Roofing Manufacturers

What decides how a manufacturer's roof is repaired later is the set of details the maker publishes. A seam, a corner, a termination at a wall: each has a drawing, and a repair that follows the drawing holds. On a roof in Queens, NY the first job is to identify what is on the roof and which maker's details apply.

Which makers publish single-ply systems?

Single-ply membranes, with accessories and detail drawings to go with them, come from several large makers. Carlisle, Sika Sarnafil, Versico and Duro-Last each set out how membrane, attachment and flashing fit together, and repairs and installations of these system types follow those published details.

Single-ply sheets are welded or adhered at the seams, and the seam is the part that matters. Every seam is probed after installation, welds are tested on a sample and any repair is marked. A maker's drawing shows how a membrane turns up a wall, around a pipe and over a curb, and the work is built to the drawing because an owner who ever makes a claim will be asked for it.

Who publishes layered and coating systems?

GAF, Johns Manville, Holcim Elevate and Soprema each publish layered, single-ply or liquid-applied systems among their lines, depending on the maker. Every liquid-applied flashing resin and reinforced coating comes with its own surface preparation, which is followed step by step.

A self-adhered base sheet, a torch-applied cap and a reinforced coating each carry their own rules for cleaning, priming and weather. The specification is read before attachment or flashing is chosen, and conditions on the day of work are recorded.

What records follow an installation?

Photographs of each detail, the materials used and a note on the weather during the work go into the roof file. It helps with a warranty question, an insurance question or a sale, and it tells the next roofer what lies beneath a patch.

Buyers and lenders ask what is on the roof when a building changes hands in Long Island City, Maspeth or elsewhere in Queens, and a kept file answers them and speeds every later visit.

How are existing systems repaired?

A repair must match the system already on the roof. Adhesive, flashing and coating compatibility is tested on a small area first, since mixing materials can ruin both. Queens weather tests every joint: a typical year drops about 29.8 inches of snow, and a strong heat island adds its own stress, so repairs are checked again after the first winter.

Commercial Roofing Questions

Does the maker change how a roof leaks?

Less than workmanship does. Every system fails at seams, flashings and penetrations, and the maker's details tell us how to rebuild them.

Can any repair material go on any membrane?

No. Compatibility matters. We identify the membrane with a sample and test adhesion before we repair.

How do I find out what is on my roof?

A core sample and a look at the seams usually tell us. Past records help confirm it.

How is a repair documented?

Each repair is photographed before, during and after, and noted with the date, the materials and its place on a roof plan.