Green roof decks are a growing trend in North America. The utilization of valuable square footage while creating a green friendly social space for tenants or strata members just makes sense. There are billions of square feet of under utilized flat roof space all across Canada and we hope to play a role in helping to make these a little greener and a little more useful to the building owners and/or tenants
Flexstone Ontario is a water-based urethane with no solvents in it. What this means, is that the material will not dissolve the surface below it, allowing it to form a strong adhesion with almost any substrate. This feature allows Flexstone Ontario to be applied over existing torch-on roofing which is a big money saver and a green-friendly decision. Let's look at an example...
Lets say you have a torch-on roof that is wearing down and needs replacement. Any other approved roofing system would require a tear-off/disposal, which costs money and harms the environment. Then, in order to torch-down a new roof, you would have to pay the exorbitant fire insurance fees associated with it and high labour costs.
Today, with our shiny new approvals, we can use Flexstone Ontario for your flat-roofing restoration and re-roofing without any objection from building inspectors or engineers. The liquid applied product does not require any heat or open flame and provides a seamless, thick, uv-stable, flexible, and entirely winterproof membrane in a zero-fire-risk appliaction. So right out of the gate you are saving money. But the savings don't stop there. Flexstone Ontario has several light coloured finish options. This reflects the heat of the sun and saves you money on air conditioning costs.
Finally, with a torch-on or tar & gravel roof system, the appearance is not one of a functional deck, so in order to utilize the space for a social or space, concrete pavers or tiles are often applied on top of the roof membrane. This adds an enormous amount of weight to your roof and also makes leak repairs down the line very difficult to repair.
With Flexstone Ontario, you get a stunning deck finish that is 100% waterproof, fully approved, and does not require any decorative products atop of it.
So lets review what we've learned
- Torch-on roofing is the most commonly used membrane for flat-roofs. It is flame-applied, expensive, absorbs heat, and can not be applied over existing coatings.
- In order to re-roof a torch-on roof, the old membrane must be torn off and disposed of which costs money and harms our environment.
- Torch-on is not an attractive finish, so heavy pavers or tiles are often placed on top which makes leak repairs very difficult.
- Flexstone Ontario is fully CCMC approved for flat roofs and can be applied directly over top of existing torch-on membranes.
- Flexstone Ontario reflects heat which saves on energy costs.
- Flexstone Ontario is cold applied so there are no high insurance costs associated with the application.
- Flexstone Ontario boasts a variety of stunning finish options which serve as a waterproofing membrane and attractive deck, so there is no need for heavy pavers to be placed on top. This also makes repairs a breeze.
Finally, with all the costs associated with labour, removal/disposal, and insurance; Flexstone Ontario is comparable in price to torch-on without taking into account the aforementioned costs. Thus, Flexstone Ontario is more affordable, more eco-friendly, more flexible, and more attractive.
Sounds like an easy decision to me.
Learn a little bit more about Flexstone Ontario by checking out our video HERE