Radcliff EPDM Roofing Contractor

Which buildings use EPDM roofing?

EPDM is a synthetic rubber membrane, usually black, laid in large sheets on flat and low-slope roofs. It stays flexible in cold weather and leaves fewer field seams than narrow rolls.

Older flat roofs, schools, churches, cold-storage buildings, and wide warehouse roofs use it most, and it handles ultraviolet light and freeze-thaw swings at the laps.

How are EPDM seams joined on a new roof?

With primer and seam tape, pressed with a silicone roller and finished with lap sealant at the exposed edge and T-joints. Older roofs used liquid splice adhesive, which explains why so many aged seams peel at the lap edge. Cold, damp mornings slow primer drying, so seam work waits for dry rubber and steady temperatures.

Black vs white EPDM roof in Kentucky: which fits?

Black absorbs sunlight and runs hot in summer, while white reflects much of it. The Department of Energy cool roof guide says the winter heating penalty of a reflective roof is usually smaller than the summer cooling savings in mixed climates like Kentucky.

Air-conditioned offices and retail gain most from white; unheated warehouses and cold rooms often keep black.

Should EPDM be adhered, fastened, or ballasted?

The deck, the structure, and the parapet height decide. Adhesive suits roofs with many penetrations and exposed edges, fastening strips suit steel decks on large buildings, and ballast suits strong decks with parapets tall enough to hold stone. Ballast adds heavy load, so a structural check of the deck and framing comes first.

How is EPDM flashed at parapets and curbs?

Membrane runs up the parapet and across it under a metal coping cap.

Curbs around rooftop units get cured flashing with uncured pieces molded at each corner, drains clamp the sheet under the ring over water cutoff mastic, and pipes get pre-molded boots. Termination bars through the wall flashing stop it sliding as the rubber shrinks.