How To Install Tpo Membrane Roofing

TPO roof membrane is one of the newest innovations for apartment roof membranes. Developed inside the last few decades, TPO has become more pop than PVC and EPDM. With its flexibility and durability, its piece of cake to run across why information technology has go so popular.

This is a photo guide that will help y'all to empathise what TPO is, why do people like using it, and how to install information technology.

What is TPO?

TPO is a single ply low slope roofing membrane. It is made upwards of Thermoplastic Polyolefin layers. Each layer is made fromEthylene propylene safe, and talc carbon filler or fiberglass. The talc carbon filler, or fiberglass is a cloth like woven membrane that gives extra strength and immovability.

Broken Weld Exposes the Inner Layers of TPO

The thermoplastic polyolefin layers are weldable to create a water tight seal that protects the roof all types of weather condition and UV radiation.

TPO tin can be installed in one of three ways.

Mechanically Attached – secured using special screws and plates.
Ballasted – (Meet Built-Up Roof Style Options)
Fully Adhered – It can be adhered to the roof using a liquid adhesive, tar mopping, or past a fleecedBacked system with a 2-office foam.

Why Choose TPO?

There are many reasons why people prefer TPO over other covering materials (You tin can click this link to visit my other commodity on 17 Different types of roofing materials).

Some of the advantages of TPO are:

Its Durable
Easy to Install
Flexible
Requires Trivial to No Maintenance
And Many More

If y'all desire to learn more about the advantages and disadvantages of TPO. You can check out this article I wrote almost 19 Pros & Cons of TPO Roof Membrane.

Now that you have a basic understanding of what TPO is and some of the benefits of using TPO. Its time to motion on to how to install TPO.

How To Install TPO Roof Material:

Some steps in the guide may be unlike depending on what installation method you choose to go with. This step by step guide focuses on the mechanically attached method for installing TPO. Even so, the basic steps are the aforementioned for all methods.

Materials & Tools Needed:

Before you begin with anything you volition demand to measure out the size of the roof so you can make sure to purchase enough cloth.

The first thing yous will need to buy is insulation foam and TPO.

The insulation foam varies in depth depending on the application. For residential roofs the cream can range anywhere from 0.five″ to 1″. While commercial roofs may have many more inches of insulation. Information technology depends on the roof and the client.

The TPO Rolls vary in sizes ranging anywhere from 4 ft to ten ft alpine rolls. You will likely need to purchase multiple sizes, especially if you accept walls you lot need to cover like on commercial roofs.

The adjacent item you will need to is fasteners and plates. The fasteners and plates are used to secure down the cream and the TPO.

The spiral fasteners vary in acme and must exist measured in accordance to how much foam y'all will be using.

In that location are 2 different type of plates that you lot volition need. One is used to secure the foam to the roof decking, the other is used to secure the TPO down. Every bit you tin run into in the picture below ane plate is smooth and the other plate has rivets or spikes.

The polish plate (on the left) is used to secure the cream boards down.

The other one on the right with the spikes is used to secure the TPO down. The spikes grip into the TPO making it much more secure. Don't worry this will not crusade a leak as you will see why afterward.

If you accept walls that y'all demand to cover in TPO, and so yous will likely need a liquid adhesive.

Liquid adhesive can also be used over the mechanically fastened screws and plates. Peculiarly for FleeceBacked membranes.

The adhesive can exist purchases at your local covering supply company.

In improver to the liquid agglutinative, yous will need a stirring stick to mix it with and some rollers to apply it with. Hither are some extendable rollers plant on amazon that you tin can utilize to utilise the adhesive.

This roller comprehend is made specifically for applying adhesives. Y'all tin check out the price for it here on Amazon.

Next yous volition demand something to cutting the foam with. I recommend having 2 types of tools for cutting foam.

A small paw held foam cutting knife with a serrated edge. Which you can discover on Amazon here.

This small hand held knife is perfect for making small intricate cuts around pipes, sky lights, drains, etc. For larger cuts I recommend getting a reciprocating saw.

DEWALT makes a nice compact reciprocating saw. Information technology makes it so much faster and easier to make large cuts. Yous can bank check it out the price for this saw on Amazon.

A drill is another essential tool for installing TPO. You volition need to screw down the plates and fasterners.

I found the all-time drill is one with an extra handle and a chord so y'all practice not take to worry about dealing with batteries.

I recommend this drill by DEWALT, you tin bank check out the price for this drill on Amazon.

Another tool you volition need, is used to oestrus weld the TPO.

