I have to replace the flat roof on my sunporch, which is leaking and causing structural damage to the sunporch below. The roof currently has a wood deck on it that I rarely use. I have gotten 2 quotes from contractors to do the work:
One says just put a EPDM roof (black) up after the structural damage is fixed and put up a railing around the edge of the roof. When I voiced concern over occasionally walking on the EPDM roof, he said just put down some indoor/outdoor carpeting over top of it. He said that this would also address my concern about the heat that will be trapped by the black EPDM and will heat up the rest of the house that is adjacent to the roof. I had this happen before I put on the deck to cover the current black asphalt roof material. He also said that I could put down pre-fab decking that comes in squares at a materials cost of $4K– this is too expensive in my mind for occasional use. This is a well-respected general contractor in town who has a number of regular crews.
The other says he would put up a ‘free floating’ deck over the EPDM that would cover the roof, keeping the heat out of the house and allowing me to walk on the roof. He’d anchor the railings to the free floating deck. This guy is a finish carpenter and has no regular crew. He also didn’t seem to be thinking things all the way through when I met with him for a 2nd time and asked him questions about his proposal.
My questions:
Is it OK to put indoor/outdoor carpeting over top of EPDM and then walk on the EPDM? Will the carpeting trap moisture and hurt the roof? I don’t use this roof as a deck very often and it would be just me out there, not a crowd of people and not much traffic.
If a deck is a better way to go, don’t you have to anchor it to something? If I don’t put a deck or carpeting over the EPDM, how to minimize the heat radiating into the 2nd floor of the house that the roof is adjacent to?
If I don’t put down a deck, how would you suggest the railings be attached to minimize the opportunity for water leakage? I have read some of the materials that I have found on this site and it still seems that there’s a possibility of water leakage if you put up railings on an EDM roof.
Thanks for your advice.
Replies
I'm certainly not qualified to address all your concerns but I have an EBDM roof that I painted white. Made a huge difference in how hot the top floor gets. This is NOT regular paint but a special paint just for EBDM roofing. Wear your sun glasses when applying it. It really reflects the light.
BTW. I walk on my roof on occasion too. No chairs or woman's heals. Only soft soled shoes. I like having the roof exposed so any problems can be seen and easily fixed.
Thanks for the info. What kind of paint did you use, and where can you buy it ?(Home Depot, spcialty paint store, roofing company)?
Any place that sells or installs EPDM can sell you the right paint.Stay away from HD for decent service and products
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Yes, you can also buy white EPDM
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I asked about buying white EPDM and the counter guy said the product was not as good as the black.
I've never heard that line before.maybe not as good for his bottom line? Most places don't stock it and it is more expensive, so he might have been stuck holding some in inventory longer.Or maybe he can only get it in 45 but gets the regular in 60Or maybe he was confusing between black EPDM and white PVC roof membrane?or maybe he is just a crock...
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Or maybe he was making me feel better since I asked him about it after I had installed the black and was ordering the white paint.
My question is -- If the white is as good as the black why do they even make the black. That black roof must be 150 deg on a sunny day. After I painted it the roof felt cool to the touch. That's got to make a big difference in AC costs.
If the white is as good as the black why do they even make the black.
If you had white EPDM on a porch roof outside your window and had to deal with the glare, you'd understand. Also, white gets dirty after a while and looks like hell.
Pif's probably right about the bottom line. White's a special order here and it needs white accessories to go with it. Lot's of inventory and storage expense for a slow moving product.
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"he ot the placed closed down whyyy thhhattt nnooo gooodddd" - sancho
Some places the black is an advantage.It costs more to make the whiteBlack is more or less the natural colour of the material
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give the advanced search here a workout with words like EPDM + deck, IPE` and you will find enlightenment my son
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Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
Dura Dek is your answer. Tough & watertight. It has to be installed by a dealer but it works well.
We used "dog grooming mats" on one EPDM roof we did that had the railing bolted through wooden gutters on the fascia.
That roof also had a pond and extensive landscaping to create a roof garden and was accessed by a three foot wide articulated bridge that went out about 8 feet, bent 30 degrees ran over about ten feet bent 15 degrees and then 8 feet to the roof garden.
Would have shown it to more customers but the client was in the habit of leaving bags of pot laying around the house even when I called to say we were coming by, guess she didn't think it should be illegal so in her mind it wasn't illegal...
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"You cannot work hard enough to make up for a sloppy estimate."
If you only go on the roof occasionally, forget about the deck. You can walk on EPDM just fine, as long as you are not wearing your golfing shoes.
This white paint has me very intrigued. I'm going to look into that for our carriage house.