Plastics in Commercial Applications: the Roofing Above Your Head

Author: williamgulliver | Posted: 06.07.2012

Wal-Mart is one of the largest retail stores in the United States with roughly 9,000 shops across the world. 100 Wal-Mart stores are already using solar power, and the company has recently revealed toeveryone that it will be putting in solar roofs on the US stores. Before solar energy, however, installing roofing on one Wal-Mart branch the size of four football fields (their biggest) was such a tall order.

For major supermarket chains like Wal-Mart, they won’t merely need an ordinary roof to cover every inch of their shops. Though a number of small to medium-sized outlets use residential roofing alternatives such as metal roofing and shingles, the larger ones have particular specifications. How else is a big retailer going to cover a tremendous roofing area while economizing on installation and maintenance? Here are a handful of roofing options intended for commercial buildings.

Thermoplastics: A thermoplastic material is slightly similar to butter: it softens when subjected to heat and hardens when it’s subjected to cold temperatures. The most predominantly-used products of their kind are polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and thermoplastic olefin (TPO). Light in weight but durable, thermoplastics are one of the fastest growing commercial roof materials in the market.

Rather than shingles and boards, however, roofing contractors set rolls of thermoplastic material on a pre-existing flat roof. The material will stick to the roof either from the welding carried out by the roofer or the high temperatures on a hot weather. Furthermore, the point that the product is usually colored white enhances its solar reflectivity, keeping the building cool and the produce cooler.

Thermosets: Unlike thermoplastics, thermoset products like ethylene propylene diene terpolymer (EPDM) cannot be remolded following the first process. This is because the thermoset already acquires strength throughout the preliminary heating and molding process, where it is commonly in powder or liquid form. Roofers in NJ, however, state that thermoset roofing has its own edges over both PVC and TPO. EPDM keeps its shape for a lengthier interval, ideal for producing permanent components.

Polyglass: This alternative of commercial roofing NJ roofing contractors offer is a modified bitumen roof that works best in regions that frequently get rain. It includes its own adhesive so that installing a polyglass membrane on the roofing is as convenient as laying down the red carpet. A rooftop with more than a single ply of roofing membrane and a modified bitumen cap sheet is called a hybrid system.

To get more information regarding the several kinds of commercial roofing, see the official website of the National Roofing Contractors Association at NRCA.org. Or consult roofers NJ establishments can endorse for technical particulars about these synthetic roofing membranes.


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