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One of the newest cutting edge flat roofing membranes is a TPO Roof, which has been growing in popularity among home and business owners.
In recent years there has been a growing demand both in residential and commercial construction for more energy efficient roofing systems.
Roofing TPO meets this demand by reducing costs as well as the negative impact of roofing on our environment.
What Is TPO Roofing?
TPO or thermoplastic polyolefin single-ply roofing membranes are known for their heat reflective properties as well as their ability to resist damaging ultraviolet, ozone and chemical exposure.
In addition to this, TPO roofs also provide a number of other performance and installation advantages.
TPO-based products have been successively utilized in many applications and industries, including the automobile industry since the 1980s.
In 1989, the first TPO-based membrane was used in the roofing industry as a non-reinforced sheet and in 1993, an improvement was made where the original non-reinforced TPO membrane was replaced by a membrane that contained reinforcing fabric.
Ever since then the TPO roofing market has grown to hundreds of millions of square feet annually and continues to expand. Today, TPO roof membrane is the fastest growing segment of the U.S. single-ply roofing industry.
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How Much Does A TPO Roof Cost?
On average, homeowners report spending $8-800 – 10,800 to install a 1,600 sw.ft. TPO roofing membrane. This is 15-20% cheaper than installing a higher end PVC membrane.
Per sq.ft. TPO roofing costs $5.5-6.75, depending on the manufacturer you choose as well as local roofing labor rates.
How Is a TPO Roofing System Manufactured?
TPO membranes are made from ethylene propylene rubber and a number of filler materials, such as talc, carbon filler or fiberglass.
Rubber, Ethylene ( an organic gaseous substance) and propylene (a byproduct of petroleum refining) are all polymerized (bonded together by chemical reaction) using special technology.
Afterwards, filler materials are added to reinforce the membrane’s strength and durability for optimal construction use.
TPO roofs are specifically designed to be an improvement over EPDM roofing membranes, by combining the durability of EPDM rubber with the exceptional performance of hot-air weldable seams.
As a result, TPO’s seam strengths are 3-4 times greater than ones on an EPDM rubber roof’s adhesive and tape seams. TPO roofing systems are manufactured in white, light gray, and black colors.
There are two thicknesses options available: either 45 mils (.045″) or 60 mils (.060″). TPO membrane’s width and length varies depending on the manufacturer but you can expect a a typical TPO roof to be six to six-and-a-half feet wide and one-hundred feet long.
How Is Roofing TPO Installed?
There are three different methods to installing a TPO roofing system. A TPO roof can be installed fully-adhered, mechanically-attached or ballasted.
When the TPO roof is fully adhered it means that the membrane was glued to the substrate using a special strong adhesive that creates a chemical bond with the TPO.
On the other hand, when the roof is mechanically attached, it means that a special screw-type fastener is utilized to attach the roof to the substrate.
Note that the type of fastener used will depend on the type of substrate you have.
In this process, adjoining sheets of TPO membrane are overlapped, covering the fasteners and plates, and joined together with a minimum 40 mm (1 1/2 in.) wide hot air weld. Lastly, when the TPO membrane is ballasted, it means that it is laid over the top of the roof, carefully sealed all around the perimeter and at all penetrations and then a ballast is put on top of the membrane to hold it in place.
Ballast typically consists of smooth, round, river rock 2″ – 3″ in diameter. The rock is applied at a rate of 1,000 to 1,200 pounds per roof square (100 sq. ft.). It is also possible to use concrete pavers instead, which average 20 pounds per square foot.
What Are The Performance Advantages of TPO Roofs?
A TPO membrane is highly flexible and durable, possessing strong resistance to tears, punctures and impact damage. Moreover, the membrane’s flexibility allows for building’s movement and setting, without compromising the roof’s performance.
It is important to invest into a thicker TPO membrane because thickness results in better weathering resistance, and protection against solar UV.
A TPO roof is also algae resistant and stand up well to exposure from ozone and sun’s ultraviolet rays. A residential home or a commercial building can save a lot of money on energy costs by installing a white color TPO roof, because the white color will reflect the ultraviolet rays of the sun, keeping the space inside cooler.
