As an Elizabethtown EPDM roofing contractor, we lay wide rubber sheets with taped, primed seams on large flat roofs, schools, churches, and older plants.
Picking an Elizabethtown EPDM roofing contractor often starts with one question: black rubber or a white membrane. These five points settle it.
Synthetic rubber, usually black, in large sheets.
A reflective surface for buildings that run cooling.
Rubber roofs fail in a few predictable places, and most of them sit at the edges and the seams rather than out in the field.
Seams laid over damp primer or dusty laps are the ones that open, often at T-joints where three sheets meet without a cover patch.
Hail rarely cracks rubber, but screws, metal shavings, and dropped tools near rooftop units punch straight through the sheet.
Wind pulls EPDM up at the edge first, so a loose cleat, sparse fastening near corners, or a failed parapet cap lets the sheet billow.
Older rubber that shrinks pulls flashing away from walls and curbs, leaving a gap at the base where water runs behind it.
EPDM is held down three ways, and the deck and structure decide which one fits your roof.
Bonding adhesive over a cover board makes a smooth, wind-resistant roof and suits roofs crowded with rooftop units and exhaust fans.
Repairs on existing EPDMPlates through the laps go down quickly on steel decks, with tighter fastening rows near corners where wind uplift on the sheet is strongest.
Flat roof replacementRiver stone or pavers hold the sheet on structures built for the added weight, behind parapets tall enough to keep the stone in place.
Compare all servicesRubber sheet earns its place on big, simple roofs, and here is where that shows up.
Large sheets cover a wide roof with fewer laps, and fewer laps means fewer places for water to find a way under.
The rubber stretches as the building moves and stays flexible through Kentucky freeze-thaw swings in winter.
Rubber bends under hail and the cover board below absorbs much of the force, so the insulation over offices and classrooms stays intact.
On buildings with heating and little cooling, black EPDM gives up less heat to the sky through the winter.
A dry existing roof can take a new cover board and EPDM on top, which avoids hauling off the old layers.
Damaged areas take a primed, taped patch cut from matching rubber, which keeps future repairs simple.
Call and describe where the sheet is loose and whether the edge metal or parapet cap has moved, and the visit starts there.
Each EPDM job runs in this order, with seam work done only on dry, primed laps.
Walking the existing roof, we look for open laps, cuts near units, loose edges, and shrinkage at walls, and core cuts show the layers and any wet insulation.
Fully adhered, mechanically fastened, or ballasted: the deck type, the structure's capacity for added weight, and the parapet height decide which one goes on.
Wet insulation comes out, deck repairs are made, and a cover board goes down so hail and boot traffic land on a firm surface.
Laps are scrubbed of dust and talc, primed on both faces, taped, and rolled toward the edge, with cover patches over seam ends and T-joints.
Curbs, drains, and walls get cured or uncured EPDM flashing, and the edge cleat and corner fastening follow the system maker's wind requirements.
Pads go down on the paths to units, hatches, and ladders, and you get photos of the seams and edges as built.
Two neighboring services share the roof walk with EPDM.
Air-conditioned offices and retail with rooftop units across the field often fit welded white TPO instead of black rubber.
TPO roofing
When the existing roof holds wet insulation, the job becomes a flat roof replacement with tear-off and tapered boards.
Flat roofingAnswers about rubber sheet, seams, and protection on Kentucky roofs.
On big, simple roofs with few penetrations, such as storage buildings, older plants, schools, and churches with flat sections. EPDM stays flexible in cold weather, which suits Kentucky winters, and it works as a recover over a dry existing roof with a new cover board between the layers.
With primer and seam tape instead of heat. The lap is scrubbed clean of dust and talc, both faces get the tape maker's primer, the tape goes in with its release paper pulled, and the seam is rolled firmly toward the edge. Seam ends and T-joints get a cover patch.
It follows how the building is used. Heated storage with little cooling often fits black EPDM, while air-conditioned offices, retail, and cold storage gain more from a reflective white surface. A reflective roof gives up a little winter solar warming, so the choice weighs both seasons.
Put a cover board under the sheet instead of bare insulation, lay walkway pads on the paths to units and hatches, and use thicker or reinforced sheet where service traffic is heavy. After a hailstorm, walk the roof and look for cuts near metal edges and soft dents in the insulation.
Three ways: fully adhered with bonding adhesive, mechanically fastened with plates through the laps, or ballasted with stone or pavers. Adhered sheet over a cover board suits roofs with many units, fastening goes quickly on steel decks, and ballast needs a structure and parapet built for the weight.
Often, when the damage is local and the insulation is dry. A cut or open lap is cleaned, primed, and covered with a taped patch of matching rubber. Shrinkage pulling flashing off many walls, or soft insulation across wide areas, points toward a new roof.
Start with a roof walk, then see the hold-down method, seam plan, and flashing details before any sheet is ordered.
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