Single Ply Roof Membranes

Single Ply roofing membranes provide a variety of materials to choose from. Their main characteristic is that they are designed to be installed in one layer. They also exhibit great flexibility and their resistant to UV radiation is superior when compared to other products. It is usually black or white finish, and glued, fastened or install directly over roof insulation material.

Types of Membranes

Single-ply membranes can be generally categorized into two groups: Thermosets and Thermoplastics. Thermoset membranes are compounded from synthetic rubber polymers, and the most commonly used polymers are EPDM, CSPE and Neoprene.

Thermosets membranes are ideal for large roof areas, due to the fact that their manufacturing size is ideal to reduce or minimize seams. The majority of EPDM thermosest black membranes have carbon black as an additional component, which increases the UV protection; and in the case of white membranes, the manufacturer adds titanium dioxide, increasing the reflection property against UV rays.

Seams on thermoplastic single-ply membranes can be hot-air welded together to form cohesive laps. When thermoplastic membranes cool, they return to their original material type. Two of the most commonly used thermoplastic single-ply membranes are PVC and TPO, both of them plastic-based materials. Thermoplastic membranes are usually manufactured to include a reinforcement layer, normally polyester or fiber glass that provides additional strength and stability.

Both types of membrane are highly flexible and resistant to ultraviolet radiation. These types of membranes are relatively easy to install, but normally are also incompatible and cannot be used in combination with other single roofing systems.

Pros and Cons of Single Ply Roofing

Pros

• Excellent against acid rain conditions
• Excellent performance under dramatic weather changes
• Will not suffer major problems under the presence of chemical materials
• Wide variety of grades available to choose from(grades are the type of protection desire from the product)
• Lightweight product
• Excellent reflective properties
• Easy to install
• Economic feasible

Cons

• Thinner surface that can be easily punctuate
• Relatively short lifespan
• Seam problems might arise
• Can be susceptible to water retention problems