TPO Roofing (Polymer Roofing)

Posted on 23. Mar, 2009 by Mark Coleman in Roofing

DOW invented TPO Roofing in the early 1990’s. TPO is a trade name for a variety of polymer roofing blends. TPO membranes are a combination of rubber and hot air welded seams made from ethylene propylene rubber. They have excellent resistance to ozone, are algae-resistant, are eco friendly and safe to install. The material is often advertised as a monolithic (seamless) roof. TPO is highly tear resistant, resists impacts, and resists punctures with good flexibility to allow for building movement. TPO’s are available in white, light gray, and black with thicknesses of either 45 mils (.045″) or 60 mils (.060″). Membrane width depends on the manufacturer but they usually come in widths of 6 to 6 feet and are one-hundred feet in length.

TPO Roofing is considered a fully-adhered roofing. In other words the roofing membrane is already attached to the substrate material with adhesive, thus it forms a strong chemical bond. TPO is highly heat reflective, fire resistant, and energy efficient. It also resists UV rays and dirt. TPO is also popular in the automotive industry where it is known for impact resistance. Because of the potential for hail damage this same property is important in the roofing industry.

roofing contractors and manufacturers love the shift from some lower priced materials like EPDM to more expensive TPO materials. Commercial roofing sales were $3.3 billion overall in 2007 with single-ply products being the largest segment. TPO has been expanding its portion of that large share.

As the green movement grows, TPO is becoming more and more popular, particularly because it is recyclable. Not only can it be recycled for roofing materials, but it can be burned as a fuel. TPO burns very cleanly with no toxic emissions when no flame retardants are present. It therefore has a high potential as a high energy fuel for waste-to-energy programs.

TPO roofs are categorized as “cool roofs.” A cool roof can be defined in a variety of ways by people or by different municipal codes. Basically, a cool roof reflects and emits the sun’s heat back upward without allowing it to pass into the building or home. The more sun it reflects and emits, the cooler the roof. The Cool Roof Rating Council, CRRC, maintains an on line database of cool roof products. Some TPO roofs score high on the scale, some do not, so be advised.

TPO roofing is the way to go for many .

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