Many commercial buildings use a flat roof covered in a rubberized roofing material that can wear over time. A small hole in the rubber membrane can allow water to get inside, but making repairs to commercial roofing is often manageable if you hire a roofing contractor that works with this material regularly.

Leaks And Roof Damage

Commercial roofing often develops holes because of traffic on the roof or things that fall on the surface and puncture the rubber membrane. Contractors working on HVAC or other items may unknowingly puncture the rubber, or a dropped tool could cause a small tear that goes unnoticed. 

Over time, heating and cooling of the roof can make the damage worse until you start to see whether coming in through the roof. Hiring a commercial roofing contractor to inspect the roof for damage is an essential first step in repairing leaks. Once the damage is found, the roofer can go over the necessary repairs to the roofing material with you. 

In some cases, the water can come through the roof and travel along pipes and conduits in the building and drip in an area that is not where near the leak. The inspection is critical because this is how the contractor will determine precisely where the leak is and how to fix it. 

Making Repairs

Once the roofer finds the leak, the commercial roofing contractor can open the roof and check the material under the rubber membrane for damage. Most commercial roofs use a foam material between the roof surface and the rubber membrane, so if it is wet, the contractor may need to cut it out and replace the foam before replacing the rubber membrane. 

A small cut or tear in the membrane can also be cut out, and a new piece laid over the hole. The commercial roofing contractor will seal the pact with a roofing adhesive designed for these kinds of repairs, and the patch is covered with a liquid rubber that will cure to seal the entire patch. 

If there are large areas that need replacing, the same repair method can be used, but with typically is done is a much larger scale. In some cases, a roll of the rubber membrane is used to seal an area that could be very large, but if the damage is extensive, the commercial roofing contractor will most likely suggest replacing the entire roof to ensure it does not develop additional leaks after the first repair is complete.

Once the repairs are made, it is vital to limit the traffic on the roof or put down some thick rubber pads in areas where contractors may need to work.   

For more info, contact a local company like Dana Logsdon Roofing.