25-Year-Old Spray Foam Roof Rehabbed, Given New 30-Year Warranty

RENO, NV – March 24, 2013 – As roofing systems age, they can begin to deteriorate, and the cost of replacing a roofing system can be high. The option of restoring a roofing system, which can be done in some circumstances, is sometimes overlooked. NV Energy, a power and utility company servicing northern Nevada, was convinced their older operations building needed a new spray foam roofing system, but soon discovered that their existing one was a good candidate for rehab, thanks to Roof Crafters, Inc.

The existing roof had granulated spray foam and was 25 years old. NV Energy was looking to replace it due to surface-level blistering and leaks inside the building. The company requested a bid for a complete tear-off and a new 60-mil. membrane roofing system. According to Brian Hunt, Roof Crafter’s owner, the company reached out to a few single-ply contractors in Reno before finding Roof Crafters.

“I took the contracting agent aside and said they potentially have a very good roofing system other than blisters,” said Hunt. “They are a prime candidate to rehabilitate the existing spray foam roof.”

The 75,000 sq. ft. roof had minor leaks and the blisters appeared to be between the first and second pass of the existing foam, not penetrating all the way through, according to Hunt. There were about 50 blisters spread out over the entire roof. “All in all, for it’s age, the roof was in relatively good condition,” he said.

Rather than replacing the entire roof, Roof Crafters planned to cut out the blisters, about a 1,500 sq. ft. area altogether according to Hunt, and only apply spray foam to those particular sections. This would save the owners a great deal of time and money.

Another factor that likely influenced NV Energy to keep their existing roof was that asbestos was present in a large section of the underlying built-up roof beneath the existing foam.

“If they had torn that off as originally planned, they would have had to worry about exposing several dozen employees to asbestos,” Hunt said.

If NV Energy had paid for a full tear-off, it also would have likely cost them a significant amount more money than spray foam since it would have involved an asbestos abatement and removal of two inches of existing foam, according to Hunt. The project would have also taken a considerable amount of time.

Once the decision was made to restore the roof, Roof Crafters planned to do all of their spray foam application during weekends so they would not have to worry about employee vehicles being subjected to overspray. The workers normally worked from sun-up to early afternoon to complete spraying before the wind picked up.

Crewmembers accessed the roof with ladders. For safety, they used monitors and lines to tie off with five-point safety harnesses. They wore half-mask respirators with cartridges while spraying.

Roof Crafters employed a Graco Reactor H-20/35 to apply from one to two inches of 3 lb. closed-cell roofing foam to the blistered areas that had been cut out. The foam thickness varied depending on how much was needed to make the area flush with the existing foam. A Graco Monark 45:1 was used to apply 42 mils of GE silicone coating, which was less than the 60 mils NV Energy requested in their initial bid for a tear-off.

It took five crewmembers about 15 weekend days between May and early July of 2012 to complete the project. The roof has survived its first winter complete with snow, and there has not been a single leak since the project was finished.

“We can be smarter about what we can do to refurbish and restore a roof rather than going the route of a full invasive tear-off and big money," Hunt said in retrospect. "We took a 25-year-old roof and added another 30 years to its life; it should easily exceed 55 years of age.”

About Roof Crafters, Inc.: Roof Crafters, Inc. is Reno's flat roof specialist. The company has been installing spray foam for 30 years. Roof Crafters also specializes in spray foam insulation. They are a completely mobile company and have a broad service area. From their home base in Reno, they also serve northern Nevada (Reno, Sparks, Carson City, Lake Tahoe, Minden, etc.) and California (Sacramento, Roseville, Folsom, etc.). For more information about Roof Crafters, Inc., please use the contact details and links provided below.