Foam Roofing Advantages

Had a nice summary of many advantages of Polyurethane Spray Foam roofs. Keep in mind, several of these do NOT apply if you're installing something like "foam board" panels. Obviously foam boards could not lead to a "seamless" installation. It is also important that the foam is applied to a clean, dry, and secure substrate in relatively warm, low humidity conditions. This provides the ideal environment for the foam to adhere to the surface. And finally, it is important that your roof is installed with closed cell foam. Closed cell foam is inherently watertight.

SEAMLESS

Polyurethane foam is a unique roofing product in that it is manufactured on site. Once the two components of polyurethane foam are sprayed on to a roof it rises and is walkable (cures) within one minute. Once the closed foam cures it is both airtight and free of seams or joints.

Below: A polyurethane spray foam roof is unique because unlike any other roofing material, SPF foam is manufactured on site. As the foam is sprayed on to the roof substrate it expands and conforms to the shape of the roof. Foam roofs are popular as flat roof applications because they provide a single seamless leak-free monolithic barrier, and they provide exceptional insulation via the exterior of the building.

ELIMINATES FLASHING & VENT LEAKS

Polyurethane foam is ideal because it can conform to the shape of your roof substrate. Parapet walls, roof penetrations, vents, pipes, stacks, HVAC, skylights, or other roof mounted equipment can all be sealed by one seamless layer of foam. While other roof systems provide many potential points of roof failure wherever flashing is installed, polyurethane foam provides a single seamless layer that both protects and insulates your roof.

ELIMINATION OF PONDING WATER

When re-roofing, polyurethane foam can be used to build up low ares of a roof or improve proper drainage. This prevents ponding and the otherwise associated increased load on the roof structure. This further prevents otherwise eventual water penetration and protects your home.

Below: Polyurethane foam is extremely lightweight, durable, and seamless. This is why SPF foam is ideal for building up low or sagging areas of a roof which can safely correct ponding (displace standing water). The lightweight of foam allows for ponding correction without significantly increasing the weight load on the roof. In the picture below, the low area is filled in with SPF foam.


Below: In this picture, the standing water problem is corrected with SPF foam and the roof surface is now flat and smooth. Most roof substrates fail due to standing water eventually soaking through. SPF foam is possibly the only material that can seamlessly and safely correct this without replacing the underlying roof rafters.

LIGHTWEIGHT AND DURABLE

Polyurethane Foam Roofing is specially engineered to be both lightweight and durable. Polyurethane foam weighs about 2.5 pounds per cubic foot and inch of foam and 30 mils of elstomeric coating weighs about six pounds per ten square feet. This makes foam an ideal re-roofing material because it can safely be installed over an existing substrate without significantly impacting the load or weight of the roof surface. The strength and resilience of polyurethane foam also prevent it from packing down or sagging. Furthermore, foam is flexible enough to easily withstand the normal expansion and contraction of normal roofing structures without compromising insulation or waterproofing performance.

HIGHEST "R" VALUE

Foam goes beyond just R-Value to insulate your roof. R-Value does not account for air and moisture movement, both of which polyurethane foam completely blocks (in contrast to fiberglass, which cannot do the same). Foam is also extremely resilient and performs well at both high and low extreme temperatures. Aside from this, foam has a higher R-value per square inch than any other viable commercial roofing material. Often, foam is used for high quality wall insulation in a home. Depending on the density of the foam, it generally has about 6.5 to 8.5 R-value per square inch within a few months of installation (initial R-values of foam are extremely high, but over the first 6 months after installation the R-value declines until stabilizing, then the R-values at both 5,10, and 15 years are not too diffeerent from the R-value at 6 months. Overall, sprayed, closed cell polyurethane foam provides more thermal resistance than any other insulation material, keeping your home cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

Below: Closed cell polyurethane spray foam outperforms all other materials in "R" value, which is a standard of measure used to compare the quality of insulation products. An R-value of 1 is comparable to about 1 inch of wood. An R-Value of 7 insulates as well as 7 inches of wood, and so forth.

