A great many Sterling Heights commercial roofs are EPDM rubber, installed somewhere between the mid-1980s and the early 2000s, and they are all arriving at the same place at the same time. The field membrane is often still serviceable. The seams, the fasteners, the pipe boots and the flashings are not. That combination — a sound deck under a failing surface — is exactly the situation a recover system is designed for.
Rubber Roof vs. Foam Recover
Replacing with new rubber
Tear off the old membrane and insulation, dispose of it, dry-in the deck, install new insulation and a new membrane. You get a new roof of the same type — which means the same seams, the same fasteners, and the same failure timeline twenty years from now. It is the right answer when the deck or the insulation is genuinely finished.
Recovering with foam
Clean and prep the existing rubber, replace only the wet areas, then spray polyurethane foam over the top and coat it. The old seams are buried. You add R-value the building did not have. There is no tear-off, no landfill, and no day where your deck is open to the weather. And when the topcoat eventually wears, it gets recoated rather than replaced.
- Ballasted rubber roofs: ballast removed, membrane prepped, foam applied over the top
- Mechanically fastened EPDM: fastener plates and seams encapsulated by the foam
- Ponding areas built up with tapered foam so water reaches the drains
- Reflective topcoat instead of a black membrane absorbing July sun
Repairs, When That Is What You Need
Not every roof needs a system. We repair EPDM seams, punctures, failed boots and torn flashings around rooftop units, and we will quote the repair straight rather than bundling it into a sales pitch. What we will also do is tell you when you have crossed the line — when the annual repair bill has become a payment plan on a roof you do not own.
Sterling Heights Buildings We Work On
Auto suppliers and light industrial along Van Dyke, Mound and Ryan; retail, restaurants and service property around Hall Road, Lakeside and 15 Mile; medical and professional offices; self-storage; churches and schools; and condo associations with flat clubhouse and carport roofs. Nearby coverage includes Warren, Utica, Shelby Township, Clinton Township and Macomb Township. Insulation work in the area is covered on our Macomb spray foam page; system details are under SPF roofing and roof coatings.
Sterling Heights Roofing FAQs
Should I install a new rubber roof or coat the one I have?
If your EPDM is aged but structurally intact and the insulation below it is dry, coating or foaming over it is nearly always the better value — you keep the existing assembly, add insulation, and avoid a tear-off. A new rubber roof makes sense when the membrane is badly deteriorated, the deck needs work, or the building already carries two systems and code requires removal. We core the roof and tell you which situation you are in.
Can spray foam go over an existing EPDM rubber roof?
Yes, with the right preparation. The membrane has to be cleaned, any loose or wrinkled sections addressed, and the surface primed so the foam bonds. Ballasted rubber roofs need the ballast removed first. Once that is done the foam goes on seamlessly over the top, encapsulating the old seams and fasteners that were about to become leaks.
Do you repair rubber roofs in Sterling Heights?
Yes. Seam repairs, punctures, failed pipe boots, membrane pulled loose at a parapet, damaged flashings around rooftop units. We repair EPDM, TPO, modified bitumen and built-up roofs, and we are honest about when a repair is worth doing versus when you are pouring money into a roof that needs a system.
What kind of buildings do you roof in Sterling Heights?
Light industrial and auto supplier buildings along Van Dyke, Mound and 15 Mile; retail and restaurant property around Lakeside and Hall Road; medical and professional offices; self-storage; churches; and condominium associations with flat carport and clubhouse roofs.