This also greatly helps the environment by reducing the “heat island effect”.
To make sure that the TPO membrane you are planning to purchase has the appropriate cool roof properties, be sure to insist that the TPO installed on your home or building meets the initial and three-year ENERGY STAR requirements.
Another factor that makes TPO roofing a green product is the fact that TPO polymer does not contain chlorine and there are no chlorine-containing ingredients added during production.
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How Durable Is a TPO Roof?
Keep in mind that TPO technology is fairly new, it is only about 20 years old. As a result, the chemical composition of the membrane continues to change and be improved on to achieve greater durability and longevity.
At this point, manufacturers offer 10, 15 and 20 year warranties on TPO roofing systems. You need to be cautious when purchasing a TPO roofing membrane since they are not all created equal.
Because currently there is a hot growing market of TPO, a lot of manufacturers have recently started producing and offering their own TPO membranes.
However, not all formulations work equally well, and it is in your best interest to purchase a TPO roof from a manufacturer who has been producing these membranes since their inception, another words, for at least 20 years.
Can A TPO Membrane Be Recycled?
One of the biggest advantages of the TPO membrane in a market that demands green building materials is that it is 100% recyclable.
During production process itself, the membrane can be ground into “rework” and this ground up material can once again be incorporated into the bottom ply during the extrusion process to produce a brand new TPO roofing membrane.
Related TPO articles:
Installation Guidelines for TPO Roofing.
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Our 60 mil Versico TPO roof was installed over 1-1/2″ poly iso in 2014. The 1960 low slope building previously had a tar and gravel and then a torch down roof. Prior to the installation of the the TPO, everything was removed and sheathing was repaired as needed. All skylight curbs were replaced and all new metal flashings were installed at the perimeter and ridge vents. The roofer did a great job and the roof is holding up very well after eight years.
My question is about replacement time frame. We are expecting to get 20 years out of the roof, but is it realistic to think it might last 25? This is in Seattle and so the heat load on the roof is not too bad. the roof color is grey.
Also, since everything is very solid, is it realistic to think we could put a second layer of TPO or PVC on top of this roof when it comes time to replace? Or would a tear off be needed? We are trying to get an idea of cost going forward to budget for the replacement. Thanks
Stan,
It is realistic to get 20-25 years. Even if you get small leaks, those should be repairable.
As far as replacement, it’s best to remove old roofing (just the membrane, leave the insulation, and install new material.
Good luck
I’ll be doing a TPO retrofit over metal and have a parapet question. The walls are currently R-Panel and we’ll be going up and over walls and installing new coping. What would you recommend as a best option or two for fixing to the R-Panel before installing base flashing?
I have a roof top deck with TPO that my builder put Naturesort composite tiles (or equivalent) on top of (https://naturesort.com/floor/n4-812-clay/). After 12 years of Houston weather, the clips that hold the tiles together have broken on many tiles and I need to replace them. Naturesort says their tiles are not made to go on top of TPO because it gets too hot and causes the clips to break. What kind of pavers or tiles do you recommend to put on top of the TPO to make it a walkable deck?
Hi
Which adhesive should be used to bond TPO over Plywood surface
Water-based adhesives are prefered for TPO/PVC roofs.
We are trying to fireproof / harden our roof. Most of our roof is tile except an certain area. The roofer suggested Densdeck with TPO – but is TPO fireproof?
Hey Kevin,
DenseDeck – yes! Go with 1/2″ at least.
TPO is NOT fireproof. PVC is much more, because it’s not combustible (will not burn by itself).
PVC in my opinion is better for your needs.
Good luck, Leo
I kept a honey bee colony on my urban roof for 11 years but had to remove it when the landlord had a new roof installed. The new roof, which is TPO, has been working great for 4 years now and I’d like to put another bee hive up there. I would be the only one who goes up, about once a week, to check on things, so it would be low traffic. What would you recommend I put under the hive? The footprint is 16″ x 24″ and it may weight about 70 lbs at the end of the summer. Do you have any advice?