This pocket-sized hand welder is perfect for doing small seams, patches, and around intricate cuts.

I recommend this 1 from amazon considering information technology comes with the roller and basic heat welding nozzles.

For larger seems that need to exist oestrus welding you lot will want to purchase or hire an automated heat welder.

This makes it much easier to weld the big seams of TPO, considering information technology allows you to walk along side the heat welding machine.

Yous can cheque out prices for this welder on Amazon.

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Now that we have all the tools necessary to get started and nosotros have ordered the materials we tin can begin with the next part of the process.

Footstep 1: Fix Roof

The preparation includes making certain that you have all the materials delivered, and you take all the tools necessary to complete the job.

Yous will demand to make sure the roof surface is clean and cleared of big droppings and wet. Water and backlog wet that gets trapped underneath the TPO will cause mold and other potential issues downwardly the route.

You lot volition also need to make sure that OSHA regulatory condom precautions are followed to ensure a safety working environment. You can click here to acquire more most OSHA safety and standards.

Step 2: Install Insulation Foam

Later on the roof surface has been prepped, the side by side step is installing the insulation foam. When laying out the foam it is all-time practice to stagger the foam in both directions.

For example if you are laying two layers of cream, equally seen in the photo higher up, y'all should stagger the foam by cut the offset slice in half and and so placing a full slice adjacent to it on the side.

Likewise, for the second layer you would stagger it by placing a one-half piece of cream on acme of a whole piece of foam and vice versa.

Staggering the foam helps requite added strength, a smoother surface, and helps to better insulate the roof.

Adjacent, the insulation plates and screws are lightly placed into the foam forth the edges and in the heart of the board for easier drilling.

The fasteners are then screwed downward into the roof surface securing the insulation cream board to the roof floor.

Step 3: Cut Vents & Pipes

Depending on whether you are working on a new roof or restoring a roof volition determine the order of this step. If you do non have any of the pipes or drains fix then you volition need to cut the foam at the location for these protrusions.

You can also add together specialty foam used to create a slope in the roof. This specialty foam is sloped to control water flow into a drain.

Some roofers believe information technology is best to lay the specialty foam underneath the straight foam boards. But from my feel, information technology is easier to lay the specialty foam on top of the level foam boards.

Once you accept all the insulation in identify, its time to start rolling out the TPO.

Pace 4: Set the TPO

The TPO rolls are quite heavy and awkward to carry for i person. You will need to set the TPO fairly straight before you unroll it.

Starting time at the edge of the roof next to the wall or border. If the roof has bordering walls, and then you are okay to leave most an inch of a gap between the TPO and the wall because the wall will be covered in TPO later. In the example of these photos you can see a bordering wall forth the edge of the roof.

However, if you practice not have any bordering walls, and so yous will demand to run the TPO over the edge of the roof and cutting it flush later.

Next, you lot tin can roll out the TPO a few feet and conform it to make sure its straight. Once its straight, keep rolling out the rest of the TPO until you reach the end of the roof, or y'all run out of TPO.

If the laid TPO contains any wrinkles or is non straight you will need to adjust this by securing one end of the TPO and pulling tight on the other end to remove the wrinkles.

After the TPO has been fix and is straight, it volition demand to be secured down to the insulation boards and roof surface.

Step 5: Secure TPO

To secure the TPO, you volition demand the TPO plates with the spikes and the appropriate length of fasteners that will reach the roof surface underneath the insulation.

Identify the TPO plates along the top and sides of the TPO (as seen in the photo to a higher place). You practise not want to put plates along the bottom edge of the TPO because that bottom edge volition go over the top of the adjacent row of TPO.

Secure the plates and TPO down by tightening downwardly the fasteners with a sturdy drill. Its important to not over tighten the plates considering it will cause divets in the foam board which look bad and could cause problems later on.

Afterward the start row TPO has been secured down with the TPO plates and screws, yous can add the second row of TPO following the same steps.

The second row of TPO should overlap 3 inches past the row of plates on the top of the first row of TPO. This overlap ensures that the TPO plates get covered and allows for the seams to exist estrus welded subsequently.

The plates along the sides of the TPO will too need to exist covered past the TPO used along the walls. If no walls are nowadays and so no plates should be added to the ends of the TPO.

After at to the lowest degree 2 rows of TPO have been secured, you tin can start estrus welding. If you have a large coiffure, then multiple people may do each of these steps simultaneously.

For example, a few people may exist installing the insulation, while some are laying the TPO.

