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Steve Otte Posted: May 07, 2008 05:34 PM	SPF - can it be used for Florida HOME/RESIDENTIAL ROOF ? ? I reside in Orlando, Florida and have a ranch style house that was built in 1952 with a low slope roof (1/12). The old tar and gravel is past its serviceable life and needs replacing. Would an SPF roof be practical for a residential application such as this? I realize it is common in the commercial industry but I'm having trouble finding any information that discusses the use of SPF for residential home roofs. Is it too costly or not recommended for some reason? I would greatly appreciate anyone who can point out any websites/literature that discusses residential SPF or suggest any contacts in the Central Florida area that would be knowledgeable on residential SPF roofing. THANKS!! Steve
quentin Posted: May 19, 2008 09:26 PM	I have seen it used on homes with low/no slope roofing so see no reason it wouldn't be available where you are. I know that UCSC which Bayer bought had a link to a home project using their products in one of those home improvement shows. That one is no longer on the site but I have the video on a promo DVD from them and it is a home in AZ that was done. Give them a call and see if they have anyone in your area that they can suggest. http://www.buyucsc.com/
Steve Otte Posted: May 20, 2008 02:48 PM	Thanks for your input. I've done some research and I'm very impressed with SPF as a roofing system. Just surprised its use isn't more widespread in the residential market. But I'll pursue your advice and see what I can find out. Thanks!
Gordon Howard Posted: May 20, 2008 08:22 PM	On a low-sloped residential roof, you are better off using board foam and spraying a polyurea membrane over that. Unless you are growing grass over your roof. Why you may ask? Because I have yet to see a residential low-sloped roof that looks good with spray foam. It just isn't flat enough. It looks wierd. Foam board screws down like plywood, And if you use the lapped stuff with caulking in the joints, is a s waterproof as spray foam. Sorry fellow spray-foamers, I betray our trade with truth.
Steve Otte Posted: May 20, 2008 10:49 PM	Who can fault an honest person! That's actually a very interesting approach. Do you know anyone that has successfully done this? Has it been field tested? Would it be as good as one monolithic coating of SPF (or almost as good)? Also, this approach would require removing the old T&G roof, where as an SPF coating would not, correct? I've talked to one SPF guy already and understand that the whole outside of the house has to be masked off in order to spray safely. Labor intensive! One advantage to spraying this particular house is that the slope is angled to the sides of the house, so from the front you don't see the roof surface at all!! From the sides, you'd have to step back 50 feet or more before you begin to see the roof covering. Thanks, Steve
Terry Shepperd Posted: May 28, 2008 04:41 PM	I've sprayed many low slope residential roofs and they look great. It takes prep work though. You have to remove the gravel, spud it down smooth and for high profile (looks greatly matters) I usually screw down sheet rock, or densdeck, tape the seams and spray 1 1/2" foam in three smooth passes. The idea of foamboard with polyurea is great. You need to make sure there are no pin holes in coating as tracing leaks is hard due to the water running freely under the boardstock with many screw holes to go through. I've even put white rock back on roofs which will hide miner bumps and ridges with great results. the bigger the rock the more it hides. There can't be much slope on the roof and I wouldn't use less than 1 1/2" of foam. You also need to be a very smooth sprayer, I would ask to see some of their work.
Terry Shepperd Posted: May 28, 2008 04:41 PM	I've sprayed many low slope residential roofs and they look great. It takes prep work though. You have to remove the gravel, spud it down smooth and for high profile (looks greatly matters) I usually screw down sheet rock, or densdeck, tape the seams and spray 1 1/2" foam in three smooth passes. The idea of foamboard with polyurea is great. You need to make sure there are no pin holes in coating as tracing leaks is hard due to the water running freely under the boardstock with many screw holes to go through. I've even put white rock back on roofs which will hide miner bumps and ridges with great results. the bigger the rock the more it hides. There can't be much slope on the roof and I wouldn't use less than 1 1/2" of foam. You also need to be a very smooth sprayer, I would ask to see some of their work.
