The traditional Built Up gravel Roof has by far proven itself as the longest lasting low slope roof system ever designed, with some roofs lasting nearly 100 years with minimal maintenance. Unlike single-ply systems the BUR roof has multiple layers of asphalt saturated sheets of fiberglass fully adhered to the insulation mass and to the roof deck. The traditional built-up roof utilizes gravel to protect the multi-layer asphalt surface from the sun. Over time unprotected asphalt deteriorates from exposure to UV rays causing the fiberglass mats to be vulnerable to water intrusion.
The most common solution that is offered to the owner of a gravel roof is to install a mechanically fastened recovery board over the existing gravel roof then install a single-ply membrane over the recovery board. This method while immediately fixing the roof causes some long term problems. Because the new 'layers' are not fully adhered to the original roof, condensation occurs between the old and new layers eventually saturating the recovery board causing potential deck deterioration. The original roof (which still had many layers of protection and potential life) becomes nothing but dead weight on the building.
There is a better way. We have restored countless gravel built up roofs all over the United States and Canada for over 45 years. More often than not, even on very old and 'worn' gravel roofs, installing a new CAP is all that is necessary to restore the roof to its original condition. The CAP system works with the same principle as the traditional built-up asphalt roof but uses the best polymer cold asphalts in the industry combined with a lightweight, but strong stitch-bond polyester mat. After removing the gravel from the roof this system is installed in multiple layers adhered to the existing top layer of the original BUR thereby restoring it to its original waterproof condition. After the new layers are cured an energy star reflective coating is installed as the new barrier between the asphalt and the sun which not only protects the roof from UV rays but also helps decrease the energy consumption as it cools the roof surface during the hot summer months. Restoration of Gravel Built-Up Roofs is a 3G specialty. Call us today for more information and a free estimate.