Spray foam roofs are among the most popular commercial roofing solutions available today, appreciated for their energy-efficiency, durability, resistance and easy maintenance, but it is also a slightly unconventional solution, often raising the question “what is a spray foam roofing and how does it work?” If you would like to find out more about this great, innovative roofing type, here is what you need to know about it.
What Is, in fact, Sprayed Roofing?
Also known as spray polyurethane foam, the material that spray foam roofing is made of is in fact a liquid that is sprayed onto the surface of the roof. When the liquid is pulverised onto the roof, it comes into contact with air and the process turns the liquid into a foam which becomes solid and forms a very strong, even layer.
How is a Spray Foam Roof Installed?
The process of installing the spray roof will always start with the cleaning of the existing roof and a detailed inspection of the roofing structure, followed by the repairs that are deemed necessary.
In the next phase, the commercial roof repair Chicago contractor will apply a layer of polyurethane foam. The substance is sprayed in a thin, uniform layer that reaches the thickness of 1-1.5 inches when fully expanded. When the foam has reached its full thickness and has dried completely, the roofing process is finished with the application of one or multiple layers of acrylic or silicone coating to enhance the foam layer’s resistance to solar radiation, water, wind, very high and very low temperatures, fire as well as to normal wear and tear. The foam and the coating are applied on the entire surface of the roof, so the roof becomes a seamless, uniform surface.
The Benefits of Spray Foam Roofing
Spray foam roofing owes its popularity to the numerous great features it offers – here are some:
- Quick and easy installation – the installation process is usually very quick, in most cases, even very large roofs can be installed in one go. Spray roofing is installed on top of the existent roof, which improves the efficiency of the installation process because there is no need to rip off the old roof;
- Energy efficiency – initially, spray foam was used as an insulation material and the foam used for making roofs retains all the insulation features that the material became so much appreciated for in the beginning. Spray foam prevents heat exchange between the interior of the building and the environment, it is an efficient barrier in front of rain and snow and the coating applied on top of the foam efficiently reflects solar radiation and makes the roof resistant to abrasion as well;
- Easy maintenance and durability – spray foam roofs should be inspected and cleaned every six month and the issues detected should be corrected, but in most cases, the faults found are easy to correct. Properly maintained spray foam roofing can easily resist to 35-40 years;
- Affordability – calculated by square footage, spray foam roofs are much more affordable than other, more conventional types of roofs.
To sum up the answer to the question “what is a spray foam roofing?”, it is a modern roofing solution that is easy to apply and provides overall weather protection for the building it is installed on without requiring too much of the building manager’s attention.