I have a good rapport with the land lord and he’s happy to have bees on the roof again, I just want to be responsible and do it right.
Thank you for any advice you can offer.
Do not install a TPO roof. They expand and creak loudly in the morning from the rising night to morning temperatures from their large coefficient of expansion of TPO. You won’t get any sleep, especially if you are sleeping late.
Hey Michael,
Do you have any pictures or videos? Can you send me – leo@tporoofing.org
Thanks
Help! I am looking for a black colored TPO for my flat roof, but cannot find a manufacturer who produces it. Numerous articles, including this one, talk about the availability of TPO in black. Can someone name me a manufacturer or retailer who sells it in the USA?
Bob,
You will not find a block TPO or PVC (any more) – only rubber roofing comes in black these day.
Now it is all about “Cool Roof” and black is not cool.
You can however, find dark brown (bronze) or darker gray colors.
PS – thanks for pointing out – we will make correction to this article, to indicate that black is not available any more.
PS2 – the underside of TPO is usually black or grey, but you should not use the black/grey underside facing up – it does not have UV stabilizers, as well as many other crucial ingredients.
Can solar panels be put on top of a TPO roof (sloped)?
Hi Dennis,
Yes, with special flashings or mounts. Here is a product line designed just for that: https://www.anchorp.com/u-anchors/
This company is ran by Joel Stanley, on of the former VPs of IB Roof Systems (he is the founder’s son). I know him personally, and these Anchor Products are the best solution that I’ve seen for TPO/PVC roof solar mounts.
What is the slope of the roof?
Good luck
I have leak prone valleys with copper flashing applied originally. The surrounding roof was asphalt shingles with
ice shield at the edges. Now applying a new roof, stripped down to plywood. Problematic areas are being covered with TPO and ice shield on entire remaining roof before installing architect grade asphalt shingles. The white TPO
is visible from the windows of higher level of the house, so wish to cover it with grey mineral coated ice shield to
blend with the color of the shingles. Roofer suggests just painting it with urethane paint. I would rather cover it…
Is that a problem for TPO?
Jerry, homeowner.
Hello,
I have a walkable roof deck that was originally done with DekTeck and when I had repeated leak issues my roofer redid it under warranty with a .060 TPO. Now they are telling me that I need to have roof pavers under all my furniture and in areas of high foot traffic, why would I need that if the roof itself isn’t walkable
Elaina,
TPO is not walkable, so you either can’t have patio furniture on it, or put a protective layer on top (pavers or a floating deck), if you want to use it as a patio / deck.
Whats the best thing to use for building a Trex deck on top of a flat roof, TPO or PVC… will 60 mil be ok?
Michael
Best would be 80 mil quality PVC. If can’t get pvc, go with TPO… Definitely 80 mil. 60 is too thin.
Also make sure your roofer and deck builder come up with plan for fasteners placement, so that deck runners are NOT sitting directly over screw heads. Ideal if roofer also builds the deck.
Most ideal is to use foam adhesive to attach insulation to substrate, and glue the roof to insulation. This will minimize number of potential leaks.
Spending extra $300-500 during installation on foam adhesive is much cheaper than takin off the entire deck to find one leak.
Good luck. Leo
My uphill neighbors are seriously affected by glare from our new white TPO very low slope roof. Since installation 8 months ago we’ve mitigated the glare by covering it with old tennis court wind screens (faded gray) in an attempt to let it age before painting. I intend to paint just enough to cut glare with very flat paint. What paint should I use?
David, I’d recommend a Grey’ish or Beige (or whatever non-white color you like) Urethane coating.
Keep in mind that once coated, you won’t be able to repair/patch the roof. You will void your warranty. Also, for coating to stick, roof must be properly prepared – swept and power-washed.
Because you will lose ability to patch the TPO, Urethane is the best option for future waterproofing, if something happens (in my opinion). Stay away from acrylic coatings – they are not made for waterproofing.
PS – you can actually do the work yourself, and save serious $$. Just sweep, powerwash, and apply 2-3 coats of Urethane with a paint roller … You can purchase decent coating direct from manufacturers, or online. I’m not an expert on which coating is better, but can find out from my sources in the commercial roofing. Also try Roofing.com forum for recommendations.
