Roofing Membrane:  The Best Adhesives for roof leaking in the market

Roofing membranes is a roofing adhesive for buildings, most commonly made from synthetic rubber, thermoplastic or modified bitumen. Roofing membranes are used for sealing exteriors in order to prevent leaks and move take water off the roof.

Roofing is either mechanically attached or fully adhered. Mechanically attached exteriors can be installed faster and at a lower cost. They can also easily inspected by the manufacturer. For mechanically attached roofing the membrane roll is laid down and then the screws are drilled in at the edge. Then a watertight seal is formed by heat welding. This process creates a single waterproof surface.

Fully adhered roof installation is a slow and expensive roofing system. Fully adhered exteriors are directly glued to the insulation below, and then the membrane is pressed by a weighted roller. Mechanically adhered roofing may be the best and dominates 80% of the market as it’s considered to be the best against water leak. The perception is that if a roof gets a hole and water penetrates through that hole it can’t travel under the membrane. But, in reality the water that accumulates underneath can degrade the glue that adheres to the insulation below.

There are number of roofing systems and multiple choices of adhesives available in the market. Choosing the right adhesive is very important for the performance of roofing system.   

Best adhesives in the market:   

Liquid Rubber/ EPDM:

Liquid rubber is one of the best choices for avoiding leaks for both residential and commercial exterior systems. EPDM is the King (or Queen) of roofing adhesives. It’s used to save the roof from external factors such as rain water, snow, high winds, heat and sunlight. If you want to secure your home or structure from such damaging factors then liquid rubber is the ideal solution. EPDM (ethylene propylene diene terpolymer) liquid rubber is very popular in the market and easy to use. EPDM is a synthetic rubber that makes it to be flexible. It is widely used for residential and commercial roofing, leaking gutters, basement leaks and wall problems. EPDM is considered a time testing option. Give your roof a royal EPDM treatment and you won’t have to worry about mother nature this winter.

TPO (Thermoplastic Olefin):

TPO is the most solid and cost effective option for flat and low slope roofing. It provides combined benefits of EPDM rubber and PVC roofs.  This is the reason behind the growing popularity of TPO in the market. A TPO membrane is prepared from ethylene propylene rubber. TPO is the fastest growing segment of US single ply roofing industry. A TPO roof is durable, provides resistance against leaks, dirt, bacteria, algae, tear and punctures. It also offers environmentally friendly solutions to the client.

Modified bitumen (BM):

MB membranes are composed of pre-fabricated polymer-modified asphalt sheets with a reinforcement layer. They are highly designed to resist external damaged factors.

Adhesives for single-ply roof membrane

There are many adhesives available in the market, but the best for singly ply exteriors are:

• Single part polyurethane (PU)

• Two part polyurethane (PU)

• Solvent based synthetic rubber contact adhesives

• Water based acrylic adhesives

• Bonding insulation boards

We would like to thank Royal Renovators Inc. 118-35 Queens Blvd Forest Hills, NY 11375 (800) 423-2313, Royal Roofing Queens 68-38 Main St #2, Flushing, NY 11367 (718) 489-4009, Goldenberg Roofing NYC 1274 5th Ave, New York, NY 10029 (212) 457-1324 and NY Roofing 2707 Strickland Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11234 (646) 838-0441 for all their help in making this insightful publication of roofing adhesives possible. After reading this article we really hope you will be able to make a more informed decision regarding the correct adhesive membranes for your home. Membranes are the only way to get through those tough winter snow, rain and wind storms. Ice damming and ponding problems are almost guaranteed if your roofing membranes are not intact and of high quality. These membranes should be on top of your agenda this fall and you should speak to a reliable company to make sure your membranes are winter-proof.