The Modified Bitumen product line was created to enhance the durability of traditional roof materials. Modified systems may last longer than the roofing materials of your father’s generation, but modified roofs do not satisfy the important environmental and energy conservation issues of today and those of future generations.

APP Roof (Atactic Polypropylene) is popular because it is slightly easier than other multiple ply systems and provides more slip and wear resistance than traditional composite roof materials but it has limited flexibility in extreme cold environments. It is also more dangerous to install because of the propane heating elements and open flames used during installation. As with all re-roofing projects, if there are two layers, a complete tear is necessary. Not only is this an added expense, but it is also an environmental burden when all of the old materials end up in landfills.

The SureCoat Roof System has 118% elongation at freezing temperatures making it a great choice in extremely cold climates. At 73 degrees Fahrenheit it has 398% elongation. Elastomeric roof materials should stay in this range. Without this “memory” the material will loose the ability to recover from expanding and contracting, and become brittle and crack. There are no seams to separate, no special flashings, no multiple product applications, and ponding water is covered in the renewable warranty if installed per written specifications.

APP – Modified Bitumen is not an ideal product for use as a cool roof. There is a significant difference between the initial thermal emit and reflectivity; and the gap is wider after 3 years. For example the range of solar reflectance after 3 years for Modified Bitumen is 23% to 75%. The thermal emit range at 3 years is 10 % to 99%. Of these Modified Bitumen products, the one with the thermal emit of 10% has a SRI of 64 and the one with the 99% has a SRI value of 23. The cool roof values of Modified Bitumen rapidly deteriorate. This will also lead to premature roof replacement and higher roof budgets. Also, on these APP – Modified Bitumen systems, the manufacturer’s written warranty does not cover leaks in areas where ponding exists.

The SureCoat Roof System after 3 years has 93% thermal emit, which means that 93% of the heat that hits the roof is emitted back into the atmosphere; keeping the occupied space cooler. This will lower cooling costs and the demand on the HVAC system during the summer months. After 3 years, the solar reflectance is 81%, this means that most of the sunlight and UV is reflected keeping the roof membrane from premature aging and deterioration. The SRI of The SureCoat Roof System material is 102 at 3 years, only slightly lower than the 108 it started with. The SureCoat Roof System’s manufacturer’s written renewable warranty covers ponding water without time limits, even on a flat or low-sloped roof when installed per written specifications.

The optimum solution is to use The SureCoat Roof System to recondition the existing Modified Bitumen to create a seamless cool roof that has a renewable warranty. The SureCoat Roof System provides clean, green, stable, energy-saving solutions; leaving a better planet to future generations, one roof at a time.