane itself, which unless is physically damaged, will usually remain intact through it’s service life.

However, the long warranties of Epdm DO NOT cover the cause of 99% of all flat roof leaks – the seams between sheets of membrane. Seams are the inherited flaw and a weakness of not only Epdm rubber roofs, but most other flat roofing technologies available today. Seams are put together with adhesives, and lately with peel-&-stick tapes, which after some time on the roof just comes apart, and the roof starts to leak. Unfortunately there is nothing that can be done to prolong the life of seam adhesives, and the only two options to deal with leaks are: Repair or Replace

Rubber roof repair How-To in 4 steps.

Note: Do not attempt to repair you rubber roof if the outside temperature is below 35-40 degrees, as it might be too cold for the adhesive to dry properly. Consult the sales people at the roofing supply warehouse listed below. Also request installation documents for adhesives and/or seam tape that you will need to purchase. These document will give you exact application requirements and directions.

Step 1: Locate the source of leaks

Tools you will need: Ladder, Paint-Brushes, Rubber gloves, Seams Probe Tool and Silicone hand roller. These tools can be purchased from the roofing supply warehouse like Bradco Supply or Harveys Industry or from a local lumber yard. We recommend getting the brushes from the roofing warehouse, to make sure it is compatible with the adhesive and cleaning solution. Home Depot and Lowe’s will probably not
have the hand roller on the probe tool, but you can find something similar there. They will certainly have ladders, and will usually have a better price on them.

You will also need the solvent-based cleaning solution for seams and Epdm seam adhesive and/or seam tape. These should be purchase from the roofing warehouse. Home-Improvement stores do not have what you need.

Caution: Do not use ‘Ice&Water tape’ – you should only use the seam tape made for Epdm rubber roofs.

Seam Probe Tool

2″ Silicone Hand Roller

As we stated previously, most of flat roof leaks occur at the seams, so we you will need to inspect all seams on your rubber roof. Once you acquired the needed tools and supplies, you will need to find the source of leaks. To locate the leak in your rubber roof, you will need to actually get on the roof and with a simple probe-tool check all the seams to find the place where adhesive no longer holds the membrane together. Also check all roof penetrations (Pipes, Vents, etc.) and curbs such as Sky-lights and HVAC units. Mark the spots where the seams are broken.

If you have loose gravel on the roof, you’ll need to sweep it off the seams with a heavy broom, so it is not in your way. Do not use shovels or any thing that has metal edges as you may cause additional damage to the membrane.

Step 2: Prepare your roof for repair

Now that you’ve located the source of your roof leaks, you need to clean the surface of the rubber, so you can apply the adhesive and/or seam tape. With cloth and warm water, thoroughly wash off as much dirt as you can and let it dry. Do not use gasoline to clean the rubber membrane. Although many installers will tell you it is safe – any manufacturer’s warranty prohibits cleaning epdm rubber with gasoline.

I’ve found a rubbing alcohol to be a good and inexpensive solution. There are also cleaners available from the manufacturer, and these are the best to use, but they are expensive and only come in 1 gallon cans. So if you have a very small area to clean, get the rubbing alcohol.

Once the roof surface is clean and dry, pull the seams apart about 1 foot away from the location of the leak. According to manufacturer’s directions, thoroughly clean seams with the cleaning solution, making sure you remove all existing adhesive and let it dry. The procedure may have to be repeated.

This and next steps are MOST crucial to the quality of the repair and elimination of the future leaks.

Step 3: Applying Adhesive and/or Seam Tape

Use the brush to apply the adhesive to both surfaces of the seams. Try to get the adhesive as deed as you can under the top sheet of membrane (6-8 inch wide seams a recommended). Also thoroughly apply adhesive to ‘corners’ – where you pulled seams apart and the new adhesive comes in contact with the old one.

Once you’ve applied adhesive, put the seams together and use the silicone roller to apply pressure to the seams. This will ensure a quality seam repair. Let the new seams completely dry. Do not attempt to test them with the probe tool just yet. Wait 24 hours until the next step.

Step 4: Testing the seams and applying the Seam Tape

Now your newly-repair seams should be dry and ready to be tested. Use the seam probe to test all seams that you have repaired. If you followed the previous directions and used the silicone roller, your seams should be like new, and the probe should not be able to split the seams. If you do find imperfect adhesive bond, repeat Step 3 by reapplying the adhesive and using the silicone roller to apply pressure.

