TPO Roofing
TPO Roofing in Dallas, TX
One of the commercial roofing products with the quickest market growth is the single-ply Thermoplastic Polyolefin membrane.
TPO roofing systems are used to cover flat roofs and consist of a single layer of synthetic materials and reinforcing scrim.
TPO membranes are produced as 10, 12, or 20 foot wide sheets. After that, the sheets are wrapped up and brought to the commercial building.
The naturally reflective surface of TPO has won the industry’s recognition for reflecting UV rays. According to the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA), TPO accounts for roughly 40% of the commercial roofing market.
What is TPO Roofing?
Thermoplastic Polyolefin
TPO roofing is a common rubber roofing material for commercial buildings since it is reasonably affordable. Thermoplastic polyolefin, or TPO, is offered in rolls that are held together by seams that are heated and “glued” together. TPO is largely created from recycled rubber. TPO roofing may be recognized if you’ve ever seen a dazzling white roof. TPO boasts some of the best energy savings for single-ply membrane roofing and is one of the most popular roof options for commercial buildings!
The insulation is put after the existing substrate has been cleaned or the old roof has been removed. The facility manager or owner has a few insulating alternatives to pick from:
The most popular form of insulation for roofing applications is polyisocyanurate (Polyiso), which is more expensive but has a higher R-value rating.
Expanded Polystyrene
Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) is utilized for roof, wall, and floor insulation since it has the highest R-value per dollar. EPS is suitable for ground contact and does not accumulate moisture.
Polystyrene extruded (XPS) – XPS, which is typically identified by its blue, green, or pink color, lies between Polyiso and EPS in terms of price and performance. XPS has a perm rating of 1, making it semipermeable.
The TPO membrane can be mechanically fixed to the cover board or joined together using a bonding glue. The contractor comes back after the membrane has been rolled out to use a hot-air cannon to fuse the seams together.
How Much Does TPO Roofing Cost?
A standard single-ply membrane commercial roofing system typically costs between $3.50 and $7.50 per square foot to install on an ordinary 20,000 square foot commercial roof.
But as of October 2022, prices are significantly higher. A range of $8 to $12 per square foot is more probable. All roofing materials have extremely unstable prices.
You must take into account these important elements in order to get the finest rubber roofing prices:
• How big is your roof?
• the state of the current roof
• a way to the roof
• Insulation strategy
• Membrane selection
• Installation selection
• roof punctures
• The warranty type
The Advantages of TPO
The number of insulation alternatives available to you as a client to insulate the roof of your facility is greater because single-ply does not take insulation into account.
TPO membranes and EPDM can be manufactured with fire retardant compounds to obtain Underwriters Laboratories (UL) Class A fire resistance designations.
TPO is typically white and highly reflective. Reflective or Retentive. On the other end of the spectrum, EPDM is frequently referred to as “Black Roofs” because of the membrane’s inherently dark color.
Save Money With TPO Roofing
The most popular TPO substance is bright white and has excellent reflecting qualities. This installation of a bright white roof can reflect heat and UV rays away from the building, reducing the need for air conditioning during the summer.
Repairing a TPO Roof
A TPO has a lifespan of 15 to 20 years. During this time, the membrane may become pierced, flashings may fail, seams may break apart, etc., leading to a roof leak.
The first indication that a TPO roof needs repair is when water starts to enter the building. This typically occurs when seams become less adherent, allowing water to penetrate the insulation in the roofing.
Once the insulation has accumulated enough water, it finally leaks inside your building via your roofing deck.
A commercial roofing contractor should be contacted at this point to do a roofing inspection.
An inspector for a roofing company will be able to determine:
- where your insulation is being accessed by water
- The TPO roof’s age
- The number of layers the roof has
- How well-preserved are the seams?
TPO Roof Repair Options
The entire infrared survey reveals that there isn’t much saturation on the roof. A silicone restoration membrane system can be used if your roof is less than 25% saturated.
When a silicone restoration membrane is installed, the following will take place:
- Areas that are saturated will be removed and replaced with materials that are similar.
- Power washing and cleaning will be performed on the entire roof.
- The TPO roof’s seams will be fortified and reinforced.
- The entire roof field will then receive a silicone coating.
- A new 10- to 20-year warranty will then be given.
Another possibility is that the seams are in too terrible of shape to be repaired using a silicone restoration technique even though there is less than 25% saturation.
Install a cover board over the TPO roof in this situation, remove the flashings, and then install a spray foam roofing system if there is only one roofing system. This will be less expensive than entirely removing the current roof and setting up a new TPO system.
You will need to remove all of the TPO and install a new roofing system if you already have two roofing layers and the seams are in too bad of a condition to be repaired.
The roof has an excessive amount of saturation, according to the results of the thorough infrared inspection. It would be impossible to repair the roof. A silicone restoration membrane system is not helpful in this case.
Unfortunately, the only option is to completely remove the insulation and TPO to expose the roofing deck.
A new TPO system can now be installed. It might be more cost-effective to try a different roofing system, though, given what happened the last time.
A roofing system made of spray foam is one suggestion.
Why?
Of all roofing systems, spray foam offers the highest R-value per square inch of thickness.
A sustainable roofing material is spray foam. You can repaint the roof and maintain the warranty after 10–20 years. It is less expensive to recoat a roof than to completely rip it off.
Since spray foam is a seamless system, the most typical place where leaks happen is no longer an issue.
A spray foam roofing system has additional benefits, such as being simple to install.
A spray foam roofing contractor would install a cover board and then spray foam on top of a TPO roof that needed to be removed.