Roof Systems
Every roof is a stack of layers, and each layer has a job. In Wichita Falls, TX the stack lives under heat, hail and tornado-season wind. Learn the layers and the roof is easier to read: deck, insulation, membrane, then the flashings and edges that hold it together.
Browse Roof Systems
Choose a page to see how we scope and carry out this work on Wichita Falls commercial roofs.
More About Roof Systems
Single-ply sheets
TPO roofing is a white sheet with heat-welded seams. PVC roofing is similar and handles grease and chemicals. EPDM roofing is a rubber sheet, and KEE roofing is a ketone ethylene ester membrane made for tougher exposure. The seam is the thing to watch on all four.
Layered roofs
Modified bitumen roofing and built-up roofing use several plies, so a small cut rarely reaches the deck. They are heavier and slower to install, but they take foot traffic well.
Metal and foam
Standing seam metal roofing sheds water fast and lasts, but clips and fasteners need checking. A metal roof retrofit goes over an old deck without a tear-off. Spray polyurethane foam adds insulation and seals irregular shapes.
Coatings
Silicone roof coatings handle ponding water; acrylic roof coatings suit roofs that drain well. Both only work over a dry, sound roof, which is why we take moisture readings first.
Heat is the slow work: about 28 days a year at 100 degrees swell and relax a dark membrane again and again. Hail is the fast work, and its bruises rarely show from the ground.
How do you choose a system?
Step one is the existing roof. Step two is what the building needs from the new one: insulation value, foot traffic, drainage and the rooftop equipment it carries. Step three is the edge and flashing detail, because wind lifts the edges first. The system is picked last, not first, and it is picked for the building in front of us. A sound single-ply over dry insulation may only need its seams and flashings renewed, while a failed built-up roof may need a full tear-off, and the moisture map tells us which case we have. What it means for you is a roof matched to the actual problem rather than to a catalog.
For exposed roofs the tornado history is a reminder to check edge securement: the April 1979 tornado cut across the south and east of the city.
Commercial Roofing Questions
Which system lasts longest here?
Installation and maintenance matter more than the label. A well-detailed roof of any sound system outlasts a poorly detailed one.
Is a white roof always better?
It reduces heat load, but seams, flashings and drains still decide how long the roof lasts.
Can a new layer go over the old roof?
Only when the old roof is dry underneath.
What if I do not know what my roof is?
A small core sample identifies the layers, and we write them in the report.
Send photos of the roof
Send the roof age, the building use and any leaks. We will identify the system and explain your options.