Footstep 6: Heat Weld the TPO Seams

This step requires the use of the automatic estrus welder. Information technology is very important that all the seams are heat welded and sealed. If there are whatever holes or imperfections information technology will cause a leak.

For this reason I highly recommend practicing on fleck pieces of TPO before starting whatever heat welding.

The automated heat welder is used for the long seams where the two rows of TPO over lap and cover the metal plates. You should have left a few inches past the metal plates to allow room for the automatic estrus welder.

Brand sure you will have plenty extension chords to let you to run the entire span of the seam earlier you offset welding. Once you start heat welding, you do non want to finish until you reach the end of the TPO row.

To estrus weld, y'all warm upwardly the automatic estrus welder, and align the guidance wheel with the edge of the TPO.

Be sure to check that the heavy rolling wheels are besides in line and straight on the edge of the TPO. Next, place the heating element underneath the TPO edge and turn on rolling switch.

This moves the automatic welder forward. You volition demand to lookout man it and make certain it is staying straight and in line with the edge of the TPO.

In club for the TPO to have a solid sealed weld it needs two things:

Heat
Pressure level

The automatic heat welder provides both of these past the weighted wheels and the heating element. These two things will need to occur when y'all paw weld.

Footstep 7: Apply TPO On Walls

This step may not be necessary in your specific instance. If you do not have whatever walls then simply cutting along the edges of the roof and weld down the edges to the TPO coated metal.

Start past rolling out the TPO along the walls and cutting into sections where necessary to keep it straight.

TPO comes in a multifariousness of sizes, make sure you have a size that is big enough to encompass the entire top of the wall and extend past the bottom of the wall about four inches with the corner of the wall being tucked in.

Next, you will want to tack the lesser of the wall TPO to the top of the floor TPO. Do this by only welding a pocket-size spot at the bottom of the TPO close to the corner of the wall.

You will need to tack it on each of the ends and about every 3 – 4 ft making sure to leave room for the automatic estrus welder.

The tacking will assist to concord the wall TPO in place. The wall TPO is attached to the wall by a depression viscosity liquid adhesive.

You volition want to first utilize the liquid adhesive to the tiptop and side of the wall. The liquid adhesive should be practical to both surfaces, and then you lot will also demand to apply it to the back side of the TPO.

The TPO volition not stick to the wall until the adhesive has get tacky. Under the heat of the dominicus, the adhesive will become tacky and dry much faster then you will demand to work quickly.

Once the mucilage is set, then you can lift the TPO flap up and over the wall being sure to press in the corner of the wall at the bottom and slowly working up.

Avoid wrinkles past pulling the sides tight and smoothing out the surface as yous go.

You will also get wrinkles or a kink in the TPO if information technology is non straight or the lesser is non level. Cutting specific lengths will assistance avoid this problem.

Over lapping wall pieces will demand to be heat welded past manus after.

Once the wall TPO has been adhered to the wall you can now go dorsum and heat weld the bottom of the wall with the automatic welder.

Step 8: Hand Weld Joints

A joint is where the corners of the TPO on the rows all meet up. These along with whatever bad welds will need to exist patched.

To create a patch cut out a foursquare shape of TPO of the necessary size, so round the corners.

Its of import to round the corners and any other precipitous corner or edge of the TPO membrane to provide the best seal. Precipitous corners or xc degree edges tin pull upwards or separate easier than a rounded 1.

To mitt weld the patch, you need to provide the two main things I mentioned before, oestrus and pressure. Employ the hand welder to provide the heat and the hand roller to apply the pressure.

Its all-time to hand whorl evenly and coil it all the mode through past the edge of the TPO to ensure the entire border is sealed down.

If any drains accept been cut and installed, or any sky lights, pipes, etc. Then you will as well need to hand weld a roofing around those to ensure that no water leaks in.

Once everything has been rut welded and patched, and you have checked that all the seams are sealed. And then you can cease by installing the wall metal.

The wall metal not only completes the roof and makes it look adept, it likewise helps to keep the TPO secured to the wall.

After that, yous tin can enjoy the reward of a task well done and a durable roof. If any holes or leaks develop you can create a new patch and paw weld it on to ready the hole.

Not Sure if TPO is Correct for You?

If that is the instance, in that location are many other covering materials that you could use.

I wrote an article explaining what different types of roofing materials are bachelor for flat or low slope roof systems.

You lot tin can bank check out that article by clicking this like hither.

I also spent many hours writing a guide on 17 different types of roofing materials that covers both flat roofs and sloped roof options. You can read that article here.

Source: https://roofhippie.com/how-to-install-tpo-roof-membrane-easy-photo-guide/

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