When looking to reroof your commercial building there are a number of things to look into and to decide depending on the needs of your business. Commercial roofing materials and systems can be divided into two classifications. These are low slope and steep slope.
Low sloped roofing, which is also known as flat roofing is quite a complicated industry all to itself. There are thousands of different areas to choose from from roof deck types to insulation requirements to roof membranes and more. In order to make the process easier, also involve a professional roofing contractor to assist you in choosing the best roof to work with your needs. They are the experts on all things roofing and can be a great asset to your decision making. A low sloping roof system can be split into five subsections.
- Built up roof membranes
- Metal panel roof
- Polymer bitumen sheet membrane
- Single ply membrane
- Spray polyurethane foam based
For low sloping roof membrane there are three main components.
- Weatherproofing, which is the most important component because it keeps water from leaking through the roof.
- Reinforcements, which add strength, resistance and stability.
- Surfacing, which protects the weatherproofing and reinforcement from UV rays and weather conditions. There are types of surfacing that can provide other things such as fire resistance inhale resistance, etc.
Steep slope roofing also has five subsections.
- Asphalt shingles
- Clay tile and concrete tile
- Wood shakes or shingles
- Synthetic
Metal roof slate
A steep slope roof system is typically composed of components that are installed like shingles. This consists of three main parts.
- Roof deck, which is the structural stability and generally is made of wood.
- Underlayment, which provides a temporary protection until the roof is properly installed.
- Roof coverings, which is the external water shedding component.
Now that you know generally about roofs will be a little bit more informed when it comes to choosing commercial roofing materials. There are a lot more to choose from then just what is in these lists but it gives you a general idea of what you should be looking for.
Of course there are more to commercial roofing materials as I mentioned such as if you would like a green roof which you can actually grow vegetation on two or a thermal plastic roof which is made to be extremely durable to low temperatures and high temperatures. However, even though there are many more types to consider they pretty much all fall into these two categories which should make it easier for you to look into.
