How Long Do Flat Rubber Roofs Last

For the sealing of flat roofs for about 30 years amongst others roofing on the basis of ethylene propylene diene rubber epdm has been used.
How long do flat rubber roofs last. Not surprisingly cheaper roofing materials won t. We have a copy of the exact report that was comissioned by the trade association of the german rubber industry frankfurt and performed by skz tecona gmbh wurburg. Epdm rubber flat roof life expectancy is between 40 50 years but some epdm rubber roofs have been known to last for even longer. Epdm is a synthetic rubber material that s been around the longest.
It s also worth noting that the climate of your area will affect your epdm rubber flat roof life expectancy. The life expectancy of a modified bitumen roof depends on a multitude of factors such as home location maintenance and architectural design. Summary of the useful life of epdm roofing membranes. It depends on the quality of materials used the installation technique and the maintenance of the roof.
While most flat roofs will only last 10 15 years older systems such as tar gravel bur built up and in some cases modified bitumen roofs. Since it is a multi ply roofing there is less risk of tears and holes than if you had a single membrane roof such as pvc. It s commonly used for commercial roofs because it s low cost easy to apply and last 25 30 years or more. For instance a home near the beach may experience a lot of wind.
The rubber membrane has an average price of 0 80 per square foot. While many types of roofs last longer than 15 years some can hold up well for 50 years or longer barring a serious storm or a large fallen tree. Typical types of flat roof membranes. The average rubber membrane roof life expectancy if properly installed and maintained properly can reach up to 40 years.
However manufactures suggest the rolled membrane roofing can last up to 20 years. This is simply not true in florida. As a building manager or owner you have several options for roofing when it comes to your flat roof. Epdm has been proven to last in excess of 50 years.
Cost per square meter epdm is cheap to manufacture because it uses recycled materials. This for the most part happens to homes that have a rubber roof on them.