Both commercial and residential customers are increasingly choosing tpo roofs because they are advertised as being similar to pvc in terms of the benefits and installation but offering a more competitive price.
How to tell whether a roof is pvc or tpo.
Yeah 20 years ago and further back a bunch of junk thermoplastics were made.
However while the face of both membranes and their installation are virtually identical they are very different systems on the inside.
Thermoplastic polyolefin tpo this is one of the most common types of membranes used on flat roofs.
While it is true that tpo and pvc are both single ply membranes for low slope and flat.
Tpo is the most popular rv roofing material today because of two reasons it is cheap and it is already colored white.
It instantly became very popular as it was economical and cost efficient.
The top ply contains additives that make the membrane uv resistant.
It is typically white in color and has a rubbery feel.
The choices are tpo roofing and pvc roofing the two are both very effective in their jobs but are slightly different when it comes to the material they re made of.
Two of the hardest flat roof systems to tell apart is the pvc roof and the tpo roof both are white heat welded systems that look virtually identical.
Several bad pvcs most of the hypalon products and tpo which at that time was a very new product to the market so new that most manufacturers actually called it tpa thermo plastic alloy since they would routinely change the core supplier ingredients and percentages of each component.
When being attached to the roof material it is either nailed or glued on.
Tpo is thin compared to other membranes usually around 1 1 2 millimeters in thickness.
The top layer is typically white to reflect as much heat as possible but several colors are available and contains plasticizers making the sheet flexible.
Pvc roof material is composed of two layers of pvc with a polyester reinforcement scrim in between.
Unlike tpo and pvc roofs that are often mechanically attached an epdm roof is most often fully adhered.
Tpo which is short for thermoplastic polyolefin came into the roofing market in the early 1990s as a viable alternative to pvc roofing materials.
This means that it requires glues to adhere it to what s underneath.
Within the sphere of single ply commercial roofing meaning roofing needs for businesses and other companies that aren t residences there are two roofing materials that buyers need to make a decision about.
The seams are either glued with the rest of the roof different process same result or they are taped.
