Spray Polyurethane Foam (SPF) Is a Superior, Cost-Effective Roofing Solution

It’s amazing how a shortage of a single roofing product can disrupt business across an industry — and that’s exactly what’s happening in the spray polyurethane (SPF) roofing business.

For the past year or two, both board insulation and the screws that hold those boards down were scarce, and roofing companies were paying 5 times the normal price for these products.

The price was almost the least of the problems: if you wanted these materials, you had to pay in advance and get on a 6-month waiting list.

It’s rumored that most of the material was sold to the massive big-box warehouses going up around the country. These buildings range from 400,000 square feet to 1 million square feet. 

Because of this, many of our customers believed that a new roof would simply cost them an arm and a leg, that there was no way around it. What they didn’t realize was that SPF roofing can be sprayed directly onto their existing roof.

In fact, it rarely matters what kind of decking a roof has because SPF can be sprayed on so many types of decking. What this means is that customers don’t have to wait or pay for overpriced roofing products — they can get an SPF roof right away.

In the DFW area, metal decking is very popular, and with the metal shortages, many are now using plywood or OSB. There are a few concrete decks in the area as well, but all types of roofing on the market today use fasteners and large FM plates to hold down the insulation board.

General contractors and design teams around the country are learning that spray foam roofing can be applied directly to all substrates without fasteners or screws, saving customers money and time.

Another major benefit of SPF roofing is its superior wind resistance, a quality that’s particularly important in the DFW area where wind speeds can reach 100 mph or more during our frequent thunderstorms, not to mention during a tornado.

John Ewell, president of DFW Urethane, has been involved in many of these projects over the decades. Mr. Ewell says that many of the architects and designers working today are unaware of the unlimited wind-uplift rating that spray foam roofing has when sprayed directly to your roofing deck.

No other roofing system even comes close when it comes to wind uplift.

The Problems with Other Roofing Systems

At DFW Urethane, our goal is to educate our customers on the risks of roofs that are not properly secured. FM Global, one of the world’s largest insurance companies, has several inspection teams checking the underside of metal roof decks to make sure they have the proper number of fasteners.

Typically, if no fasteners are visible, this means the roof insulation is just held down with asphalt. These types of roofs are extremely likely to blow off in high winds!

At DFW Urethane, we believe that local codes that govern wind uplift ratings in the Dallas-Fort Worth area need to be updated to be closer to what you’d find in cities near a coastline. Winds in our area are much more powerful now than when these codes were written.

On March 23rd, 2023, meteorologists in DFW recorded wind speeds over 70 mph. Many areas were damaged, and the experts predicted wind speeds of up to 100 mph in some counties.

Normally, when FM Global is looking at a roof, they want to see around 17 fasteners per 4×8 sheet, with more used along the parapet walls and in corners. These fasteners protrude through the deck into air-conditioned spaces at a 150-degree angle, which reduces the energy efficiency of the building.

The only way to fix this is with either more insulation or more screws, which just compounds the problem. Structurally, the massive number of holes in the metal panel decreases the strength and integrity of the metal panel itself.

No one really knows exactly how much of an effect this has and how that translates to wind resistance.

John Ewell of DFW Urethane notes that spray polyurethane foam roofs applied directly to metal or wood will be below the roof deck of the structure, and the SPF will not be separated from the roof deck, making the roof far more resistant to wind.

Insurance Company Issues with Wind-Damaged Roofs

Many of the roofs that DFW Urethane estimating teams inspect in the DFW area have existing wind damage. In many cases, the insurance company has been asked to inspect the roof, but unfortunately, in addition to the materials shortage, there is an ongoing shortage of expert insurance adjusters.

Most adjusters in the area are only trained to look for hail damage and have little-to-no knowledge of wind damage. Because of this, the insurance company then has to hire an engineering company to inspect the roofs in question.

The insurance company doesn’t want to pay for this. They would much rather the customer simply disappear or get another insurance provider. Most insurance companies don’t do thorough roof inspections as a result, which means damage like this often goes unnoticed.

That is until we stop by to inspect the roof.

Usually, we get called in because they have a leak, with the customer believing they need a new roof. That’s when we tell them that the roof is loose and is likely to blow off completely when the next storm with high winds comes through.

At that point, the building owner will have to file a claim, but the insurance company will tell them that they haven’t had any high winds since they were on the policy.

At that point, we get asked to help track down the storm that had high winds. The claim usually goes back to the first insurance company that sent the adjuster in the first place — the person who had no understanding of how wind can damage roofs.

Unfortunately, the insurance industry treats your claim like a hot potato, trying to pass it on to someone else until the problem goes away.

We suggest that building owners have their roofs inspected by an expert in the roofing industry who has knowledge of and experience inspecting roofs that have been damaged by high winds. This should be done every few years.

Contact Us

Since our founding in 1986, DFW Urethane has installed hundreds of commercial roofs.

Our roofing expertise spans a wide variety of commercial and industrial environments and also extends to insulation and sealing services.

Let’s talk about what an SPF roofing system with a urethane coating can do for you.

Contact us today