George Phelps Posted: Jul 07, 2008 09:53 PM	Did it to my home 2 years ago...it's great. There are some issues of asethetics. Along the drip edge the foam had high and low spots which were leveled out with a Japanese flat saw then a coarse belt on a sander. After that lots of acrylic to keep the foam density in shape. Why not more residential??? Commercial Industrial is bigger bucks with less aggravation. Maybe as more SPF'ers get into the business the residential segment will grow. Maybe wind storm insurance companies will help to subsidize this market segment. Maybe when pigs fly.
Gerry Wagoner Posted: Jul 10, 2008 10:25 AM	Foam can be done on residential roofs. We've done many of them. Spray as smooth as possible and grind the high spots. Coat with 40-mils acrylic and let it rain. You need 40-mils in areas where the skin has been ground off, and acrylic won't pinhole. go gettum
David Pressler Builder of Off Grid monolithic indestructible concrete structures with exterior foam ALSO Foam Domes. Posted: Apr 25, 2010 04:39 PM	I have read foam has been sprayed over tile but as of yet have not been able to find any photos. My belief here in Florida is that the company that comes up with a cosmetic good looking spray over existing roof product will have no problem finding customers.
Posted: May 05, 2010 10:11 PM	This is a 3500 sq. ft residential roof that we did over the weekend. The roof was a built up that beginning to alligator and at the end of its life cycle. The first picture is the before shot before the mounting jacks for the Solar Panel system was installed. The owner had us install 2" of Polyurethane Roofing foam followed by a 15 Mil Gray Silicone Base Coat and 15 mil White Silicone Top Coat.
Posted: May 05, 2010 10:24 PM	This is the second shot after we flashed the mounting jacks for the solar panels and applied 2" of Polyurethane Roofing Foam. I had just finished spraying and we were beginning to trim the tape off of the penetrations, grind and v groove our edges and put a base coat on before it got to late. I will put everything together for a project profile once the solar panels are installed.
Benjamin Skoog Posted: Aug 27, 2010 06:41 PM	Sure it can! The majority of my past experience has been spraying foam on high end multi-million dollar projects in arizona. Experience is key! make sure they have good equipment and that the person running it is experienced. it is easiest to make a flat roof in layers. For Tar and Gravel I would recommend at least 1.5 inches of foam. request that they spray it in three half inch passes and no less than a half inch. ask if they grind the scupper/drain/dripedge for drainage and aesthetics. it is possible to make flat nice foam roofs! ... and good luck with that.
Posted: Aug 28, 2010 09:50 PM	Steve, You can put foam on a residential roof but ou can not permit it. They will make you do a bonded pull test and a moisture servey on the roof. It cost less to tear off the built up than it does for those two test. Send me an email to buc-enterprises@msn.com with your phone number and I will talk to you about it.
mason Posted: Aug 31, 2010 09:09 AM	There are quite a few SPF roofing contractors in Florida who spray residential roofs. There are fairly strict code permitting requirements that must be followed and the SPF roof system must have Florida Product Approvals. Having worked with the Florida Building Code Department and taught classes at Miami Dade College to code officals on inspecting SPF roofing systems, I can tell you that many have a good opinion of the wind resistant qualities of the foam roof but are wary of applicators who don't follow the rules and industry best practices. Get
Steve Otte Posted: Aug 31, 2010 10:03 AM	Thanks for this and all the other responses. It's great getting feedback from professionals in the industry! For the moment I've been delayed on this project but have not changed my plans for going SPF. I want to research it thoroughly so that I end up with positive results and a good story to tell other home owners who might be considering this option. If you have any further key tips, specifics, or things to watch for, please keep posting them. The information is invaluable. Thanks again!
jimalbott Posted: Apr 24, 2017 07:44 AM	I have never called any SPF Roofing Contractors, but after having this information i will surely call them once for maintenance of the roof.
Posted: Apr 29, 2017 07:31 AM	Why not more private??? Business Industrial is greater bucks with less exacerbation. Perhaps as more SPF'ers get into the business the private fragment will develop.
alexleon Posted: Aug 29, 2017 08:03 AM	Obviously experience is the key and hiring an experienced roof repair expert will end up with satisfied roofing to the building.When looking for roofing contractor ask for references that will help in getting the right one.

