If your home has a flat roof and you're dreading replacing your old built-up roofing system, consider switching to spray foam roofing. Spray foam roofs are common on commercial buildings, and they're becoming more popular for residential roofing because of the benefits they provide. Here's why you may want to switch to a spray foam roof and how one is installed.
Why You May Want A Spray Foam Roof
Spray foam roofing is hard when it dries, but it is lightweight. If you have gravel on your roof now, by removing the gravel and putting on spray foam, you'll take a lot of weight off of the structure of your roof. Spray foam also helps with energy efficiency since it is reflective and keeps the sun from heating up your house.
Spray foam is white, so it has an attractive appearance, but the most important advantage of this type of residential roofing is that it has no seams. The foam spreads itself out to form a blanket over the top of your home that has no seams that can leak. The foam even makes its own flashing as it seals itself around pipes and other protrusions through the roof.
Spray foam is also durable, so it lasts for many years. Plus, it can be applied to create slopes where needed. This allows the roofer to eliminate areas on your roof that have poor drainage.
How Residential Spray Foam Roofing Is Applied
Getting a new foam roof could take a few days. A large part of the effort is involved in removing your old roof. If you have a built-up flat roof that's topped with gravel, all the gravel and roofing materials have to be removed. If you have different roofing materials, it might be possible to apply spray foam over the top of your old roof, so you may want to discuss this option with your roofer.
Once the roof is prepped and ready for the foam, the roofer sprays the foam on the roof as a liquid. The liquid expands to foam and then quickly hardens. As the foam is put down, the roofer applies it in different thicknesses to make sure rain rolls toward the drain or gutters and doesn't collect on the roof.
A topcoat is usually applied over the foam that seals it for protection from rain and UV rays. The coating also provides reflectivity so UV rays bounce off your roof which keeps your roof cooler and in turn, helps keep your home cooler in the summer.
Contact residential roofing services in your area to learn more.
