Photo courtesy of Nations Roof LLC, Yonkers, N.Y.
Photo courtesy of Nations Roof LLC, Yonkers, N.Y.
In 2008, a major food and beverage distribution center in Allentown, Pa., began negotiations with Sika Sarnafil, Canton, Mass., to re-cover the center's 17-year-old, 1.1 million-square-foot PVC roof system with a new Sika Sarnafil PVC membrane. Sika Sarnafil asked one of its Elite Applicators, Nations Roof LLC, Yonkers, N.Y., to install the new membrane.
"We learned about the project from our Sika Sarnafil regional manager," says Michael Johannes, Nations Roof's president. "We were asked to install a new Sika Sarnafil membrane over the existing roof and reflash 850 skylights.
"The building owner proactively budgeted for the project in advance," Johannes continues. "A lot of building owners wait until the end of a roof system's life—when the roof is already saturated—to perform repairs. Before the roof became a repair mess, its owner decided to have reroofing work performed so the roof system wouldn't have to be completely torn off."
Reroofing work
Nations Roof began work on the distribution center's roof system in February.
The existing roof system consisted of a steel deck, 1 1/2-inch-thick polyisocyanurate insulation and a 45-mil-thick PVC membrane. Nations Roof left the insulation in place and removed damaged parts of the existing roof membrane.
After tear-off was complete, Nations Roof slit the existing membrane into grids no more than 6 feet wide to release tension. It then mechanically fastened a 60-mil-thick Sikaplan® 60 Feltback membrane in EnergySmart White to the steel roof deck through the remaining existing membrane and insulation with fasteners and plates.
"By reusing the insulation, leaving most of the existing membrane in place and installing a fleece-backed membrane over it, the distribution center was able to reduce its installed cost," Johannes says.
Nations Roof also reflashed the roof's 850 skylights.
"We lifted each skylight dome so we could run the new membrane over the top edge and fasten it to the curb," Johannes says. "We then installed a double-sided adhesive tape to stop any wind-blown rain from entering the building."
Keeping the roof system weathertight during reroofing work was an issue that had to be addressed.
"A benefit of performing a re-cover was that we could keep the system watertight. Because both the existing and new membranes are PVC, we were able to weld the two sheets together each night," Johannes says.
The project's safety requirements were stringent, according to Johannes. Nations Roof employed a full-time safety monitor for the project, and the 10- to 23-member crew wore safety harnesses when working near skylights and perimeters. A fully flagged perimeter also was used.
"The Occupational Safety and Health Administration visited the job site and issued no citations," Johannes says. "Our safety plan was solid."
An environmental focus
The project's primary focus was recycling and eliminating waste.
"Sika Sarnafil recycled the torn-off membrane and trimmings, cuttings and waste material from the new membrane," Johannes says. "The recycled material filled five semi-trucks.
"Also, rather than throw away the 2,500-pound wood pallets used to carry the new membrane, Sika Sarnafil took them back to use for future deliveries," he continues.
And in addition to eliminating waste, re-covering the distribution center's existing roof system saved Nations Roof money.
"We reduced our anticipated waste cost by about 75 percent," Johannes says.
The final product
Nations Roof completed work at the distribution center in May, two months ahead of schedule.
"There were days when we installed 40,000 square feet of new membrane," Johannes says.
And Johannes is proud of Nations Roof's environmentally conscious work on the project for which it received a recycling certificate of participation from Sika Sarnafil for "providing sustainable environmental solutions for the customer's roofing needs."
"The job was important because not only did we install a 'green' roof system that carries a 20-year warranty, we did the right thing by minimizing the waste produced during the project," Johannes says.
Ashley St. John is Professional Roofing's associate editor.
Project name: Major food and beverage distribution center
Project location: Allentown, Pa.
Project duration: February 2009-May 2009
Roof system type: White PVC
Roofing contractor: Nations Roof LLC, Yonkers, N.Y.
Roofing materials manufacturer: Sika Sarnafil Inc., Canton, Mass.
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