Category: Construction

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How to Determine If You Need Roof Repair or Replacement – Taking the Right Steps

Determining what you have to do when your roof has suffered damage is a very important part of responsible roofing. Whether you have just installed a brand new roof on your home, or you’ve been planning to replace your old roof for a long time, making the right assessment can be crucial – both for your peace of mind and for your wallet’s sake.

  1. Assess the Roofing Damage

The first step to take when you’re trying to determine whether or not you need roof repair or replacement is to assess the damage your roof has sustained and determine whether any measure might be necessary in the first place. This can be somewhat tricky, since you won’t immediately know what is involved with this step – at least not until you physically climb up on a ladder or send a drone up to assess the situation.

In most cases, if your roof is leaking, and you don’t have much technical knowledge of how roofing systems are built or how to tackle the situation in a practical and timely fashion, then it’s best to call in Panama City roofing professionals right from the start, and have them perform a full roofing inspection. Otherwise, if the damage is more subtle, or if just a few roofing shingles fell down to the ground, then you might be able to assess the situation and determine the next step on your own.

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  1. Should You Call a Roofer?

Sometimes the damage is minimal or extensive enough that you are able to determine whether or not you have to repair or replace your roof. If a hurricane hit your home, for instance, and there are huge gaps in your roof, or if a large part of it was damaged by water or fire, then you definitely have to replace it. On the other hand, if you just have a few missing shingles, you might be able to replace them yourself and repair your roof without help from local roofing experts.

Calling a local roofer is required when the damage is unclear, or when you can’t determine whether the surface damage is the full extent of the problem. Sometimes a leaky roof has more to do with gaps in the interior structure of the roof, rather than just a problem with the flashing or with some cracked shingles that you could normally replace quite easily.

Be careful, however, of storm chasers! Some roofing contractors actually chase around after storms and try to get employed by distraught homeowners who are desperate for some quick and affordable roofing support. Even if a deal offered by a local roofer seems to be great, always take it with a grain of salt and make sure you do some research to find out if that particular roofer is licensed, and if they have good feedback from the Better Business Bureau.

  1. Working Together with Your Local Roofing Expert

A local roofer is your best chance at getting to the bottom of the problem and making sure you make the right decision regarding your roof. Once you call in a roofer, they will evaluate your roof and present you with the details of what needs to be done, how long it will take and how much it will cost. Once all that is taken care of, it will be up to you to determine whether you want them to take up the project or not.

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The Advantages of Spray Foam Commercial Installation

Spray foam is one of the most common and most efficient material used for fixing holes in walls, around doors and windows as well as for fastening and joining components and a versatile material with numerous other uses – here is a short description of the material and some of the most important advantages of spray foam commercial installation.

What Is, in fact, Spray Foam?

Spray foam is a chemical composed of two materials, polyol resin and isocyanate, each of which maintain their volume when they are on their own, but expand to 30-60 times their volume when they come into contact with each other and air. The material has various uses, the two most important fields that use the foam being packaging and construction, both making use of the capacity of the foam to turn into any shape and its high thermal insulation capacity.

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The Advantages of Using Spray Foam for Commercial Construction 

The great physical and chemical features of the foam’s two components open up a wide range of usage options and ensure resistance and durability. According to Chicago commercial roofing contractors, here are the most important benefits:

