What is a Tar and Gravel Roof System?
Tar and gravel is a great roof system with decades of proven service life. Some of them have the feeling of being on a beach, unbelievably. Hopefully, though, without the water. The system includes layers, or plies, of underlayment adhered to the roof using hot asphalt. Then a flood coat of hot asphalt is applied, and some form of aggregate, gravel, is laid over the top of the flood coat. The asphalt provides waterproofing. At the same time, the aggregate protects the asphalt.
Tar and gravel roof systems provide excellent protection against hail damage. They offer superior waterproofing and water-shedding protection. When it rains hard, as it does in Arizona during the monsoon season. The gravel and evaporations hold the water with the nice side effect of removing heat and moisture.
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How long should a Tar and Gravel Roof System provide service?
A tar and gravel roof system can last for decades with proper care and maintenance. We want to emphasize the service life of tar, gravel, or any roof, depending on the owner’s ongoing care and maintenance. For a good reason, a tar and gravel roof has been one of the top choices of buildings for low-sloped roofs. They last longer and provide superior protection to the occupants and their properties.
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How to restore a Tar and Gravel Roof System roof system
We can do a tar and gravel restoration in two different ways. If the aggregate needs to be removed, we work with a specialty contractor who uses a giant vacuum truck to remove the aggregate for us. However, we can remove the aggregate to apply a roof restoration system. We would need to remove and lose aggregate, though, which requires some labor.
Once the roof is ready for us to start, the first step is to power wash the roof and remove any loose debris or dirt. We always use a power washer with no less than 3500 psi to ensure we get the roof clean and ready to apply commercial roof coatings.
The next step is to apply a clear base or black primer to the roof surface. If we have removed all the aggregate, we need less base or primer. This step is essential to the system’s success because this is how we get the roof ready for the rest of the system. We take our time on this part of the project because we know how important it is. The next item in proper order is to seal the penetrations and flashings.
Once these steps are completed, we will return and apply a thick coating of grey base. And to ensure we are doing a great job. We will embed a polyester fabric into the grey base. We are providing strength and a superior substrate for the soon-to-come top coating. The roof surface will be bumpy, even if we have removed all the aggregate. This extra step ensures that your new roof restoration will last very long.
The last step is applying the top coating materials. We have a rainbow of colors to choose from; feel free to be creative. However, white is by far the most popular color our clients choose. The thickness of the top coating will depend on the owner’s choice of warranty options.
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The benefits of a restored Tar and Gravel Roof System
Our top coat is a reflective material, reflecting light from the sun away from the roof. That heat makes its way to the interior of the building and must be removed. Our top coating materials reflect most of the light away from the roof. That heat is not absorbed into the interior of the building. It must be removed and save the owner or the occupant money on their air conditioning bill.
Arizona needs a sound air conditioning system because it gets scorching here. The more heat the air conditioning system must remove. The more wear and tear there will be on your Air conditioner and the means it will break down sooner. By helping keep the heat out of the building, the air conditioner must work less. And by happy happenstance saves you or the occupant the cost of replacing the air conditioner system before its time.
No Dollar Limit (NDL) Warranty
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About the Author: Henry Staggs has been in the roofing industry since the 1980s. He was starting his own company while still young. He worked as a second-tier subcontractor on a military base. Henry ran several roofing companies over the years and worked as a roof consultant for several of those years. Was named a subject matter expert by the NCCER and assisted in revising the trade school textbooks. Roofing level one and level two. Is an NCCER master trainer, NRCA authorized trainer, NCCER roofing craft trainer, evaluator, and test proctor. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.
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ROC 336296