At this stage, we recommend to also use the seam tape to further ensure quality of your repair job and extend the length of time which the repair will last. Apply the seam tape with the silicone roller, extending it by 1 foot in each direction from the end of your seam repair. Use the edge of the silicone roller to make sure there is good adhesion where there is a slight elevation change from one sheet of rubber to another. If your seams job was done well, there is no need to test the seam tape. You are now done!

Conclusion

Now that you have done the seams repair, you eliminated the leaks. However, even when done by a professional, such repair job usually lasts up-to one year. Sometimes as little as only 6 month. There are many factors affecting the length of the rubber roof repair.

To name a few:

• The quality of the repair itself
• Presence of ponding water (which will greatly reduce the length that such repair will last)
• Moisture and condensation trapped under the rubber will also speed up the occurrence of more leaks

There are many more reasons why your roof may and probably will begin to leak again. Check out our Flat Roof Repair Guide for more info regarding the causes of leaks and what to do when they happen.

To minimize your Costs associated with flat roof repair we recommend you to contact us to get IB Cool Roof. IB Roofs differ from the regular rubber roofs in the way the seams are
attached together. IB PVC roofing system uses Hot-Air fusion welding process, to permanently attach the seams together. With IB roof, you will never face the same problems associated with the rubber roofs, hence, to need to repair, unless there is some sort of physical damage puncture through the membrane. But even in case of such damage, repair is as easy as welding a patch over the damaged area – no need to use solvent cleaners and adhesives.

To back up its products, IB Roof Systems is the only roofing manufacturer to offers the Lifetime Residential Warranty. IB roof can also be upgraded with IB SolarWise BI-PV – the only Fully Integrated Solar PV system available for flat roofing Homes and Commercial buildings.

Disclaimer: This ‘Rubber Roof repair guide’ is intended for informational and reference purposes only. We do not recommend implicitly or explicitly, to anyone, performing any of the procedures described in this guide. We are also not responsible for any property damage or personal injuries resulting from following this informational guide.

Copyright © CoolFlatRoof.com – 2006-2008. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the content of this guide is against the law. You may only place direct URL link to this guide.

If you have a leaking rubber roof in Massachusetts, Connecticut or Rhode Island we can repair your rubber roof at a relatively low cost, using only the best materials that rubber systems have. Example of such materials are peel-and-stick flashing and seam tapes. We do not use black rubber glue as it is outdated, and leaks much faster.

Quick Navigation:

• Why homeowners should avoid rubber roofing – The truth of about residential flat roofing market and why you should stay away from rubber, and carefully choose your roofing contractor.
• Alternatives to rubber roofing – Find out what other, better flat roofing products are available for a similar cost, but without the EPDM’s inherited problems.
• Residential rubber roofing – Learn why rubber roofs should NOT be used on a roof of your home.
• Commercial rubber roofing – Limitations of EPDM rubber in the commercial flat roofing applications.
• Why rubber roofs are so popular – Quick history of EPDM rubber in US flat roofing market, and key to its popularity

Truth about residential flat roofing market and contractors.

This rubber roof is just 1 year old, and has been leaking since day one, until we replaced it with a lifetime IB PVC flat roofing membrane.

Rubber Roof Contractors: It is unfortunate, but most residential flat roofs are installed by roofing contractors that specialize in asphalt shingles. Since they can easily purchase rubber roofing materials from their roofing supply warehouse, and are not required to be certified installers, nor do they need any special training or equipment, they will often undertake such projects to keep their crews busy.

Incorrectly installed EPDM roof in Quincy, MA – rubber glued right over shingles:

The truth is such that to get a quality, rubber roof installed, it usually has to be done by a commercial roofing company that specializes in flat roofing. However it is often the policy of such companies not to work with residential customers, for which there are many reasons. These contractors work with large commercial and institutional customers, employ union workers who are trained roof mechanics specialized in their particular niche. For example, a commercial roofing contractor will have separate crew doing metal roofing or slate – these guys are “roofers”, and yet another crew doing flat roofing ONLY – these are “roof mechanics”.

A residential roofing contractor, usually employees just roofers, who are good at what they do all day long – installation of asphalt shingle roofs, and often do not have a clue about how flat roofs work. When they get a potential client with a flat roof, they go to their supplier, as what supplier has for flat roof, and the salesman at the supply warehouse TEACHES the roofer how to install EPDM rubber. This is not creative fiction or product of my imagination – I see this happening nearly every time, when I come in to get something.

