Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/687429
Installation of Firestone Building Products' RubberGard EPDM solvent-free bonding adhesive. J UNE 2016 | 21 Efficiencies are perhaps especially welcome for work-spaces involving heights – like the roof-tops of buildings. The company tag-line, "Helping you do more with less," seems an apt one for Firestone Building Products' RubberGard EPDM solvent- free bonding adhesive. The synthetic, polymer-based product is applied to the sub- strate only, cutting labour time in half, according to Firestone's product description. It is designed for adhering RubberGard EPDM membranes to approved substrates in both roofing and flashing applications. It has "near-zero grams per litre of volatile organic compounds [VOC]," accord- ing to Firestone, and a coverage rate of 120 to 150 square feet per gallon. "When Racco Industrial Roofing Limited came to us for some kind of adhesive that was odour-free, we introduced this new product from Firestone to them. It has a slower set time so you have time to make adjustments with the EPDM to obtain esthetically immaculate rooftops. It's labour-saving, as you only need to apply to one surface, not two," says Wayne Davis, assistant branch manager, sales, at Brock White Canada. Racco used the RubberGard EPDM Solvent-Free Bonding Adhesive on a re-roof for a 26,000-square-foot health facility in Geraldton, Ontario. The product allowed for a roof replacement project to take place on an occupied building without inter- ruption to the occupants. The adhesive was then used on a community centre in Thunder Bay. "An engineering firm had heard about the Geraldton project and so spec'd it for the Thunder Bay project," Davis says. "Now, the roofers in Thunder Bay all want to use it." Davis adds that the new adhesive is being used for several government housing projects as well as some school retrofits in southern Ontario, without interruption of classes. One particular trend of recent years, favouring installation of white roofs, should be headed for a sharp U-turn, at least in cold climate places like Canada, if the view of some roofing experts takes hold. "The U.S. Department of Energy says that white roofs are often an energy negative. It will cost more for HVAC with a white roof in Calgary. White roofs likely don't make sense in Canada," says Stephen Teal, a roof- ing expert and business development specialist at Flynn Canada Ltd. He points to a chart from Carlisle SynTec, based on a study comparing black and white EPDM roofs in Boise, Idaho. Referencing several R values, black EPDM performed better, resulting in less energy consumption throughout the range of R values. A graphic of continental U.S., also from Carlisle SynTec, and showing where white EPDM is beneficial, indicates it's mostly suitable only for a little more than the southern third of the U.S. "Energy Star recently stated, 'As Canada is predominantly considered to have a heating cli- mate the benefits of Energy Star roofing would not be generally applicable through- out the country,'" Teal says. Even white roofs' vaunted heat-island mitigation effects are in doubt, he says. "The heat is reflected around, so the heat can still be there to perhaps create a hot micro-climate not far away." A green roof, which absorbs the heat and later radiates it back out at night, is the solution, he adds. About a third of Flynn's business is in roofing, and the company also provides cladding products, curtainwall and architectural metals. "We're seeing a lot of change in the cladding market, and we're bringing in more systems from Europe," Teal says. Cost-competitiveness, timely delivery and quality products are all fac- tors in the choice. Teal, who is based in Calgary, points to several recent projects in the city that used fibre-reinforced panels from Germany, known as Fibre C. Roofing/Cladding Materials When your roof needs to stand the test of time, demand RubberGard TM EPDM. In October 1980, the first warranted Firestone RubberGard TM EPDM roof was installed in a small town north of Milwaukee, USA. More than 35 years later, it continues to perform remarkably as the first line of defense against the elements. Billions of square feet of this special layer of rubber keep buildings around the world weatherproof today – from the scorching tropics to the glacial Canadian north. Get the full story online – www.firestonebp.ca/RubberGardEPDM