Author

Comments

Steve Otte

Posted: May 07, 2008 05:34 PM

SPF - can it be used for Florida HOME/RESIDENTIAL ROOF ? ?

I reside in Orlando, Florida and have a ranch style house that was built in 1952 with a low slope roof (1/12). The old tar and gravel is past its serviceable life and needs replacing.

Would an SPF roof be practical for a residential application such as this? I realize it is common in the commercial industry but I'm having trouble finding any information that discusses the use of SPF for residential home roofs. Is it too costly or not recommended for some reason?

I would greatly appreciate anyone who can point out any websites/literature that discusses residential SPF or suggest any contacts in the Central Florida area that would be knowledgeable on residential SPF roofing.

THANKS!!
Steve

quentin

Posted: May 19, 2008 09:26 PM

I have seen it used on homes with low/no slope roofing so see no reason it wouldn't be available where you are. I know that UCSC which Bayer bought had a link to a home project using their products in one of those home improvement shows.

That one is no longer on the site but I have the video on a promo DVD from them and it is a home in AZ that was done. Give them a call and see if they have anyone in your area that they can suggest.

http://www.buyucsc.com/

Steve Otte

Posted: May 20, 2008 02:48 PM

Thanks for your input. I've done some research and I'm very impressed with SPF as a roofing system. Just surprised its use isn't more widespread in the residential market. But I'll pursue your advice and see what I can find out. Thanks!

Gordon Howard

Posted: May 20, 2008 08:22 PM

On a low-sloped residential roof, you are better off using board foam and spraying a polyurea membrane over that. Unless you are growing grass over your roof. Why you may ask?
Because I have yet to see a residential low-sloped roof that looks good with spray foam. It just isn't flat enough. It looks wierd. Foam board screws down like plywood, And if you use the lapped stuff with caulking in the joints, is a s waterproof as spray foam. Sorry fellow spray-foamers, I betray our trade with truth.

Steve Otte

Posted: May 20, 2008 10:49 PM

Who can fault an honest person! That's actually a very interesting approach. Do you know anyone that has successfully done this? Has it been field tested? Would it be as good as one monolithic coating of SPF (or almost as good)?

Also, this approach would require removing the old T&G roof, where as an SPF coating would not, correct?

I've talked to one SPF guy already and understand that the whole outside of the house has to be masked off in order to spray safely. Labor intensive!

One advantage to spraying this particular house is that the slope is angled to the sides of the house, so from the front you don't see the roof surface at all!! From the sides, you'd have to step back 50 feet or more before you begin to see the roof covering.

Thanks,
Steve

Terry Shepperd

Posted: May 28, 2008 04:41 PM

I've sprayed many low slope residential roofs and they look great. It takes prep work though. You have to remove the gravel, spud it down smooth and for high profile (looks greatly matters) I usually screw down sheet rock, or densdeck, tape the seams and spray 1 1/2" foam in three smooth passes. The idea of foamboard with polyurea is great. You need to make sure there are no pin holes in coating as tracing leaks is hard due to the water running freely under the boardstock with many screw holes to go through. I've even put white rock back on roofs which will hide miner bumps and ridges with great results. the bigger the rock the more it hides. There can't be much slope on the roof and I wouldn't use less than 1 1/2" of foam. You also need to be a very smooth sprayer, I would ask to see some of their work.

Terry Shepperd

Posted: May 28, 2008 04:41 PM

George Phelps

Posted: Jul 07, 2008 09:53 PM

Did it to my home 2 years ago...it's great.

There are some issues of asethetics. Along the drip edge the foam had high and low spots which were leveled out with a Japanese flat saw then a coarse belt on a sander. After that lots of acrylic to keep the foam density in shape.

