You may have heard of tin roofs, slate roofs, shingle roofs - but rubber roofing? Would that just be for lunatic asylums? No. You can get rubber roofing for any building. And don't worry about your roof looking like a bunch of schoolyard read balls - unless you really want it to. Rubber roofing is usually a slate gray or black.
Why Choose Rubber Roofing
When you choose rubber roofing, you are not choosing to have your roof be made of 100% rubber. But the roofing material, often called thermoset EPDM roofing, is made largely of rubber polymers, kind of like a good tire. In fact, one of the major makers of rubber roofing is Firestone - yes, the same Firestone that makes tires. Why would you want to choose rubber roofing?
Easier to install than separate shingles or even corrugated seam roofing. Less time for installation means less you have to pay a roofer for labor costs.
You don't necessarily need your old roof ripped off to benefit from rubber roofing. Rubber roofing can be laid over your old roof& as long as your old roof is still sound. If it has gaping holes in it, then you really should get it removed.
Rubber roofing is biodegradable and considered "green" in the UK.
Easy to maintain
Long lasting, because rubber roofing isn't rigid. It breathes more and therefore incurs less stress than say, asphalt roofing shingles, because they can cope with weather changes. So extreme weather does not bother rubber roofing.
Best for flat roofs, as most shops and commercial buildings have flat roofs.
Long lasting - some rubber roofing will last up to 50 years. Firestone EDPM roofing claims that it will never crack or split.
Fun Facts
The first rubber roof was put up in 1980 in Wisconsin, and is still there for you and the birdies to admire today.
A major hotel called the Burj Al Arab Hotel in Dubai is a lovely curved building somewhat resembling a sailboat on the Dubai coast. It's roof? you guessed it - rubber roofing!
The Barclaycard Headquarters in England also has a rubber roof. Barclaycard is one of England's major banks.
Sometimes a single sheet (20 by 100 feet) can cover a flat roof without a lot of cutting and adjusting.
Some rubber roofing manufacturers won't sell their products to just any old contractor. They need to be certified by the rubber roofing maker before they are allowed to sell.
