TPO roofing

TPO Roofing was invented by the chemical company DOW in the early 1990’s. TPO Roofing means “Thermalplastic Olefin” roofing. 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, environmentally friendly and safe to install. The material is often advertised as a monolithic (seamless) roof. TPO resists tears, impacts and 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 six to six-and-a-half feet and are one-hundred feet long.

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 popular in the automotive industry where it is known for impact resistance. This crosses over into the roofing industry where hail damage to roofs is a common concern.

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. It can be recycled as a roofing material but also 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. But basically, a cool roof reflects and emits the sun’s heat back skyward without allowing it to pass into the building or home. The more sun a roof 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.

It may seem silly to say, but for many TPO roofing is the way to go.