“Trained rubber roofing installers”: If you are lucky, you may get a roofer that has received some sort of training about rubber roof installation. For example, one of my suppliers, provides installation training programs for their roofing contractors who install only asphalt shingles. The idea behind such training seminars is to increase awareness and solicit sales of more roofing products. A manufacturer technician provides a sample installation on a 8×8 feet demo stand.

Bellow is and example of such “hand-on rubber roofing training”.

As you can see, the roofers just sit around the demo stand while the MFG Installation technician shows them what to do. The whole demonstration took about an hour and a half, and covered thing like installing flat roofing insulation (ISO), adhering rubber to the ISO board, flashing a sky-light / chimney penetration with un-cured flashing material, installing the membrane up the vertical wall, cleaning & priming seams and installing seam tape, installing drip edge and a tape to seal the drip edge fasteners, and installing termination bar. In the same 1.5 hours we’ve also learned “learned” how to correctly apply yellow glue – membrane adhesive, seam primer – seam & flashing glue and how to install these systems in the winter, while violating manufacturer’s installation specs.

Out of 25 or so roofing contractors present, there were about 15 or so questions particular to the installation details. 7 of them where asked by me! Bear in mind that I already knew how to install a rubber roof and attended the event to talk to my salesman, representatives of the metal roofing manufacturer and for free refreshments

In any case, each one of those 25 or so roofing contractors, willing to learn a new, and very complicated roofing system, asked an average of 0.3 questions about this systems.

Rubber roofs for residential customers: It was clear that my supplier and the roofing representatives were selling to Residential Roofing Contractors. Not once did they mention roof-top HVAC units, roof hatches, elevator shafts, gas/electrical pipes, roof drains, etc. They did however insisted that the rubber is a good choice for a low slope shed dormer (without mentioning the poor low slope roof ventilation and ice dam prevention associated with shed dormers). They also mentioned that rubber is a good choice for a flat roof decks and patios.

EPDM Rubber roofing and flat roof homes.

Homeowners with flat roof homes often find themselves in a situation where their roof starts to leak rather unexpectedly – i.e. only after a few years since the roof was installed. This for the most part happens to homes which have a rubber roof on them. While most flat roofs will only last 10-15 years, older systems such as Tar & Gravel, Bur and in some cases Modified bitumen roofs are usually installed by roofing contractors that are somewhat specialized in their scope of work – these are “the old-timers” or former union guys that decided to try their luck working for themselves, and they actually went through a special training and have years of experience. Problem is that roofing systems they install do not last long for many reasons outside the scope of this article.

Homes that have a rubber roof, begin to leak well before their minimal life expectancy is reached because in many cases they are roofed by your typical shingle roofing contractor that is so confident in his/her abilities, and a rubber roof is merely a roof with a low slope.

Why rubber roofs are so popular?

The truth is, rubber roofs (EPDM) are the most used flat roofing products in the US / Canadian commercial roofing market. Rubber roofs we first put in service over 40 years ago, and since gained popularity among roofing contractors and their customers. The reason for such success lyes in the condition of flat roofing market of that time and the available alternatives.

Back in 1960′s oil was still very cheap, it was more than a decade before the oil crisis of the 70′s and there wasn’t that much demand for oil. The oil refining process was far from being efficient and the industry was looking to get rid of many by-products of oil refining process.

At the same time flat roofing industry at that time was the same as at the turn of 19th century, and the most common product to use on a flat roof was either a BUR (built-up roofing, using multiple layers of tar paper, saturated in hot tar or hot asphalt) or Tar & Gravel roofing, which was essentially a BUR roof with gravel added for additional protection. Flat roofing technology has not changed for 100 years and contractors needed a new, easier to install and cleaner product, hence, the EPDM was born.

EPDM consists mainly of oil (carbo-hydrate) based by-products with some modifiers and stabilizers added to extend its service life. Rubber roofing was cheap to produce, easier to install that conventional (BUR) roofs, did not require any special equipment to put it down and the membrane could potentially last for decades, as it was UV stable and did not break down when exposed to the weather.

Because rubber roofing was cheap, quick to install, and offered a potentially long service life, and with lack of any opposition from better roofing products, it quickly became the king of flat roofing and the pioneer of the single-ply flat roofing market.

Useful resources:

DIY epdm rubber roof repair – Our original article on how to fix a rubber roof with EPDM rubber adhesive (no peel-n-stick tapes)

Rubber roof repair guide – A part 2 of our Do-it-yourself guide teaching you hot to fix EPDM rubber roofing systems with primer and seam tape.

