Service for Columbus commercial properties
Ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) has been a proven commercial flat-roof membrane in the Columbus market for more than 40 years. It performs reliably in central Ohio's freeze-thaw climate, repairs with field-compatible materials, and qualifies for manufacturer warranty programs on both new installation and recover applications.
EPDM is the incumbent single-ply membrane in the Columbus commercial market. Walk the rooftops of the OSU campus's 15 million square feet of building inventory, the 1980s suburban office parks along Reed Road in Upper Arlington and Busch Boulevard in Clintonville, or the light industrial buildings in the Hilliard and Westerville suburban corridors — a substantial fraction of those roofs are EPDM, many of them installed 20 to 35 years ago.
Ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) has been a proven commercial flat-roof membrane in the Columbus market for more than 40 years. It performs reliably in central Ohio's freeze-thaw climate, repairs with field-compatible materials, and qualifies for manufacturer warranty programs on both new installation and recover applications.
EPDM is the incumbent single-ply membrane in the Columbus commercial market. Walk the rooftops of the OSU campus's 15 million square feet of building inventory, the 1980s suburban office parks along Reed Road in Upper Arlington and Busch Boulevard in Clintonville, or the light industrial buildings in the Hilliard and Westerville suburban corridors — a substantial fraction of those roofs are EPDM, many of them installed 20 to 35 years ago.
Service decisions are tied to leak history, roof age, membrane condition, drainage, tenant sensitivity, access, and the capital plan behind the property.
The next step is a repair scope, replacement budget, coating review, maintenance schedule, bid package, moisture survey, or immediate leak response plan.
Questions
A properly installed EPDM system with mechanically fastened flashings in Columbus's climate typically achieves 20 to 25 years of service life. Ballasted EPDM systems with maintained ballast have achieved 30-year service lives in the Columbus market. The primary failure drivers are flashing termination quality — mastic-only flashings from 1980s and 1990s installations typically fail within 10 to 15 years — and lap shrinkage in freeze-thaw conditions. Well-installed EPDM with peel-and-stick base flashings at all penetrations regularly outlasts its rated warranty term.
EPDM is more cold-tolerant than TPO for installation purposes. Mechanically attached EPDM can be installed in temperatures down to 25°F for the membrane, though adhesive work for fully adhered sections requires temperatures above 40°F. Columbus's January and February periods limit fully adhered installation to days with temperatures consistently above 40°F — not impossible, but requiring careful weather monitoring. Ballasted EPDM installation is viable in colder temperatures. We plan winter EPDM projects around reliable weather windows and do not proceed in conditions that compromise adhesive performance.
It depends on what the core samples show. If the existing insulation is dry and the deck is sound, a recover with new insulation and EPDM membrane is typically the right capital decision — it avoids tear-off cost, adds R-value, and qualifies for a new warranty term. If core samples show wet insulation under 20% or more of the roof area, tear-off is the defensible recommendation. We pull cores and provide both options with cost ranges in our assessment. The recover option is not appropriate for Columbus buildings that have already been recovered twice — a third membrane layer typically exceeds the deck's design load and complicates future repair and replacement.
Share the building address, roof history, current concern, timing, and access constraints. We will give you a practical next step for inspection, repair, maintenance, coating, or replacement planning.
Contact Commercial Roofers of Columbus