CHEMICALLY STABLE & VERSATILE

Polyurethane foam is completely safe and inert. It is engineered very similar to the material used to insulate refrigerators, and it is odorless and resistant to both mildew and fungi. In fact, polyurethane foam is usually the material used to insulate industrial sized refrigeration units, and it is even used on nasa space shuttles. Polyurethane Foam Roofing is ideal for any flat, low slope roof, including roofs with unusual slopes or configurations. This applies whether it is a re-roofing or new roof scenario.

WATERTIGHT

Foam is inherently watertight because it is composed of closed cells, which completely insulate preventing water or vapor penetration. Foam is also seamless once installed, further preventing water and vapor infiltration.

LONG LASTING & EASE OF MAINTENANCE

Foam roofing can last the life of a building when properly installed, and the re-application of additional coating every 5 to 10 years prevents the need for roof replacement. This saves money long term, diverts land fill waste, and is 'greener' than almost any other flat or low slope roofing materials.

Below: Polyurethane spray foam is manufactured as an extremely durable and long lasting plastic based product. Don't be fooled by the term 'foam' and associate these types of roofs with foam pillows. The SPF foam material is walkable, and feels similar to walking on a concrete sidewalk. The material is also very durable, which is why many foam roofs last 40 years or more. Polyurethane foam is excellent for both flat roofs and low slope roofs, like the one pictured below.

MATERIAL QUALITY

Unfortunately, there are many misconceptions about polyurethane foam roofing amount the public. Some people compare it to "Styrofoam" or worse, people believe it is a hazardous material. Foam is nothing like "Styrofoam", and is engineered specifically for roofing applications. Foam is very durable and strong and can in fact, last the life of a building. Furthermore, foam is a completely benign plastic material, nearly identical to the material used to insulate most refrigerators. Foam has many formulations, and is usually tailored to the needs of a specific system or geographic location.

SKILLED CRAFTSMEN

To get the most benefit from a foam roof system (or any other roof system), it is critical to have it installed by experienced and skilled craftsmen to the proper specifications. Ideally, foam should be installed on a clean, securely attached substrate in relatively warm, and low humidity conditions. Be sure your contractor will do the job right the first time by checking their state contractors license, talking to current and past customers, and checking up on them with various consumer ratings agencies such as the BBB, diamond certified, or value star.

Foam Roofing Disadvantages

No article would be complete without including some of the disadvantages of a product. There are really two major disadvantages to SPF foam roofing. 1-SPF foam must be installed in 'good' weather conditions and 2-foam materials are more expensive.

1-SPF foam must be installed in 'good' weather conditions

Polyurethane Foam Roofing must be installed in dry low humidity conditions, which means in some geographic areas, foam is not an option.

2-SPF foam is more expensive.

Polyurethane Foam Roofing can be more expensive upfront. it is important to note that foam is more expensive because the materials are higher quality, and the equipment used to install it generally represents over $100,000 USD in costs. Of course this higher upfront cost is offset by long terms savings on both gas, electric and other heating and cooling costs, as well as the money that will be saved since the roof will never need to be replaced (if properly installed). Some people may be turned off just because the upfront price is a little higher and may ignore these long term benefits.

Conclusion

Overall, foam has many benefits and the only real drawbacks are the expense, and the availability. Some might argue that since foam requires a properly trained installer, this is also a disadvantage. However, that's really faulty logic. ALL TYPES of roofing materials require properly trained installers, so how can it be a disadvantage that foam roofing has the same requirement? This is why I think it makes no sense to list the need for a properly trained installer as a 'disadvantage' of foam roofing. All roofing types have the exact same requirement, so how can this be a disadvantage. I would say, it's not.

Find a local Foam Roofing contractor.

i wonder if there is a flip side to this?

if foam roofing is so amazing, i can only wonder why everyone doest switch to it.

however, i do also understand that the cost factor is big. and especially in this current economy, lots of people want to be cheap and they are not worried about 5 years in the future, they are trying to make their budget work right now....

As I remember, I wasn't aware about foam roofing two years ago. Yes I heard about it many times but never tried to go into deep. After hearing some advantages and disadvantages, I started taking interest in this foam roofing thing and found it great. I've read your full article and I think you've covered almost all the concepts so I don't need to explain it again but I would like to give a sentence- " Its awesome".

Foam roofing is not perfect for some parts of the country, but in Arizona, Texas, California & Florida, these types of contractors do extremely well (due to customer satisfaction, demand, etc).