TPO ROOFS

TPO roofing was the American answer to the European PVC roof. It is called and considered the Yugo of roofing, but it seemed to answer the real problems with the nasty toxicity of PVC roofs and the potential negative press that keeps coming up. Further, with the exception of what has dwindled down to two good manufacturers (IB Systems being of the finest quality), PVC roofs tended to average only 9.5 years until roof replacement, by survey.  TPO is made of waste products and fillers, such as just about any form of white dirt and, of course, olephin (French for oily waste).  Because they don’t pay for the main ingredient, the “O” in TPO roofs, the cost is considerably lower.  There is just enough ‘plastic’ to make it thermally weld like a PVC roof, but it is NOT like a good PVC roof at all.  A good PVC roof like the IB Systems roof is a 30 or more year roof.  TPO roofing is an inferior product by any and all measurements. The issues are numerous and the manufacturers use every trick in the book to cheapen these roofs to compete with each other on price, not quality.  They know that the majority of buyers are ignorant and will choose the low bidder, even if the roof only lasts 6 years.  Worse yet, the same idiot who bought the first failed roof will take the low bid again! (Definition of insanity?) The real issue is that the TPO roof is actually porous. Yes, I said porous, so weeping and condensation on the underside are a constant companion. Typically the fabric is good and it sometimes makes a great resurfacing project. However, cloth, no matter how good, won’t hold out water, but neither will dirt, yet those are the chief ingredients in TPO roofs, all TPO roofs, so don’t expect much.

Here is the bottom line with TPO.  You will be lucky to get 15 years from a 45 mil TPO roof and 20 years from a 60 mil TPO roof, regardless of roof brand and then you have to spend the money, yet again IF YOU ARE LUCKY. Vapor drive through the membrane will rot or rust your structural roof system, especially a metal roof when an ignorant roofer puts a membrane on a metal roof!  So, expect to replace a roof or two and then expect the entire structural system to need replacing, roof deck and all. It is literally one of the most bone headed mistakes a building owner can make, yet, for a low bid, they make it every day.  Unfortunately, we do TPO roofs all the time, but it is with the understanding that it is to save money on your roof, not sell you the best roof.   If a salesman says it will last longer, ask him how he knows, when they haven’t even been commercially available for 2 decades yet.  I have seen 25 year warranties on roofs that haven’t been around for a decade, with an average life of less than 10 years. The salesman may not know the difference, but you NEED to know and an ignorant or deceptive salesman is not what you need when looking at a new roof.  You need real facts, raw data and a solution for an exponentially growing problem.  Roofs now account for 60% to 65% of all building maintenance costs over the buildings life. This number grows by multiple percentages every year as the roofs you buy continue to worsen in quality. It is a FACT that TPO roofs or poor quality PVC roofs will often fail prematurely, maybe even 6 years down the road and it is a FACT that purchasing landfill that sits atop your roof for a few years will cost more than any other roof, period. If price is a factor, then either save up and purchase a real option when you can afford one or sell the building to someone who can maintain it, but don’t throw good money away on an ignorant choice.  Once you add in for the replacement roof or two, interior damage, water issues with an expensive item damaged by water and loss of use, even mold issues, then you can easily afford a real roof.  You don’t need to pretend it’s going to be a good roof to justify a stupid act of cheapness.  It will sometimes be the single most major mistake you could make on your building, period.  We need not pretend at 777 roof, we know the score and now, so do you.

If your building’s flat roof situation seems a problematic challenge, don’t worry.  Consider becoming another happy ‘777’ Coatings’ or 777 roofing, flat roof owner, as 777 Roofs can be a game changer and information on our flat roof resurfacing is the final option in the full range of options you need to help make a quality decision. We do all forms of modern flat roofing, in fact, we are the only ones, including the prized IB Systems PVC roof or a good TPO flat roof.  Ever wondered why everyone offers the same roof?  Are there no others, or are the roofers only educated in one style?  We do membrane roofs, but we also do flat roof resurfacing of old commercial roofs, such as TPO roofs, PVC roofs, TroCal roofs, JP Stevens roofs (Hypalon), tar roofs of all kinds and so many more flat roof or commercial roof systems, so if one style does not work for your exact need, we will honestly tell you and suggest the best alternative roof.  However, we can accurately forecast the time of estimated service and how to best maintain the commercial roof integrity throughout the decades, for the lowest long term flat roof cost.  Flat roofing makes up 60+% of the cost of maintaining a commercial building over its life. Stop wasting money on one roof at a time. Treat it like a parking lot and resurface your flat roof when you need to and put off replacement, because, like a parking lot, it is a mess and it is disruptive.  You don’t need the headache.  Make a stand and ask for a sustainable system that will last as long as your commercial building does, while cutting your lifetime roof costs nearly in half.  If you need to estimate roof cost, feel free to contact us and we can give you a run-down of what commercial roofs or flat roofs cost.  Every type of commercial roof option they make! Thanks