  • Instant insulation anywhere around the building – whether it is a small hole or gap in the wall that needs to be filled or the entire attic area needs to be insulated quickly, spray foam is great for preventing any air exchange and water penetration;
  • Filling unseen crevices – when spray foam is applied on a surface, it seals not only visible cracks and holes, but very small, unnoticeable ones as well, providing complete protection;
  • Suitable for being used on a wide range of materials – whether the crack or hole is on a component made from wood, clay, metal, concrete or stone, the foam offers excellent adherence without damaging the area of application;
  • Efficient for interior as well as exterior uses – spray foam can be used for filling cavities inside the home as well as on exterior surfaces, even on roofs. The spray can be applied not only from small aerosol cans, to treat smaller areas, but from larger cans to spray entire walls or even an entire roof,
  • Protection against condensation, mold and mildew – spray foam is a great material to use in areas prone to condensation, such as the attic or the areas around skylights;
  • Sound protection – spray foam makes an excellent sound barrier, making it the perfect solution for buildings close to busy roads or for buildings in which the activities carried out generate noises that need to be kept inside;
  • Increased energy efficiency when applied to large areas – spray foam reduces air movement when it is applied on small spots, but its excellent thermal insulation qualities are truly revealed when the material is used for insulation complete walls or attic areas. Spray foam provides efficient protection against heat as well as against cold, so much so, that some building owners have reported achieving a reduction of 40-50% in energy consumption after having their roofs sprayed with the foam;
  • Quick and easy usage – whatever the purpose of the application, whether it is gap filling or complete insulation, one of the most important advantages of spray foam commercial installation is that spray foam can be applied quickly and easily and it also dries very fast.
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A Small Guide for Understanding EDPM Roofing (Ethylene-Propylene-Dien-Monomer)

For understanding EPDM roofing, we must first know some things about this synthetic membrane designed for flat roofs, mostly specific to commercial and industrial buildings, but noot exclusively, as it is also suitable for extensive roofing systems and / or photovoltaic systems. Flat roof sealing systems are widely made of EPDM rubber membranes and various accessories that fit all types of roofs and environments, delivering unsurpassed performance in terms of durability.

EPDM (Ethylene-Propylene-Dien-Monomer) is a 100% synthetic single-ply membrane vulcanized in sheets of different thicknesses, chemically stable and with unlimited UV resistance. It does not contain plasticizers.

It is important, for better understanding of EPDM roofing and its performance, to know that since 50 years ago, when the first such membrane was used, billions of square meters have been installed all over the world for all kind of applications, ranging from roofs and terraces to pools. The membranes installed five decades ago are reviewed annually by manufacturers, revealing that their mechanical performance still does not require replacement. No other waterproofing membrane managed to approach or match longevity requirements, which is why the use of EPDM installed by commercial roofing companies Denver pros has increased over the years.

The extraordinary elongation of over 300% is another feature that gives the EPDM membrane the advantage of taking over the mechanical stress as no other material can do. Its particular flexibility makes it capable of absorbing the dimensional modifications of the support it is applied on, modifications resulting from uneven drainage or constructive flaws.

EPDM roofing systems can be installed in any climate, considering that their flexibility is not affected up to -40ºC. The EPDM membrane is made of synthetic rubber composed of isobutyl and isoprene, with excellent resistance to external factors, chemical agents and UV radiation. EPDM maintains its physical and chemical properties between – 45 ° C and 130 ° C, remaining unaffected to an induction of 250 ° C.

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Other benefits

  • The mechanical strength of EPDM membranes is superior to other membranes and foils, due to their exceptional flexibility
  • They present higher chemical resistance than PVC / PE foil or bitumen
  • Fire resistance is another pro; although just for a limited period of time, the EPDM membrane is resistant even to open flame
  • This material has a high moldability, which means that it can be cut and glued by cold vulcanization, in any desired shape
  • Repairs can be quickly remedied, and maintenance can be performed with ease
  • EPDM membranes have a long lifespan: the 20-year warranty and the fact that the first functional projects are almost 50 years old make the EPDM membrane a long-term investment.

EPDM membrane has a few direct competitors:

  • insulated concrete with special waterproofing layers
  • PVC foil
  • polyethylene film
  • bituminous membrane (only for roofs)
  • natural insulators such as clay (only for ponds and water basins)

Finally, understanding EPDM roofing also entails knowing other applications of such a membrane. Here are the most important ones:

  • artificial decorative ponds
  • reservoirs
  • irrigation tanks
  • retention basins (wet detention basins or stormwater management ponds)
  • wastewater collectors
  • manure tanks
  • fire water tanks
  • artificial snow tanks
  • construction waterproofing.