As we’ve often talked about in our commercial roofing-focused blog posts, it’s possible for your commercial building to have a roofing system that isn’t ideal for its use.

In buildings with flat-roof structures (as opposed to low-slope or steep-slope systems), builders can sometimes install an unsuitable roof. Inexperienced roofing contractors and novice building owners install commercial flat roofing systems that aren’t ideal because they aren’t aware of all the decision factors to choose the best roofing materials from the long list of possible options.

Perhaps more often, the type of business being conducted in a particular building changed throughout the history of the building. And while the original commercial roof may have been a perfect fit for the building’s earlier purpose, it could now be inappropriate—or maybe just too old and causing leaks inside the building.

While thermoplastic single-ply membrane roofing like PVC and TPO, thermoset single-ply membrane roofing (EPDM), and modified bitumen “rubber roofing” are some of the most popular roofing systems for new commercial roof installations today, they’re not the only options available. In fact, if you have an aging roof on an existing commercial building, none of these materials may be quite the right—or most cost-effective—fit compared to elastomeric roof coatings.

Capable of stopping leaks, adding energy savings, and revitalizing your current roof without the need for a disruptive total tear-off and reinstallation project, elastomeric coatings are well worth your consideration.

Today’s post introduces coatings with a variety of material properties that can be applied to a wide range of existing commercial roofing systems, including asphalt, metal, and more.

Many people enjoy a good mystery story, but playing detective in real life is often less than fun, especially when it comes to figuring out if your commercial building’s roof might need repair or replacement.

There are some obvious signs that your roof is having problems—you’ll likely find a few inside your building, while others may only be evident when looking at your roof’s surface.

Today’s post highlights the biggest clues that you shouldn’t wait another minute to call in the commercial roofing professionals like us here at Heidler Roofing to “solve the case,” aka inspect your roof and present you with an action plan for fixing problems.

Here at Heidler Roofing, one of our primary goals in business is making sure commercial buildings throughout the Mid-Atlantic region have the best and most protective roofing systems. If you’ve been following along with our recent Ultimate Guide to Commercial Roofing blog post series, we hope that’s obvious by now!

With so many choices on the market today, does the color matter? The answer is yes. Your commercial roof’s color absolutely matters—and not just for aesthetic reasons. The material it’s constructed from makes a huge difference in its performance capabilities, and the color is closely related to the material when you’re talking about single-ply membrane systems.

So, what are the differences between the most popular types of single-ply materials for new installations and replacement applications?

Today’s post compares single-ply thermoset materials like EPDM, which is typically black, and thermoplastic materials—TPO & PVC—which tend to be white. Which should you choose? We’ll help you consider that question, too.