What an EPDM Roofing System Can Do for Your Business

If you’re a commercial property owner or if you own the building in which you do business, you know firsthand how expensive it can be to keep a retail storefront or an office suite in good physical condition. One of the biggest maintenance costs is ensuring the roof over the heads of your employees or your tenants is in good condition.

There’s a number of choices open to you when it comes to repairing or replacing an old commercial roof. Sometimes selecting one of these options from an entire field of choices can be frustrating; however, if you’re looking for the best option when it comes to overall cost and durability, there’s only one choice you should be looking at: an EPDM rubber roofing system.

What It Is, What It Does

Named after the three main ingredients that go into its construction – ethylene, propylene, and diene monomer – EPDM is an extremely thick and durable rubberized roof covering that’s used exclusively in commercial settings. The synthetic rubber created in the process is quite resilient and often outlives the buildings it’s fitted to, as it’s easily recyclable into roofing tiles or material for walkways. The roofing system is available in both black and white, and while EPDM can be installed on roofs with any pitch, the roofing material is especially ideal in commercial buildings with flat or lower-pitched roofs.

Originally developed in the 1970s, the technology behind EPDM itself hasn’t changed much over the decades since. However, the application methods used by roofing contractors have progressed since the inception of EPDM roofing, making an already easy installation process that much easier with newly-developed tools and techniques that streamline the process.

Lasts a Lifetime

The biggest advantage that EPDM has is its incredible durability. A single application of the roofing solution can last as long as 40 years or even longer with regular maintenance, thanks to how resistant the synthetic rubber is when it comes to degradation caused by prolonged exposure to heat, cold, and other environmental conditions like hail or even ultraviolet radiation. When white EPDM is used on a roof, it even helps to keep the building’s temperature control costs down thanks to its ability to reflect a large quantity of the heat it would normally absorb on a long day baking in the sun.

The final advantage to using EPDM as a roofing material – and perhaps the one that most appeals to money-conscious landlords and business owners – is that thanks to its durability and already affordable price, an EPDM installation is an excellent investment in the future. With the roofing material lasting nearly half a century without significant degradation – and with little to no maintenance needed except for general good housekeeping – the cost of an EPDM roof is an excellent investment in the future for any low-sloped commercial building. In fact, it might be the only roof you’ll have to buy for your business in your lifetime.