Spray foam roofing in Drumheller is work on the low-slope roofs that cover the valley's commercial, institutional and light industrial buildings. Sprayed polyurethane foam roofing is a different product from cavity insulation: it is applied on top of the deck as a monolithic layer, then coated, so the insulation and the waterproofing are the same continuous surface with no seams and no fasteners through it. In this town there is a particular reason that matters.
A deck that has moved
The valley is cut into bentonitic shale and clay, an expansive soil that swells with moisture and shrinks as it dries, and differential foundation movement is a familiar condition on buildings here. A commercial building that has been standing on that ground for decades does not have a flat roof any more. It has local low spots where the structure has settled unevenly, which is exactly where water collects and sits. A membrane system laid over that deck follows the depression and ponds in it; the ponding then works on every seam and every fastener penetration in the lowest and wettest part of the roof, which is where a membrane roof usually fails first.
Foam can be built to a slope
This is the specific advantage of a sprayed roof on a settled deck. Because the foam is applied as a liquid in passes, its thickness can be varied deliberately: thicker at the low spot, feathered toward the drain, so positive drainage is created without touching the structure. That is not a cosmetic improvement. Removing standing water removes the main driver of roof deterioration, and it does so on a building where re-levelling the deck is not realistic. A roof that drains is a roof that lasts, and on a building sitting on expansive clay it is the only practical way to get one.
No seams and no fasteners
The second structural advantage is that a sprayed roof has no joints. Every mechanically fastened or seamed system has thousands of potential leak points, and each one is a place where differential movement in the building concentrates stress. A monolithic foam layer self-flashes around every parapet, curb, vent, drain and unit base, bonding to each one, so there is no detail to be lapped and no termination to be taped. On an old valley-floor commercial building with an irregular parapet and a collection of mechanical curbs added over decades, that is a very large advantage.
It adds no meaningful load
Reroofing an old building often runs into the structural question of whether another layer can be carried. Sprayed foam is a light material by the standard of roofing assemblies, which means on many buildings it can go over the existing roof rather than requiring a tear-off, keeping the building weathertight through the work and keeping the old roof out of the landfill. Whether that is appropriate is a condition question that has to be answered on the roof, not from the ground: a wet existing assembly has to come off.
The coating is the roof's service life
The foam itself is not left exposed. Polyurethane degrades under sunlight, so the layer is protected with an elastomeric coating, and that coating is what is maintained and recoated periodically over the life of the roof. In this location two things load it. Semi-arid conditions mean a lot of clear sky and a lot of ultraviolet exposure, and the recorded temperature range here is wide, from 40.6 degrees Celsius in July 1941 to minus 43.9 in January 1996, so the surface expands and contracts a great deal. A coating specification and a recoating schedule are part of the job, not an afterthought, and anyone quoting a sprayed roof should set out both. We quote the job, schedule it and stand behind it, and pricing follows the sprayed area, the depth and the coating system.
Spray Foam Roofing Drumheller: Common Questions
How is roofing foam different from insulation foam? It goes on top of the deck and is coated, so one continuous layer is both the insulation and the waterproofing, with no seams and no fasteners through it.
Our roof ponds in one corner. Can foam fix that? Yes, and it is the main reason to use it on a settled deck. The thickness can be varied to build positive drainage toward the drain without altering the structure.
Can it go over the existing roof? Often, because it adds little weight, which avoids a tear-off and keeps the building dry through the work. A wet existing assembly has to be removed first.
How much does spray foam roofing cost in Drumheller? It follows the sprayed area, the depth, and the coating system specified. Whether a tear-off is needed is the single largest variable, which is why the roof has to be looked at first.
How do I choose a spray foam roofing contractor in Drumheller? Ask for the coating specification and the recoating interval in writing. A sprayed roof quote without a maintenance schedule has described half the product.
Size the assembly with the R-value calculator, then get a free Drumheller quote. More on Spray Foam Roofing Alberta province-wide.