
Discover the Advantages of PVC
When the time for new roofing for your commercial structure in the Sugarland, Texas area, you know you need to choose the best material that can withstand the varying weather conditions here. Especially the blistering hot UV rays and high winds that come with hard rains and hailstones. Look no further than PVC roofing material!
What is PVC?
PVC roofing material is the abbreviation for polyvinyl chloride and has grown in popularity for the many benefits it provides. What are the benefits of PVC roofing? The benefits of PVC roofing include the following, including financial benefits of saving money:
- Long Lifespan: What is the lifespan of PVC roofing? When installed by an experienced roofing contractor, PVC roofing can have a lifespan between twenty and thirty years. In addition, you can extend the lifespan by another 10 years by having a single ply of an elastomeric roof coating system applied when the PVC roofing material begins to show cracking and shrinking. This saves you money because it delays the need to tear off the existing and have new roofing installed.
- Energy Efficiency: PVC roofing is a highly reflective material. This material reflects the UV radiation away from the roof, keeping the building cooler. This is a big plus in Texas where the summer can hot and humid. A building that stays cooler helps to lower energy costs, another money saver.
- Fire Resistant: Polyvinyl chloride is a naturally fire-resistant material, one of the key distinctions from other roofing plastics. Because of the additional fire retardants in PVC roofing, it is slow to catch on fire, and because it is self-extinguishing, it is slow in spreading fire.
- Chemical Resistant: PVC roofing is ideal for structures like restaurants where grease is used on a daily basis, or in the vicinity of an airport, concrete plants, farms, or fertilizer factories. Chemicals associated with these types of businesses can damage other roofing materials, but PVC roofing is chemical-resistant. This keeps the roofing in healthy condition for longer.
- Low Cost: PVC roofing is more expensive to have installed than other roofing materials because of the specialized equipment required for installation. However, because of it durability, longer lifespan, and energy efficiency, it has a high ROI that re-coops that expense over the lifetime.
- Minimal Maintenance: When PVC roofing is installed by an experienced roofing contractor, the follow-up maintenance required is simply making visual inspections for possible gaps and shrinkage. As soon as this is noticed, schedule a roof coating and this will give you another 10 years or more before needing a new roof.
Is PVC roofing waterproof?
PVC roofing fully adheres to an underlying substrate of either a cover board or insulation, which gives it resistance to punctures and wind uplifting. This adds to the outstanding waterproofing properties, which makes it a popular choice is garden rooftops.
Is PVC roofing UV-resistant?
Yes, PVC roofing has a high level of solar reflectivity, making it excellent in UV resistance. Because of this, it reflects the sun’s UV rays that can heat a roof and radiate throughout the building. This reflectiveness property sends the UV rays back out into the environment and keeps the building cooler in the hot Texas summers.
Is PVC roofing a recyclable material?
Yes! This is one of the essential features of PVC roofing on a commercial structure. At the end of its lifespan, up to 30 years later, it can be recycled back into the feedstock and used in making new roofing membranes.
Does PVC roofing have any disadvantages?
A major disadvantage of PVC roofing is the initial cost being higher than other materials. As mentioned earlier though, because it has a longer lifespan, requires minimal maintenance, and is UV reflective which lowers energy cost, it repays that initial cost over its lifespan.
Another disadvantage to PVC roofing is the tendency to shrink and pull the seams apart, allowing the corners to lift. If these things aren’t caught in time and repaired, it leaves the roof vulnerable to leaking. With the recommended monthly inspections, these things can be discovered and addressed before the leaks begin.
Does PVC roofing have specific installation requirements?
There are three installation methods for PVC roofing. All three required the seams to be welded together which will form a cohesive barrier against the climate and elements. The three methods include:
- Fully Adhered: In this method the PVC roofing material, a strong adhesive is used to glue it directly to the existing substrate. This minimizes any possible penetrations in the roof decking.
- Mechanically Attached: This method uses heavy-duty screws and plates that secure the PVC roofing material in place. In areas where there are high winds from hurricanes or tornados, like here in Sugarland, Texas, this is the preferred choice.
- Induction Welded: This method for installing PVC roofing involves using heating equipment above metal plate locations with an induction welding tool that sends electric pulses to the metal plate. This causes the roofing material to cling and requires few fasteners and isn’t as labor-intensive.
Take It To The Top
With the pros and cons discussed in this piece, it is easy to see that for the additional cost of PVC roofing, the pros win out over other roofing materials. When you consider that it is available in several colors, why choose any other type of roofing material? Please give us a call at (832) 598-4245 if you are interested in learning more about PVC roofing in Rosenberg and Sugar Land, TX.