Rocky Mountain roofing

Since its founding in 1909, Sterling Lumber and Investment Co., Westminster, Colo., has provided local contractors with building materials such as lumber, millwork, doors, windows, kitchen and bath products, decking, hardware and paint to complete construction projects. Its mission is to provide quality products and excellent service to customers from its 10 full-service retail lumberyards located throughout Colorado.

During 2019, the roof system on Sterling Lumber’s Boulder facility, Boulder Lumber, required replacement after wind damage. Boulder Lumber enlisted Black Roofing Inc., Boulder, for help designing and installing a new roof system that would withstand the high-wind uplift pressures on the roof’s perimeter.

Designing for wind

Boulder is located in Boulder Valley where the Rocky Mountains meet the Great Plains. As high winds come from the Rocky Mountain canyons, wind uplift is a major concern for buildings in this area including Boulder Lumber’s warehouse.

During high winds, the wood nailer on the facility’s existing roof system became dislodged from the perimeter deck and peeled back. To eliminate this recurring issue, Boulder Lumber requested a roofing material capable of withstanding high-wind uplift pressures. And because Boulder weather can be unpredictable, the company owner also requested a new roof system that could be installed quickly in a variety of temperatures.

Subsequently, Black Roofing recommended Versico Roofing Systems’ RapidLock (RL) Roofing System.

Deck repairs

After Boulder Lumber approved the new roof system, in June 2019, Black Roofing began work on the 19,512-square-foot roofing project.

Black Roofing workers removed the existing 20-year-old built-up roof and scraped off residual asphalt down to the concrete deck where workers discovered concrete deck damage caused the existing wood nailer to deteriorate.

“The biggest challenge was the substrate,” says Alan Nedelea, division manager, commercial flat and sheet metal, for Black Roofing. “The existing twin-T concrete at the perimeter edges was in bad condition and needed extensive repairs. We believe this is what started the multiple wind-damage occurrences over time. We installed board forms, wire mesh and rebar and made specialty concrete patch repairs to reinforce the existing concrete.”

Black Roofing workers used Metal-Era®’s Eliminailer-T and Seal-Tite gutter system to provide a strong connection on the perimeter and protect the roof against high winds.

“The deck repairs allowed for the Eliminailer-T and Seal-Tite gutter system to function as intended and hold up to local strong winds,” Nedelea adds.

All concrete repairs and the new gutter system installation were achieved using two on-site man-lifts.

Installation

Next, workers were tied-off to safety carts and anchors while they used spray guns to apply CAV-GRIP® 3V Adhesive/Primer to the roof deck. Workers then used Flexible DASH Adhesive to adhere one layer of 1-inch-thick SecurShield™ Polyiso insulation.

“We used Flexible DASH to eliminate any fasteners that would have been needed to penetrate the concrete deck,” Nedelea says. “It also provides a good adhesion for the wind uplift required for this system.”

Black Roofing workers then set a layer of 1/2-inch-thick SecurShield HD RL Polyiso RapidLock Insulation in Flexible DASH Adhesive at 12 inches on center in the field and 6 inches on center at the perimeter and corners. Finally, workers positioned 115-mil VersiFleece® RL EPDM RapidLock black membrane sheets, removed the release liners and used brooms to roll the membrane into place.

Peace of mind

One month later, in July 2019, Black Roofing successfully completed its work on the Boulder Lumber project. Because of extensive deck repairs, the project took a bit longer than expected, but Nedelea is confident the new roof system will perform well as intended.

“The most rewarding part of the job was having the opportunity to design a roof system using new materials,” Nedelea says. “We are thrilled to have been part of such a successful reroofing project that provides integrity and peace of mind for a customer worried about recurring wind issues.”

Chrystine Elle Hanus is Professional Roofing's associate editor and NRCA's director of communications.

Project name: Boulder Lumber
Project location: Boulder, Colo.
Project duration: June 10–July 1, 2019
Roof system type: Black EPDM membrane
Roofing contractor: Black Roofing Inc., Boulder
Roofing manufacturers: Metal-Era,® Waukesha, Wis.; Versico Roofing Systems, Carlisle, Pa.