These pics are of the roof on the low slope portions of the house that (some may recall) has the “movable insulation” (beads that are blown into and sucked out of the space between the panes of the window wall.
Anyways, I have no clue as to what kind of roofing material this is. Any help?
Thanks.
Rich Beckman
This signature line intentionally left blank.
Replies
Looks like torch down roofing to me. Not the greatest job in the world.
Is there other information I'm missing though? That grid pattern looks just like the torch down roofing I've seen.
zak
"When we build, let us think that we build forever. Let it not be for present delight nor for present use alone." --John Ruskin
"so it goes"
It looks like a modified bitumen torch down to me too
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I agree with zak and piffen, looks like torch down and, as zak said, not a very pretty installation.
Sounds like everyone agrees!I've never seen a modified bitumen torch down roof before. I guess they are not too popular around here.A sloppy install? Oh well. It isn't visible from the ground and it is fairly old (I'm not sure exactly, over twenty years).
Thanks!
Rich BeckmanThis signature line intentionally left blank.
If you want to sound like you know what you're talking about, call it "Mod Bit".
Or mention that you think it is SBS as opposed to APP.
;-)
"Or mention that you think it is SBS as opposed to APP."Yeah. I always try to say stuff the meaning of which is unknown to me.Rich BeckmanThis signature line intentionally left blank.
rich ,
those are two of the common types of Modified bitumen compositions sold as torch down.
Sequentured butadiene styrene and atactic polypropylene.
The stuff is actually a great product to learn how to use.. very versitile, holds up well , and great for patch work .
I was told when I first learned about it that it was originaly designed not as roofing but as a a pond liner for use in the Italian alps for fire ponds. The crews were able to pack it to the sites on mules and use propane torches to line ponds.
Don't know if this is actually true but it sounded feasible to me.
Dovetail,Do YOU think it is SBS as opposed to APP based on the pictures? At first I thought you were just being a wiseacre, but now I'm wondering if you were serious.Rich BeckmanThis signature line intentionally left blank.
Rich,
I was being a bit of a smart a%% , but also just trying to pass on some information.
If the installation is recent the odds are it is SBS mateial. I say that because the SBS is easier to work with , melts at lower temperatures and gained the larger market share after it was introduced.
The only way to know for sure is to either find out the manufacturer (and some manufacurers make both ) or do a "heat test " to gauge at what temperature the product melts. A good "guess" can be gotten by doing a "fingernail" test , if you can push your finger nail into the material it is likely SBS, the APP is tougher and harder.
It has been years since I was in that industry , back in the 80's I sold some roofing products and was around the various torch downs quite a bit. The technology fascinated me and I was thinking about becoming a factory rep for one of the manufacturers.
It is no where near as common a product any more as it was then , the insurance industry pretty much killed it off after a few fires that were caused by careless installations. The product became commonly used by ill trained and inexperienced installers who didn't pay attention to basic safety issues.
Wholesalers and retailers were selling it to anybody who wanted to buy it without proper training. But with proper training and installation technigues it is still a great product and has it's definite place in the roofing industry.
I have used it for all sorts of off the wall applications myself , even patched a plastic whitewater kayak some 15 yrs. ago with some of it. Used a heat gun to soften the SBS material and warm the plastic, slapped it on and the patch is still holding.
Definitly not a recomended procedure I am sure ;-)
Rich,
I'll chime in and say that it is APP mod bit. I used to work for a roof consulting firm and have seen acres and acres of mod bit roofs.
I don't recall seeing an unsurfaced SBS membrane, they were usually granule or foil surfaced for UV protection.
One of the first roofs I ever saw being installed was a smooth surfaced, APP, mod bit.
vintage,
I believe you are right. I had forgotten that the SBS was nearly always sold with granules or needed some type of coating to protect it. I just remembered the name of the Italian company with the foil faced modified.... Imper Italia.
Looked at their website but didn't see any pics of the product i was talking about.
Edited 3/11/2007 3:27 pm by dovetail97128
"If you want to sound like you know what you're talking about, call it
'Mod Bit'."LOL!! Too late for that! I already told 'em I have no idea what it was. But that's OK.I have repaired a roof leak (on the shingled roof) and repaired a shed ("looks just like it has always looked that way") so they already have a reasonably favorable opinion of me.
Rich BeckmanI never hesitate to tell a customer "I don't know, but I can find out."
i've never seen a pretty looking modified installation
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Piffen,
Back in 1984 I watched a demonstration by an Italian manufacturer of a torch down bonded to a metallic top layer. Italian installers (dressed in white coveralls!) laid out and installed a small roof and the work was indeed as beautiful as it gets.
Nice even bleed out, barely visible from just a few feet away, and the material itself was gorgeous. I remember that it was available in copper, green, gold, and a red/bronze hue.
One thing that struck me during the presentation was that the installers were treated and acted like highly trained technicians , which is also what the sales people made a point of. I guess over there at the time the roofers had a high reputation as skilled tradesman , while at the same time here torch down crews were barely a step above the common image of hot mop crews.
Wish I could remember the name of the company so I could post a link to their stuff.
Image -
My impression of torch down was always that it is a substitute for a highly experienced BUR crew - something that a carpenter could do on a porch roof with little investment in tools or training when the job was too small for a real roofer.When we went single ply, we went straight to EPDM.I guess I can see modified for things like warehouses where we used to mop down double coverage or for behind parapet walls in the southwest, but I got out of roofing before doing much modified.
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