Polyglass

What is Polyglass?

Polyglass® is a leading manufacturer of modified bitumen roofing membranes and roof coatings.  With several of the most technologically advanced facilities in the roofing industry, Polyglass® services the United States and Europe.  Modified bitumen membranes are particularly applicable for flat roofs.

Flat roof technology has improved significantly over the years

Shingles are overlaid in a way that allows water to roll down them and off the roof, yet if the slope of the roof is too shallow, water instead pools and penetrates through the seams.

This creates a unique problem for buildings with flat roofs.  Asphalt and gravel used to be the traditional method of flat roofing, yet far superior membrane roofing has since emerged.  By using a heat welded application (also known as torch down), membranes solve for the difficulty of sealing seams and connection points in asphalt roofing.

Torch down is a lot like it sounds.  The roofer gradually rolls out the membrane across the substrate while torching the bottom side of the membrane.  The heat causes the membrane to “bleed out,” which bonds it to the substrate as well as bonds at the seam where two membranes meet.  The resultant product is one continuous membrane across the entire roof, yielding significantly more robust protection than the old method of asphalt and gravel.

How do Polyglass membranes differ from other types?

Some popular membranes, like TPO, are installed as a single layer.  They offer great protection from weather, but are vulnerable to damage from collisions with sharp objects.  Modified bitumen membranes, like that of Polyglass®, avoid this problem by having multiple layers.

Installing Polyglass

On March 29, 2018, Chase Construction North West, Inc. attended an interactive demonstration of Polyglass® installation at Commercial Distribution Specialists in Fife, Washington.  It was an excellent learning experience!  Jim Potter did a fantastic job of describing each step while we installed the membranes. 

The first of two membranes we installed was Elastoflex Sa V.  It’s a self-adhered membrane that is installed by peeling off the bottom side then running a heavy roller over it.  The peel-and-stick method was mildly satisfying in the way peeling off the film from a new electronic appliance can be.  But then we broke out the torch and the real fun started!

With flaming torch in one hand and a guiding rod in another, we rolled out Polyflex G and bonded it to the Elastoflex Sa V (and across the seam with the previous roll) with the torch down technique.  If you have no experience with this method of installation, it can be intimidating at first.  However, when heat welding any membrane, roofers pay the closest attention to safety.

Polyglass® makes some excellent products, and we look forward to using them more and more!

Looking for a multi-layered membrane roof system?  Let us install one for you!  CHASE CONSTRUCTION NORTH WEST, INC. has the experience and the expertise to get the job done right! Call us today at (253) 445-8950 or fill out our quick estimate form!