Every day the roof of a building is the hardest hit by the weather and elements. A building’s roof is subjected to one or more of the following on a constant basis: a direct bombardment of UV rays, rain, wind, snow, hail, and more. The investment you make in your company’s roof is an investment that helps protect your entire building. A metal roof is the best way to secure the investment you’ve made in your property because it outperforms almost any other roofing material.

Furthermore, the warranties for metal roofs are often far in excess of warranties offered for other roofing materials.

You no longer have to only consider asphalt and/or cement based roofing materials for your company’s roof! Metal roofing does not have the disadvantages of those other materials. Unlike asphalt roofing, metal roofing does absorb water and does not pollute our ground water each time it rains. Metal roofing does not require the maintenance that either of the other roofing materials may require. And unlike cement-based materials, metal roofing does not require extra bracing to support the weight of the roof and is not expensive, requiring specialized skills to install.

Metal roofing requires virtually no maintenance and will not crack, perforate, shrink or erode. Metal roofing is also safer for your company, as it will not burn or support combustion. Our customers have also found that metal roofing has, in fact, saved them money on their energy bills because metal roofing reflects the suns rays, reducing cooling costs and saving energy.

When choosing metal roofing, you can rest assured that you have all of the benefits without the disadvantages of conventional roofing methods.

Modified Bitumen roofing is an asphalt-based roofing material designed for buildings with low-slope or “flat” roof structures. Modified Bitumen roofs have been used successfully in the United States and Canada for well over 30 years. Similar to the tar and gravel roof, this roof adds layers of polyester or fiberglass with bitumen. These additional layers add strength and resistance to a flat roof in many ways. Modified Bitumen has a high resistance to brittleness at cold temperatures, allows a greater flow resistance at high temperatures, and achieves an increased elasticity. Modified Bitumen also offers diversity in coatings and surfacings — such as: mineral surface, gravel surface, and “cool roof” coatings which are highly-reflective to save on building energy costs. Mineral-surfaced Modified Bitumen roofs are typically furnished with white granules, but are also available in designer colors to match asphalt shingles or to simply compliment the building design.

Modified Bitumen also gives installers many more options. It may be installed by the torch-application method, “hot-mopped”, or applied with “cold-process” adhesives. With the latest innovation in Modified Bitumen installation being self-adhering sheets. This method eliminates the risks associated with the use of torches, hot asphalt, and is completely free of VOC (volatile organic chemicals) fumes during and after application.

Modified Bitumen has a proven track record of performance, superior waterproofing characteristics in comparison with other roofing methods, a broad range of application methods, a wide selection of surfacing, and a competitive life-cycle cost making it the roof system of choice by many Architects, Roofing Consultants, School Districts, Building Owners and more.

Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer (EPDM) is one of the most popular materials for both new and reroof low-slope roofing applications.

EPDM is a heavy rubber roofing membrane that is mechanically fastened to the roof’s decking with treated roofing screws and galvanized roofing plates. EPDM arrives in 20’x100′ rolls. Because of the 20′ width, fewer laps are needed, thus allowing for a shorter install time. For example, a 20′ x 60′ building with EPDM roofing material would only require 2 field laps because of it’s wide widths, it allows for fewer seams and increases installation efficiency. EPDM can also be easily cut down to fit smaller buildings as well.

EPDM roofs can typically have a lifespan of 15-20 years depending upon the application type. EPDM is easily installed and can be applied in two ways, mechanically sealed or fully adhered.

Offering design versatility, durability, and installation ease, EPDM roofing systems are based on a synthetic rubber compound that provides outstanding weather protection in any environment.

EPDM has gained industry-wide acceptance by providing immediate and long-term roofing solutions. EPDM continues to be the roofing material that stands the test of time.

Modified Poly-Vinyl Chloride (PVC) membranes have share many characteristics with TPO systems in that they are easy to install, durable and energy efficient. Modified PVC roofing can be installed a variety of ways, including using mechanical fasteners and plates, fully adhered in bonding adhesive or ballasted. In all applications, Modified PVC sheets are overlapped with the seams heat welded, fusing the sheets together, making the roofing system highly resistant to wind and other weather factors. Because of the make-up of Modified PVC, it also is able to withstand hard rains, is fire and chemical resistant. Modified PVC is also very flexible, resisting normal structural movement without cracking or splitting.

Another advantage to Modified PVC and other relective membranes is that they can enhance the performance of solar collector panels. Modified PVC is energy efficient, economical, easy to repair, envionmentally friendly, and durable.

Thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) membranes is one of the most popular commercial roofing materials used today. Unlike some other popular thermoplastic roofing membranes, the TPO polymer does not contain chlorine and no chlorine-containing ingredients are added during production. This lack of chlorine has helped TPO membranes garner a great reputation for being an environmentally friendly, “green” product. TPO membrane, reinforced and non-reinforced, is 100 percent recyclable during the production process.

TPO roofing membrane is typically installed using mechanical fasteners and plates placed along the edge of the sheet and fastened through the membrane and into the decking of the roof. Adjoining sheets of TPO membrane are overlapped, covering the fasteners and plates, and joined together with a hot air weld. One of the primary benefits of TPO membrane is the ability to fuse the sheets together using a hot air weld. The welding process results in a bond that is actually stronger than the sheet itself.Maintenance and repairs are easily accomplished because no aggregate surfacing is needed.

Furthermore, TPO comes in a variety of wide sheets, making installation quicker and easier than other roofing methods.

When an existing roof requires replacement, expense and inconvienence are often a concern. Often times, a better alternative is a new retro-fit framing system installed on the old roof. Retrofit roofing can usually be installed right over the existing roofing without tear-off.

Retrofit roofing can normally be done with little inconvienence, allowing operations to continue as usualy, with no exposure of the interior of the building.Retrofit also provides the opportunity for the building’s owner to add additional insulation, improving energy efficiency and internal comfort. This system will satisfy current building code requirements, improve the overall performance of the facility, as well as correcting any problems of the current roof structure. Though retrofit roofing is not an available option for every roof type, those who can are often just as pleased with the results as they might be an entirely new roof.

It is not always necessary to replace a leaky or damaged roof. Often times, one might simply choose to restore it and save up to half the cost of a new roof. Almost half of many roof types and virtually 100 percent of metal roofs can be saved using advanced restoration technology, extending the roof’s life up to 20 years or more. There are thousands of roofing applications in North America that are approaching and passing the 10, 15, and 20-year points. Many of these systems’ protective layers have failed, resulting in a shortened roof life cycle. It has always been Garland’s philosophy that with regular preventative maintenance, any roof system should last well beyond the warranty period. To ensure this benchmark and to help provide building owners with the most economic and effective maintenance options, Garland offers a restoration treatment for practically any roof surface.

Restoring your damaged roof helps protect your investment in your home, and offers and affordable easy way to extend your roof’s lifetime.

Whether your design solution calls for a pre-manufactured Modified Bitumen membrane system, a standard built-up system, or a hybrid Built-Up Roofing/Modified Bitumen system, Firestone is uniquely positioned to meet your asphalt roofing system requirements. Firestone manufactures a diverse product line of base sheets, ply sheets, and cap sheets along with installation tools to give you a single source for quality asphalt-based roofing materials.