Much of the damage that happens to roofs during high-wind events starts at the perimeters and corners. This means that the edge metal system at the roof-to-wall interface is critical to a roof's success during wind events. The roofing industry is well aware of this phenomena; investigating roof damage after high winds has been taking place for decades. This issue is so important to the roofing industry that an organization was formed to investigate, learn, and provide insights and recommendations to the industry so we can improve the edge metal installed at roof-to-wall interfaces. This organization, RICOWI–the Roofing Industry Committee on Weather Issues–was formed in 1990 specifically to "identify and address important technical issues related to the cause of wind damage." Much has been learned from these investigations and full credit goes to RICOWI for spearheading this effort! This photo from RICOWI's investigation of Hurricane Micheal shows the importance of the roof-to-wall interface.
04-11-2023
Commercial roof coatings can help extend the life and improve the aesthetics of low-slope roofs. A roof coating acts as the first line of defense against UV damage and water infiltration, and reflective roof coatings can help reduce the temperature of the roof.
02-22-2023
Think that your roof doesn't need protection against hail? Think again. Severe hail events are increasing in geographic footprint and are no longer just in hail alley. The geographic region that experiences 1 inch or larger hailstones has expanded to be nearly two-thirds of the United States. Nearly 10 percent more U.S. properties, more than 6.8 million, were affected by hail in 2021 than in 2020. Coinciding with the increase in properties affected by a damaging hail event in 2021, there was also an increase in insurance claims, which rose to $16.5 billion from $14.2 billion in 2020.
01-30-2023
Historically, commercial skylights have gotten a bad rap. "The old joke was: 'if it's not leaking now, it will be soon,'" says Brian Grohe, a 13-year vet of the skylight industry and a commercial sales manager at industry leader VELUX. Fortunately, technology has changed that old tune for the better, turning commercial skylights into a golden opportunity for roofing contractors.
01-17-2023