Why The Weight Of Foam Roofing Matters

Why The Weight Of Foam Roofing Matters

The weight of spray foam roofing is an important detail that many homeowners, civil engineers, architects, builders, and building code inspectors are often interested in finding out. They want to know how much weight it will add to their roof deck. How heavy your roof is matters because it can exert stress and load on the structure and the components which support it. Hence a lightweight durable roofing system like Armstrong’s foam roofing exerts less stress. This is especially true when your roof has to bear additional weight from water and snow, therefore a lighter roof can allow for more load capacity. What’s more, a lightweight foam roof system means that foam roofs can often be applied over existing single-layered roofs – resulting in lower installation time and lower installation costs.

Replacing Your Existing Roof System with Foam Roofing

When you are replacing your existing roofing system, how much weight you add can be quite important since adding a new roofing system over an existing one can result in structural issues in the long term. Likewise, totally removing your existing roofing system to add a new one can be time-consuming and costly. Consequently, you need a new lightweight roofing system like foam roofing for your new flat or low-sloped roof. 

The Weight of a Foam Roofing System

A foam roof system is composed of 1.5 inches (+ or – 1/4″, overall average coverage excluding drain sump areas) of spray polyurethane foam (SPF) and two coats of AWS ultraviolet protective coating with roof granules, all of which weighs about 1 pound per square foot. On the other hand, a typical 3-ply built-up roof (BUR) with a gravel surface can weigh approximately 6 pounds per square foot, and an insulated 60-millimetre Ethylene Propylene Diene Terpolymer (EPDT) roof system can weigh about 2 pounds per square foot. Therefore Armstrong’s foam roofing system is one of the most lightweight options.

The Advantages of a Lightweight Roof System

The most important advantage of having a lightweight foam roof system is that you can save time and money by installing it over existing roof systems. Whereas, with other types of roofing, you may need to remove a great deal of the existing roofing system to prevent heavy roof loads on your home’s structure.  

Keep in mind that normally when you have a BUR roof and you would like to replace it with a similar roof system, you will have costs relating to tearing off the failing roof layer and transporting the material removed from your roof to a landfill where you also need to pay for its disposal. Likewise, by minimizing the waste material from your existing roof system you also help the environment. 

What’s more, foam roofing can be applied to your existing roof with minimal disturbance to the occupants of your home since potentially your new foam roof can be installed without you having to vacate your home while work is in progress. Moreover, since installation times are much shorter, they cause less potential disruption to your neighbors as well. 

Contact San Francisco’s Foam Roofing Experts

Armstrong Foam Roofing is a family-owned and operated business that has been serving the San Francisco Bay Area since 1966 – that’s over 50 years of dependability. During our over 40 years of installing energy-efficient and lightweight foam roofs, we managed to install more residential foam roofing than any other company in America!

Put our 40-plus years of knowledge and experience in residential and commercial foam roofing to work: our extensive experience in SPF roofing coupled with some of the best, longest-lasting warranties available means that you won’t go wrong with Armstrong Foam Roofing. We offer a no-obligation Satellite Roof Estimate and you can also arrange a remote free consultation, either by phone at 1-887-777-1234, computer, Skype, or email. Along with all the virtual ways we are providing estimates, we also offer at-home (outside) estimates for your convenience.