In Part II we will take a look at newer, more advanced roofing technologies, and explore the advantages and disadvantages of each single-ply roofing technology commonly used today.

What is single-ply flat roofing?

There is a lot of confusion about single ply membrane roofing. Many people think that any ‘single ply’ is the answer to their flat roofing problems. This however is far from being the truth. In reality, single-ply roofing membranes have only one thing in common – that is they are single ply or just one layer of membrane that is a water proofing barrier. The similarity stops there.

Single ply membrane formulation, or the components a membrane is made of, is what makes the difference between different types of single-ply flat roofing membranes. Single ply roofing membranes come in various widths, ranging from 6 to over 18 feet. In theory, the wider the membrane is, the less overlapping seam you have, thus reducing the possibility of leaks. The reality is different however, and most commonly used membranes do not exceed 10 feet in width.

The most crucial aspect to the reliability and longevity of single ply roofs is the method of attaching overlapping seams together. That is where 99% of flat roof leaks occur. Therefore having permanently attached seams, is the most important factor in the longevity of a flat roof installation. We will discuss it in more details as we review different single ply roofing technologies.

Single-ply membrane installation methods:

Single ply membranes are installed either as a fully adhered or mechanically attached systems depending on each roof’s condition on other factors, as well as installer’s preferences in some cases. Underneath the membrane there s usually a separation barrier and/or some sort of insulation board. Most common insulation is ISO or EPS foam board. Both types have an R-value ranging from 4-R to 6-R per 1 inch of insulation thickness.

Mechanically attached installation uses heavy duty screws and barbed plates to hold membrane down tightly, and is not affected by possible ISO de-lamination. Membrane is attached using 12″ O.C. pattern with perimeter sheets attached 6″ O.C. This ensures even the hurricane-type wind will not tear off your roof. Mechanically attached installation method does not require use of heavy and expensive ballast, and is a preferred choice if your building is located in the high-wind area such as along the coast line or on a high hill.

Fully adhered single ply membranes are glued to the fiberglass sheet laminated to both side ISO insulation that in turn is attached to the roof deck. While quick and simple, fully adhered method has one serious disadvantage. If condensation forms underneath a roofing membrane, which often happens and my be cause by improper ventilation of the roof deck, it will ‘de-laminate’ ISO board and/or adhesive that is holding membrane in place. If membrane becomes loose, it is prone to a wind blow-off, which will leave your roof unprotected. Results of such blow-off will be catastrophic not only to your roof, but to the entire building. While this is rarely the case, it is still a possibility – a gamble you might not won’t to take.

A more common problems with fully-adhered single-ply flat roofing systems (Mostly EPDM rubber) are defects in glue/adhesive application that cause bubbles, badly glued seams and as a result, a very unpleasant view and more often then not, roof leaks. Image bellow demonstrated a defective Epdm rubber application.

Find out more information on why you should avoid installing EPDM rubber roofing on you home and how residential roofing contractors are trained to install rubber roofs.

Three most common single-ply roofing types:

Today, single ply roofing became the prime choice when it comes to flat roof replacement. More and more roofing contractors are switching from old roofing types like BUR, Asphalt, and Tar & Gravel roofs to single-ply membrane installation, which is easier, safer and faster. Single ply roofing installation does not use the torching, use in Modified Bitumen roofs installation, and therefore there is no fire hazard/possibility to bur down your home / business.

There are 3 most-used single ply membrane types present on the market today: PVC/CPA, EPDM rubber and TPO. While these abbreviations probably won’t tell you much, about these roof types, bellow we provide a brief summary of each of these technologies.

PVC (CPA)

• PVC – Polyvinyl Chloride – a thermoplastic membrane utilizing a reinforcement scrim between the two plies of equal thickness (IB roof only). Top ply contains Cool Roof pigments, UV stabilizers, and other components to extend the life of the membrane. Bottom ply contains PVC ingredients to provide consistent weld of top and bottom plies and fillers. Material Warranty Period: Up to 25 years Commercial / Lifetime Residential. PVC roof system life expectancy: 30+ years.
• Special Notes: For a complete overview of IB flat roofing products for residential, commercial and restaurant use, as well as installation method and roofing accessories refer to our IB Roof products page.

