Roofing Materials
Built Up Roofing
Built up roofing is the original tar and gravel roof, alternating layers of asphalt and felt, and there is a great deal of it on older Quad Cities commercial buildings.
What It Is
Layers of asphalt saturated felt mopped together with hot asphalt, topped with gravel or a cap sheet. Four plies is a common build. It is heavy, slow and extremely durable.
Where It Wins
- Redundant layers, so one failure is not a leak
- The gravel protects the asphalt from ultraviolet light
- A hundred years of field history
Where It Does Not
- Hot asphalt on site means smell, smoke and risk
- Heavy, so the structure has to carry it
- Gravel hides the leak, so finding one is genuinely hard
In the Quad Cities
If you own an older downtown building, this is probably what is up there. It is usually replaced with a single ply membrane now, but a sound built up roof can often be recoated instead.
Colors
GravelSmooth Black
Ask for a Sample Board
Colors on a screen are close. Colors outdoors against your siding are the real answer, and we will bring one.