Good luck
Hi. there is discussion regarding my residential roof of placing a second TPO membrane directly on top of the existing (punctured) TPO membrane installed in 2013. they would patch the punctures and install the new layer on top. What are the pros/cons of placing a second TPO ont op of the first? Thanks Kathryn
Kathryn,
As I mentioned before – patching your current (only 5 years old) TPO is enough. You don’t need to replace, or install another roof on top. It’s waste of money, and your roofer is just trying to take you for a ride – I would not do any business with them, as they are dishonest.
A 5 year old TPO does not need replacement unless it’s material failure (which should be covered under Manufacturer’s warranty), or one of the following:
1) it’s been blown off
2) it’s damaged to the point of costing more to repair than to replace
3) there is significant water damage underneath TPO
If one of the above is not the case, you don’t need to replace or install 2nd layer.
CONS of installing 2nd layer:
If your roofer knows what they are doing, they would not be patching current roof. Doing 2nd layer of Single Ply, requires slicing up 1st layer, to allow for natural moisture movement (otherwise you will have too much condensation between layer 1 and 2).
I mean I don’t know how else to explain that you ONLY NEED PATCHING … you don’t need new roof (based on information you provided)… If you want, upload pictures to https://imgur.com/ and I will take another look.
Good luck
https://imgur.com/a/uPS6d, thanks – posted photo’s here. When it happened in the storm we went back to the roofer who put the roof on in 2013. Based on my current experience and your advise am now uncomfortable, Thanks for your advice. Kathryn
Katheyn,
Alright … so again – you really don’t need complete replacement or 2nd roof layer.
Those holes are easy to patch. But you do need edge repair, where tree is leaning against the house/roof.
I just hate it that TPO has glued edge metal … it completely defeats the purpose of “welded seams”.
Insurance company must pay for this. If you can get them to cover full roof replacement, you can do repair for $700-1000, and keep the rest. 🙂
Good luck
Can TPO roofing be installed directly over a wood deck/ framing on a residential project? mechanically fastened or adhered? Do I need a cover board? Insulation not required.
L Smith,
I would not recommend installing TPO (PVC / EPDM) directly over plywood or other substrate. If (when) the nails start popping up, they will make holes in the membrane.
Use recovery board, or even 1/2″ fiber board – it’s pretty cheap at $8-10 per sheet – will save you a lot of headaches in the future.
Mechanical vs fully adhered: If you don’t mind minor / occasional wrinkles in the roof material, I would go with mechanical – it’s cheaper, faster, and just as good.
If you want roof to be smooth, then fully adhered. However, you still need to use screws/plates around penetrations, and fasten the drip-edge along roof perimeter with SCREWS. Don’t use nails – the will not hold well long term.
Good luck
I have a roofer on a commercial project that is suggesting a self-adhered TPO roof in lieu of the glued TPO roof. The manufacturer is the same and the warranty is the same, but didn’t know if there are advantages or disadvantages to self-adhered versus glued.
thoughts?
Greg – self adhered has glue already applied to it – like a sticky tape… but i’m sure you already know that. I don’t see any benefit one way or another … If anything, in my opinion glued is better, because you don’t run in situations where you need to cut a roll, and weld seams, but there is glue applied to underside of the membrane – this makes welding impossible, as glue is in the way.
What’s wrong with current TPO roof? Why does it need to be replaced?
Most TPO/PVC roofs should be repairable (PVC much more so, because they are cross-compatible with each other, over decades).
Basically I think unless your current roof is cracking everywhere and seams are all coming apart – just repair old roof, and keep it for another 5-10 years… hopefully it will last that long.
Good luck
We had some idiots install a tpo roof. Long story short they were clueless. 0 slope. Standing water. Seems glued. Flanges not adhering & so on. Question is can you glue seems like you do epdm or do they have to be hot air welded? Is there a certain caulk you can use? We refuse to pay them & have to do some self repairs. Thanks.
Lee – great question.
In theory, you should ONLY heat weld seams. That was the whole point of TPO roofs – make a cheaper version of PVC with all the benefits (heat welded seams).
