What Materials are Used in Commercial Flat Roof Construction?

A roof serves the simple purpose of keeping water out of a building. Do not be fooled though, as this does not mean modern flat roof construction in Vancouver is simple. In fact, modern flat roofs are quite complex, and make use of many modern materials. Here are some of the materials used in today’s flat roofs.

Built Up Roofing

The flat roof design has been around for awhile, and is commonly seen and used in most commercial applications. The materials for a built up roof primarily consists of are layers of roofing felt, constructed from fiberglass, which alternate with asphalt. This roof is then topped with a protective layer of gravel to protect against sunlight and add weight to secure the layers together.

Single Ply Membranes

A more recent alternative to built up roofing are single ply membranes. There are a few different material options available to choose from with single ply membranes. Thermoplastic options are made out of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) which is long-lasting, fire resistant and durable against sunlight. Synthetic rubber options made from ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) are also available and carry the same advantages as PVC options, but is considered to be less durable.

Modified Bitumen materials are another option. This material consists of an asphalt core, which is reinforced with polymers. It has more layers than the single ply membranes, but quicker and easier to install compared to built up roofing. Liquid roofing is also another material seeing traction in the flat roof market. This material consists of bitumen that has been reinforced with glass fibers.

As you can see, there are a number of options available for flat roof construction. For your next project, consider contacting the commercial roofers at Laurentian Roofing and get the roof that your building deserves.