TarHeel Roofing Rehabs Aging Roof with Spray Foam in Hollywood Beach

HOLLYWOOD BEACH, FL–September 18, 2012–It's not every day that spray foam goes Hollywood, but in this case, TarHeel Roofing literally made the trip to Hollywood (Florida) to rehab an aging roof. SprayFoam.com was on site to cover the project.

The project was being done for a beachwear shop located just steps away from both the ocean and Florida's intracoastal waterway. While the setting was ideal, the shop's old roofing system was performing in a less-than-desirable manner, having been the source of some leakage problems. It was really a matter of the building's BUR roof having reached the end of its lifespan.

"This is probably the original roof," TarHeel's Fredd Loughman said of the BUR system.

To address the aging, TarHeel was contacted to rehabilitate the existing roof with a spray foam roofing system. The roof, which was just under 15,000 square feet in area, was slated to be sprayed with two inches of Foam-Lok 2.8 lb. roofing foam, made by Lapolla. The foam could be sprayed directly to the old BUR surface, which would save on roof removal costs, but there was one hitch.

Before any foam could be sprayed, TarHeel was required to install fastening plates, which were three-inch round metal plates fixed to the roof by four-inch screws. Such plates are typically intended for use with membrane roofing systems, but in this case Broward County building codes dictated they be installed for this foam roof. The fastening plates are overkill, if not redundant, for a foam roof, as spray foam adheres to the entirety of the old roofing surface.

"I've never heard of anything like it," Loughman said. "But that's what they needed."

Regardless, TarHeel installed the fastening plates every six inches across the entire roof. To keep the project moving smoothly and efficiently, the plate installation and foam application would occur in concert, with the plates being installed with a sufficient lead time before the foam was sprayed.

Weather did not cooperate with the crew as the project took shape. On the fist spray day, a thunderstorm–typical during this time of year in Florida–restricted the crew's progress to only a fraction of the roof's surface area. Then, the fringe effects of Hurricane Isaac stalled the project even further.

When the weather settled down, the five-man crew kicked it into high gear, completing the fastener installation and foam application. The foam was finished with a 20-mil coat of Lapolla Thermo-Sil 2500 silicone coating, broadcast with granules.

In the end, the project took over two weeks to complete, but the client was, according to Loughman, "very happy" with the results.

About TarHeel Roofing: TarHeel Roofing installs commercial roofing in the Southeastern United States and the Caribbean. We specialize in large, complex projects including industrial, commercial, hospitality, institutional, public, multi-family, and complex projects, as well as multi-location portfolios. TarHeel Roofing is proud to have served on the Board of Directors of both the National Roofing Contractors Association and the Florida Roofing and Sheet Metal Association. As a recipient of the National Roofing Contractor of the Year Award, our tradition of excellence utilizes the latest industry innovations and technology. For more information, please use the contact details and links provided below.

About Lapolla Industries, Inc: Lapolla is a leading manufacturer and supplier of spray polyurethane foam for insulation and coatings, targeting commercial and residential applications in the building envelope construction industries for energy savings. For more information please use the link provided below.