TPO

• TPO – Thermo Plastic Olefin – a thermoplastic membrane utilizing a reinforcement scrim between the two plies. 35/65 % thickness for top & bottom ply respectively. Top ply contains Cool Roof pigments, UV stabilizers, and other components to extend the life of the membrane. Bottom ply contains TPO ingredients to provide consistent weld of top and bottom plies and fillers. Note that the top ply is about half the thickness of the bottom ply. Yet the top ply is the one that make the roof long-lasting. IB PVC has a 50/50 or equal thickness of top/bottom ply.
• Material Warranty Period: Up to 20 years Commercial / NO Residential. TPO roof system life expectancy – 7 to 20* years. You should know that there is not a single TPO installation in existence in the USA, that was produced in North America and is older than about 15 years, . Therefore it is unknown how long a TPO system will perform without any leaks*.
• Special Notes: * TPO roof systems are under continuous development by numerous manufacturers, who constantly change the TPO formulation to achieve the lowest cost with acceptable performance. While it is understandable that business always look to save money and to reduce costs, these constant TPO development process is being conducted, often at the expense of the roof owner. A TPO roof from the same manufacturer will most likely NOT be the same as the one produced few years before or after. Also the quality of different batches of TPO membranes may be questionable, as some TPO producers release the product to the end user without getting the UL and similar approvals/certification, as the formulation changes too often.Refer to our comparison article of PVC vs. TPO to find out more of the TPO problems / short-comings.

EPDM Rubber

• EPDM Rubber – Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer – a rubber-like black membrane, usually non-reinforced. Most common application method is a fully adhered (glued down) membrane with glued seams / flashings.
• Material Warranty Period: Up to 40 years Commercial / NO Residential. EPDM roof system life expectancy – 10 to 15 years. Although the material warranty goes up to 40 years for a 90-mil Epdm from some manufacturers, it does not cover the seams. Failing seams are the main cause of EPDM roof leaks followed by ponding water, for which EPDM has no warranty either.
• Special Notes: EPDM is the least expensive single ply roofing type and requires no special equipment to install it (unlike PVC and TPO which require hot-air welding equipment) and thus is the first choice for roofing contractors entering the flat roofing market and asphalt shingle roofers that ‘install rubber here and there’. Although many commercial roofing companies also use EPDM, they usually do not perform Residential installations so many times a home owner deals with a Part-Time flat roofing company.

Please note that there are many manufacturers of all three type of roofing and each has their own formulation / manufacturing process / warranty conditions and periods, etc. Therefore we only provide a generals summary for each of those roof types. Also, since our specialty is installation of IB roofs, when we use the term PVC or CPA we refer to IB PVC Roof (CPA is the way IB Roof Systems refers to its PVC product. IB membranes are generally ‘compatible’ with other PVC products).

Common single-ply flat roofing choices: CPA/PVC membrane – IB Roof

CPA/PVC single play flat roofing membrane made by IB Roof Systems is by far, the best choice for any type of flat roof. Main advantage of IB’s CPA/PVC membrane is that the seams are Hot Air welded creating a physical bond between the sheets, that is stronger than the membrane itself. Such seam is a permanent seal, ensuring that there will be no leaks even if you have puddles of ponding water on your roof (which by the way is covered under IB’s warranty, unlike other types of flat roofing membranes that only cover the defects in material). IB’s CPA/PVC white membrane is the true energy efficient Cool Roof, this will not only give you years of worry-free performance, but will actually save you money in reduced energy costs. IB also offers a variety of colors, many of which will also qualify to carry a Cool Roof label. But the main factor speaking in favor of IB’s CPA/PVC membranes, is that they historically proven to last over 25 years without a single leak!

Learn more about IB’s outstanding single ply flat roofing membrane, its advantages and many choices for Residential, Commercial and Restaurant use.

Roofing systems we install:

• Flat roofing: IB PVC flat roofing membrane – flat and low-slope roofs and roof decks.
• Metal roofing: Steel and aluminum shingles, Standing seam metal roofs.
• Roof repair: Rubber (EPDM), PVC / TPO membrane and Metal roofs

Roofing estimate and Free Price Quote:

Please complete all fields marked as * To simplify estimating process, we ask that you also email us the photographs of your roof if available: This will help us better asses your roof’s condition and will eliminate extra back & forth emails. Please send roof pictures to: estimate@coolflatroof.com

Send us pictures of your home or building from the ground, on the roof pictures, including close-ups of roof flashing detail such as sky-lights, HVAC units, roof hatches, chimneys, roof-to-wall flashing, etc.

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	Include a brief roof description: Roof size, Building heights, Number of existing roof layers and a present type of roofing material. Also indicate if your roof leaks and your time-frame to install a new roof.
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Select one or more products. You can select multiple products by clicking on multiple boxes.

