Way Up on the Roof

It's important to keep up with maintenance and repairs on your commercial roof so it doesn't sustain water damage. If water gets under the membrane, the insulation boards underneath will rot. When that happens, all the old roofing has to come off before you can get a roof replacement. Here's how a commercial roof replacement is done for a TPO roof that has to be torn off and replaced.

Clear And Clean the Roof

All the old roofing materials need to be cleared from the roof. The membrane is torn off and the insulation boards are taken off and thrown in a dumpster. Then the roof has to be cleaned to get rid of loose debris. The roofer might use a blower to get the roof as clean as possible.

When the roof is clean, the roofer can see areas of damage on the deck. A metal deck might need rust repaired or a wood deck might need rotted wood replaced before the new roofing is put on.

Apply Insulation Boards

Insulation boards are an important part of a commercial roof replacement for membrane roofing. These provide a smooth, flat surface for the membrane to rest on, and they also provide insulation to your building. These are large rectangular boards that come in different sizes. They're lightweight and can be trimmed with a blade, so they're easy to work with. These are attached to the deck with screws according to local building codes, so they are held securely to the roof.

Put Down The TPO Membranes

TPO roofing membranes come on large rolls, and they have different widths. They're rolled out on the roof to cover the entire surface, so the membranes need to be adhered to each other. The first step is to roll adhesive over the insulation boards so the membrane will stick when it's rolled out. Then the perimeter sheets are added and screwed to the deck.

After that, additional sheets are added. The new sheets lap over the perimeter sheets and cover up the screws and washers. These are seamed to the perimeter sheets by heat welding. Heat welding is done with a machine the roofer walks behind that applies heat that bonds membranes together. The roofer applies as many membranes as needed to cover the roof, overlapping each one and welding the seams.

Install Flashing

Installing the flashing is done once the membranes are down. This is another important step in a commercial roof replacement because all pipes that come up through the roof need flashing to keep them from leaking. The roofer can use flashing that's already made that fits over a pipe. The size is chosen carefully to ensure a snug fit against the pipe. A small piece of TPO membrane is usually on the bottom of the flashing and adhered to the roof by heat welding and roof caulking.

For more information, reach out to a local service, such as Roofing Georgia.