Why not more residential??? Commercial Industrial is bigger bucks with less aggravation. Maybe as more SPF'ers get into the business the residential segment will grow.

Maybe wind storm insurance companies will help to subsidize this market segment. Maybe when pigs fly.

Gerry Wagoner

Posted: Jul 10, 2008 10:25 AM

Foam can be done on residential roofs. We've done many of them. Spray as smooth as possible and grind the high spots. Coat with 40-mils acrylic and let it rain. You need 40-mils in areas where the skin has been ground off, and acrylic won't pinhole.

go gettum

David Pressler

Builder of Off Grid monolithic indestructible concrete structures with exterior foam ALSO Foam Domes.

Posted: Apr 25, 2010 04:39 PM

I have read foam has been sprayed over tile but as of yet have not been able to find any photos.
My belief here in Florida is that the company that comes up with a cosmetic good looking spray over existing roof product will have no problem finding customers.

Posted: May 05, 2010 10:11 PM

This is a 3500 sq. ft residential roof that we did over the weekend. The roof was a built up that beginning to alligator and at the end of its life cycle.

The first picture is the before shot before the mounting jacks for the Solar Panel system was installed.

The owner had us install 2" of Polyurethane Roofing foam followed by a 15 Mil Gray Silicone Base Coat and 15 mil White Silicone Top Coat.

Posted: May 05, 2010 10:24 PM

This is the second shot after we flashed the mounting jacks for the solar panels and applied 2" of Polyurethane Roofing Foam.

I had just finished spraying and we were beginning to trim the tape off of the penetrations, grind and v groove our edges and put a base coat on before it got to late.

I will put everything together for a project profile once the solar panels are installed.

Benjamin Skoog

Posted: Aug 27, 2010 06:41 PM

Sure it can! The majority of my past experience has been spraying foam on high end multi-million dollar projects in arizona. Experience is key! make sure they have good equipment and that the person running it is experienced. it is easiest to make a flat roof in layers. For Tar and Gravel I would recommend at least 1.5 inches of foam. request that they spray it in three half inch passes and no less than a half inch. ask if they grind the scupper/drain/dripedge for drainage and aesthetics. it is possible to make flat nice foam roofs! ... and good luck with that.

Posted: Aug 28, 2010 09:50 PM

Steve,
You can put foam on a residential roof but ou can not permit it. They will make you do a bonded pull test and a moisture servey on the roof. It cost less to tear off the built up than it does for those two test. Send me an email to buc-enterprises@msn.com with your phone number and I will talk to you about it.

mason

Posted: Aug 31, 2010 09:09 AM

There are quite a few SPF roofing contractors in Florida who spray residential roofs. There are fairly strict code permitting requirements that must be followed and the SPF roof system must have Florida Product Approvals. Having worked with the Florida Building Code Department and taught classes at Miami Dade College to code officals on inspecting SPF roofing systems, I can tell you that many have a good opinion of the wind resistant qualities of the foam roof but are wary of applicators who don't follow the rules and industry best practices.

Get

Steve Otte

Posted: Aug 31, 2010 10:03 AM

Thanks for this and all the other responses. It's great getting feedback from professionals in the industry! For the moment I've been delayed on this project but have not changed my plans for going SPF. I want to research it thoroughly so that I end up with positive results and a good story to tell other home owners who might be considering this option.

If you have any further key tips, specifics, or things to watch for, please keep posting them. The information is invaluable. Thanks again!

jimalbott

Posted: Apr 24, 2017 07:44 AM

I have never called any SPF Roofing Contractors, but after having this information i will surely call them once for maintenance of the roof.

Posted: Apr 29, 2017 07:31 AM

Why not more private??? Business Industrial is greater bucks with less exacerbation. Perhaps as more SPF'ers get into the business the private fragment will develop.

alexleon

Posted: Aug 29, 2017 08:03 AM

Obviously experience is the key and hiring an experienced roof repair expert will end up with satisfied roofing to the building.When looking for roofing contractor ask for references that will help in getting the right one.

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