As a Plainfield EPDM roofing contractor, we install black rubber roofs on offices, churches, schools, and shops, adhered, fastened, or ballasted to fit the building.
Plainfield EPDM roofing suits roofs that move with the seasons. The cards compare buildings that take rubber well with ones that need a different plan.
Older rubber roofs and tired built-up roofs show these signs before a replacement.
How the rubber is held down matters as much as the sheet itself. Here are the three layouts and a recover.
| Option | Where It Fits | How It Holds | Check First |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fully Adhered | Offices and churches with many details | Glued to the cover board edge to edge | Adhesive temperature window |
| Mechanically Fastened | Larger low-slope buildings | Plates and fasteners in the laps | Deck pull-out values |
| Ballasted | Strong structures with parapets | River stone laid over a loose sheet | Structural capacity for the stone |
| Recover | One dry layer on a solid deck | New board and rubber over the old roof | Cores and the layer count |
Here is what an old roof does wrong and what fresh rubber does about it.
Contact cement at older seams dries out and opens a gap.
Primed, taped seams with cover strips at T-joints replace every old lap.
Brittle built-up surfaces split when temperatures swing.
Rubber stays flexible well below freezing, so the field rides out the swings.
Shrunk sheets pull flashing off parapets and stair towers.
New wall flashing runs up and over the parapet and is terminated under coping.
An open EPDM lap over an office or sanctuary can be sealed fast. Call and describe where the stain sits.
Call UsSend the address, and we will check the deck and seams and write up an EPDM scope.
Get A Free EstimateRubber roofs depend on clean laps and solid wall details, so those get checked first.
Each lap gets walked its full length, and wall flashing is pulled at a few spots to see what is behind it.
Wet boards found in the cores come out, and new cover board goes down over dry insulation.
Rubber is unrolled and relaxed, then adhered or fastened, with every lap primed, taped, and rolled.
Parapets, curbs, and pipes are flashed and terminated before that section is called closed.
When rubber is a poor match, one of these three usually fits the roof better.
Welded white sheets suit very large warehouse roofs where a reflective surface cuts cooling load over storage.
Plant roofs that vent oils need a membrane that holds up to exhaust, plus pads around every unit.
Standing-seam metal fits pitched roofs and flat roofs converted to slope with retrofit framing.
What owners ask about rubber roofs, seams, and Indiana winters.
EPDM is a synthetic rubber membrane, usually black, laid in wide sheets on low-slope roofs with taped seams. It is adhered, fastened, or ballasted, and it stays flexible through freeze-thaw swings, which is why offices, churches, and schools use it so often.
Yes, once cores show the old roof is dry and attached and code leaves room for another layer. New board or insulation goes down first, then the rubber is adhered or fastened. Any wet insulation the survey finds is cut out and replaced before the new sheet goes on.
Roof size, sheet thickness, adhered or fastened attachment, insulation, removal of old roofing, wall and curb flashing, and the count of penetrations all set the price. A ballasted layout also needs a structure rated for the stone. Each building is priced after a free visit.
Open laps are cleaned, primed, and sealed with seam tape or a cover strip rolled into place. Older seams usually fail where the original glue dried out, so each seam is checked along its full length, since laps of the same age tend to open next.
Rubber stays flexible far below freezing, so the sheet itself handles winter movement. Seams, flashing, and edges are the weak spots, where tape or adhesive loosens as the roof shifts. Sound laps and clear drains before winter keep water from freezing in a seam and prying it open.
Call or send the address, and we will check the seams and walls and price the rubber roof.