Asphalt Roof Restoration

What Asphalt Roofing Systems Are Used In The Roofing Industry?

The two broad categories of asphalt roofing systems for commercial, industrial and institutional buildings are Built-Up Roofing (BUR) and Modified Bitumen Systems (Mod Bit).

What is a Built-Up Roof (BUR)?

A Built-Up roof (BUR) is composed of multiple layers of reinforcing felt between asphalt or coal tar pitch. The asphalt or coal tar is heated in a kettle or tanker until it liquefies and then is applied by mop or mechanical spreader. Asphalt is a petroleum product refined from crude oil; coal tar is derived from the distillation of coal. If the asphalt is heated to an improper temperature, blistering and slipping of felts can occur, accelerating the aging of the roof system. Overheating asphalt can result in burns and fires in the kettle and on the roof. The surface can either be smooth or have a gravel embedded surface to help with weathering and UV light.

There are two main types of Built-Up Asphalt Roofs: (Both are candidates for a fluid applied coating system)

  • Smooth BUR: Smooth BUR with little Alligatoring is a good candidate for the Restoration Coatings System. If the smooth BUR is heavily alligatored, you may want to use a recovery board first (Densdeck) or an Emulsion/Rubber spray applied system. Either way we have a solution for your needs.
  • Tar & Gravel BUR: Gravel is applied while the asphalt is hot, so it is embedded into the top slurry coat. We can remove the loose gravel and then we have multiple choices:
    1. We can install a recovery board and a TPO/PVC single-ply membrane over the existing roof.
    2. We can install a Polyurethane Foam Roofing system with a variety of coatings over it.
    3. We can install a rubberized Emulsion spray applied coating to fill in the embedded gravel and then top coat the rubber with either Acrylic, Urethane, or Silicone top coats and provide you with a 10-25 year warranty.