Mindzle

A roofer is a roofer is a roofer, true?  Not necessarily.  There are different types of roofs and consequently different types of roofing professionals.  When you think of a roofer, you probably think about the guys who come up in a pick up truck with shingles and nails to put a roof on your home. Well flat roofs are different and don’t even utilize shingles.

So working on a flat roof should be a lot simpler than working on an inclined roof, true?  This is not right in all cases.  Flat roofs until really recently were covered with tar and gravel to protect them from the weather.  However, tar and gravel tends to break down and crack over time because of the weather and needs to be restored after a time.  The tar applied to fix a flat roof is hot tar kept in a high temperature vessel until it is ready to be poured onto the roof.  This tar is hot enough to severely hurt someone that gets in contact with it. Check out flat roof company for more information on this and why newer roofing styles can be much better and safer.

Another risk to working on a flat roof is that the roofers are standing upright rather than seated on the slope of the roof.  If the roof is in a damaged state, it is quite plausible that the roofer could fall right through the roof with no warning, and nothing to stop him but the weakened roof.  A sloped roof can cave in, also, but if the roofer is sitting, he is spread out more and is less likely to go straight through than if he were in a standing position. 

Newer flat roofs are constructed with rolled material that acts as a membrane.  You can take a look at epdm roofing for details on modern flat roof materials. This material is often less hazardous to work with than hot tar and gravel, and repels water and other components better, too.  The problem with the membrane material is that it doesn’t hold people effectively.  It is easily damaged if walked on.  Many apartment buildings with a flat roof will allow entrance to the roof for residents to use.  This cannot be done with a membrane roof unless something is built over the membrane to protect it. 

The most recent innovation in flat roofing is the green roof.  This roof will have the membrane material as a base, but will be topped with top soil and grass.  The top soil will absorb any water that settles on the roof, and will also act as the protective layer over the membrane material.  Residents can have a small garden on a green roof if they wish, but need to be careful of flowers and shrubs with deep roots, as these roots can damage the membrane layer of the flat roof.

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