But because many generations of TPO had failing seams (and other problems), and may be incompatible with each other, especially when you consider there are over 10 manufacturers of TPO, each with many faulty reincarnations – TPO industry came up with a band-aid in form of glued seams.
So you basically have an overpriced Rubber with many other problems, and still glued seams 🙁
So to answer you – yes you can glue TPO seams… but primer and seam tapes must be compatible (at least same brand as the sheet itself). Also there should be 2-3″ splice tape (thin tape that goes in between two layers of of TPO membrane..
Also you should have seam cover tape installed over seams …
IF the roof is leaking – don’t pay the contractor. IF contract specified WELDED SEAMS – don’t pay. If contract called for glued seams and roof does not leak – you kind of should pay the roofer…
While ideally they should have welded seams, manufacturers allow and accept glued seams.
As for “certain caulk” … yes there should be… white caulk for TPO … but just so u know these are useless and fail after 1-2 years, and only create more problems than they solve… I would not use caulk on seams!
Best of luck … let me know how it goes … maybe send a few pictures of your roof
Where can I find more information about recommended installation methods over an exiting asphalt or tar roofing?
Hi – can you tell me if TPO is mechanically fastened to a concrete roof, can it be easily removed at a later date. And if it can, am I correct in reading that it can then be recycled into new TPO.
thx.
Hi Kevin,
TPO is not installed directly over concrete deck, but rather, rigid insulation is either glued or fastened to the concrete, and then TPO (or PVC or EPDM rubber) i fully adhered over insulation.
So, no it cannot be easily removed.
I’m also not familiar with TPO roof recycling. I do know that PVC roof can be recycled.
Can TPO be used on top limstone chimney cap?
Cut around Clay Flue. Will it withstand heat from flue?
@ Craig
I don’t believe so – TPO can catch on fire, so I would not use it on top of chimney cap. Why not use stainless steel?
TPO is a great product. I didn’t believe in it at all but once I saw that it withstood the damaging affects of Hurricane Ike in 2005 I was a sure believer. I’ve been pushing it ever since. As stated above, it’s not made for foot traffic but if foot traffic is a must, go with traffic strips.
@ Houston Roofers – Any roof in hurricane zone must withstand winds of upto 110 mph.
Flat roofs installation allows great flexibility, and special precaution are taken to increase wind uplift rating, such as use of perimeter half-rolls, and extra fasteners, etc. This applies to not just TPO, but also to PVC and other single ply membranes.
Can you please tell me if TPO can withstand rooftop furniture? Would I have to build a platform for furniture and if so what do you recommend?
Hi Ken,
Answer is no – TPO is not made for being used as roof deck or for regular foot traffic – it will immediately void your warranty.
You might wanna check out IB DeckSheild – a PVC membrane made for use as roof deck, with foot traffic and furniture, etc.
Another WONDERFUL company to check out is Duradek. I work for a roofing company, and this is a company that we work closely with for installing walkable waterproofing membranes. Their prices are pretty middle of the road, but they offer a great warranty and really take care of their customers. Plus, the finished product looks fantastic!
please give price!
material + labor .
insurasion r-19 board.
ummm … $1,000,000 … per square 🙂 …
I mean how do you expect me to give you price? Price for WHAT?
11,000 sf.
with r-19 board + single ply,
material amount ?
labor + material ?
Caltop,
Materials are usually 10% waste/seams so figure 12100 s.f of material.
I’ve never seen a 19-r insulation board. ISO is 6-r per inch, so 6-r/12-r/18-r for 1/2/3 inch board. 3.3″ board gives you 20-r.
Cost for insulation:
Cheapest I get is $30.72 for a 3″ 4×8′ board (18-r). So on 110 squares about you will need about 350 boards @ $10564. However, for roof that big, you should get about 10-15% discount.
Single ply prices vary greatly between brands, thicknesses and suppliers, and can be $0.50 to $1.00 per square foot. Also flashing, drip edge, drains – can’t really guess here.
Labor – once again varies, but about $150-200/square for installation.
Good luck