IB Standard Membrane: IB 50-mil White IB 80-mil White/Color IB 80-mil ChemGuard

IB Specialty Membrane: IB DeckShield IB Tradition Classics IB Solar PV Roof

Other Roofing products: Metal Roofing (Standing seam, Steel or Aluminum Metal shingles) Thermo White Spray-On Roofs (For steel standing seam)

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Roofing Estimate Policy: Please Read.

Examples of our work: A short list of recent roof installations in Massachusetts (both Flat IB roofs and Metal roofing) that we’ve done. See how we work and what you can expect from us, read our customers’ commentary and learn about roof installation process.

Additional information about roofing estimates – quick navigation:

• Roof estimate request form – Fill out the form to schedule an roof inspection / estimate. To get the most accurate online price quote provide as many details about your roof as possible.
• Roof inspection & estimate policy – Please read about our inspection and estimating policy, and how we work to provide you with the lowest roofing cost AND best quality of products and installation.
• Roof Inspections & Repairs – Information for Roofing services for Realtors, Property Managers, Home Buyers, etc.
• For price shoppers: – If you are looking for general flat roof pricing information or “just shopping around” we welcome you to read below or check out our flat roofing price guide .

Roof Repair:

We provide rubber roof repair services in Massachusetts, Connecticut & Rhode Island.

If your rubber roof leaks, we can professionally repair it using the best materials and our expertise in flat roofing. Though roof repair may not always be the best option in some cases it can temporary stop the leak and provide you the necessary time to get the funds and choose the right roofing system and a roofing contractor for your roof replacement.

Here is the what we can do to stop your rubber roof leaks and how much it will cost:

Our rubber roof repair service consists of a roof inspection where we locate the sources of roof leaks, 2 hours of roof repair work, identifying any additional roof problem (eg, ponding water, improper ventilation, water drainage, etc) and providing you with a quote to replace your old roof with a ne IB PVC roofing membrane. Also there will be an average 2 hours of driving to and from the job site.

Cost of rubber roof repair is $350. If we are not able to completely repair your roof in the first one and a half hours, we will provide you with an additional quote for the rest of repair (this would usually be the case with large roofs and multiple roof leaks).

If you know where the leak is but know not how to fix it and want to hire us to do it, we suggest that you use warm water and a rag to clean basic dirt and debris off the suspected roof leak spot. This way, when we arrive to your roof site, we will not spend the time your are paying for, to clean off dirt and will do what we do best – fix roofs. You will get the most bang for your buck.

Roof inspections service:

If you are a Realtor, Property manager or home buyer, etc. and need a quote for a roof replacement OR need an independent expert opinion regarding your roof leaks, or any other type of roof inspection, we offer such inspection services.

In a nutshell, if you are looking to buy or sell a home or a property, or are engaged in a legal action involving roof leaks and need a detailed roof inspection report and estimate to replace the roof, completed by a roof expert, we will gladly provide you with it.

We assume that such inspection report and replacement estimate will be used to negotiate a better price in a real estate transaction or to get better terms in a legal action, and solely for that purpose. Therefore we have a mandatory $399 roof inspection and report fee. This includes on average 2 hours of driving to the roof site, 1-2 hours of thorough roof inspection and 1-2 hour of preparing the roof report, thus we believe that the $399 roof inspection fee is more than fair, when you will on average gain thousands of dollars using our expert report.

Please refer to our Flat Roofing Services section for more information and pricing

If you are looking for the lowest price roof, stop!

We want to work with educated home and business owners who are looking for the best flat roof available on the market. If the main criterion for you is the cost, we probably would not be the best roofing company for you. We do not compete with other roofers on price, so if that is the deciding factor, we recommend that you contact your local home-improvement or roofing company.

We provide our customers with the best materials, installation and customer service at a reasonable cost. So if you want to have the longest-lasting, energy efficient roof, than you are our kind of customer, and we want your business.

We recommend that you use our interactive roofing price calculator to estimate approximate cost of your re-roofing project, compare prices to other common flat roofing systems, and also get an idea of energy costs savings you can enjoy by getting an IB Flat Roof

Are you located outside of New England?

We are a Massachusetts based roofing company and we do not provide roofing services outside of New England area – we only service states of MA, RI, CT, NH, and in some cases Maine and Vermont. We also do not sell IB roofing material.

If you are located in any other state, we will refer you to our affiliates – a certified IB Roof installer near you. You may also refer to our IB Roof Installers directory. There you will find a certified IB installer in your area, which would be able to show you the product and answer any questions you may still have about IB Roof.