Is a roof always a roof? It sounds silly, but for some residential roofing contractors, any ol’ roof will do — commercial or residential. Yet a commercial roof is completely different from a residential roof, and a good commercial roofer knows this. Among West Palm Beach commercial roofing companies, the best ones strive to know three things about your industrial or business property before starting any job.
Slope
A lot of West Palm Beach properties use low-slope roofing. The pitch on such roofs is less than 3-in-12 (14 degrees) and allows for just about any “flat roofing” material:
- Modified and Built-Up — The traditional multi-ply system with granulated finishes including cold and hot applications
- TPO — Mechanically attached or fully adhered rubber laminated systems
- PVC — Mechanically attached and fully adhered PVC scrim systems
Steep-slope roofs (over 3:12) can take other options:
- Fiberglass-asphalt shingles
- Metal Roofs
- Tiles
At PSI Roofing we have seen some low-slope roofs (unsuccessfully) roofed with shingles. That is one sure sign of a residential roofer in over his head.
Age
Florida commercial roofs do not age equally. Some are facing into the teeth of our Atlantic Ocean storms. Some sit protected on the leeward side of other buildings. A top quality commercial roofer will assess your roof’s two ages:
Chronological age — Your building’s records should be available to note the year your existing roof was installed
Weathering age — Close inspection will reveal wear patterns from wind and weather, from worker’s boots and from scattered debris
Composition
Most residential roofs are fiberglass-asphalt shingles. Sometimes West Palm Beach residences branch out and try Spanish tile, or even metal. Commercial roofs, on the other hand, can be composed of a wide variety of materials that resemble alphabet soup:
- APP
- SBS
- PVC
- EPDM
A good West Palm Beach commercial roofing company will investigate your roof to make certain of its composition — not just the overall material, but other materials used in previous wayward repairs here and there — to guide any repair or maintenance work. Some materials do better with heat welding while others lay down better using chemical solvents. A good roofer matches repairs to roofing materials.
Contact us as PSI Roofing today to put us to the test. Ask us what a commercial roofer would need to know about your West Palm Beach commercial roofing before giving you a repair or re-roof estimate. We will ask to come out, have a look around, and evaluate your roof before putting together any estimates.
