Roofing is one of the largest applications for adhesives and sealants in the building and construction industry. Roofing cements are mainly asphalt or coal tar based materials, but synthetic rubber based adhesives are also used. Similarly, modern elastomeric coatings have found a significant market in roofing. These polymeric materials have proven to be an effective and economical solution for both new roofing as well as maintenance and repair of existing roof surfaces.
The exact type of materials and application processes will depend on the specific roofing construction that is employed and the climatic conditions at the time of application. Low slope roofs, commonly found on commercial structures, will be the focus of this article.
Early low slope roofing consisted of several plies of bituminous membrane laminated together with hot molten asphalt or pitch and surfaced with gravel embedded in additional molten bitumen. However, the use of "cold-applied roofing" has been developed over many years and is finding great acceptance as an alternative to hot-applied roofing. Cold-applied roof adhesives and coatings are those that can be easily applied at ambient temperatures.