Thread: Unusual Roof covering - red canvas/vinyl ??

I came across this yesterday, what the heck is it? It looks like some sort of heavy duty canvas or vinyl in sheets, glued onto the roof. The rest of the roof is a metal shingle type, but this stuff is stretched over the centre front section of the roof that is over a long low dormer window at the front of the house. You can't see it from the ground. You can only see the red shingles from the back.

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I've never seen anything like this before... on a house. I would have asked the home owner. Perhaps he has a canvas shop.

I was inspecting for the homeowner - it was done by a previous owner, my client is going to dig through some papers she got from that owner. There were extensive repairs in the ridge of this house, new supports added - evidence of old leakage around the dormer, it must have been quite a mess.

It looks like one of the single-ply membranes that are out now. Never seen red before, but I have seen white ones that look similar. Typically used instead of asphalt & gravel or torch-down for low-sloped roofs. Thinner than the polyurethane single-ply membranes. Don't know much about them and I tend to defer.

TPO roofing comes in many colors, including red.

Lisa, Was the material a fabric or rubber?

I have seen this several times before on porch roofs but never over the main house.

The ones I have seen were in fact a heavy canvas which was painted periodically. The canvas was adhered to the deck with what looked like long furniture tacks nailed into the deck. There was no roof felt; I presume to allow the canvas to dry out any accumulated moisture on the underside through the gaps in the plank sheathing.

I had a client when I was a contractor who maintained his by painting it with a liquid elastomeric roof coating and it was very durable. His house was 100 years old (though maybe not the roof) when he bought it in the 60's. It was in good shape when I left in 2005.

It's interesting when you think about it. It has several advantages assuming the right coating: light weight, low cost, flexible, resistant to puncture.

I think the reason I have only seen it on porch roofs with a very low slope was in cases where the roof was not visible from the ground and the original builder could save costs on a roof that wasn't visible.

Tom, et al;
it was kind of like rubber, something like inflatable boat material, I don't think it was fabric unless it was heavily coated. The way it was stretched it looked rather thin, not like those heavy rolls of asphalt roofing. There were no nails, just rolls glued down and stretched over the edge where the fascia would have been. Looking online, so far, I see the TPO, EPDM and PVC types, but need to see more pics to get a feel for it. My read is the contractor cheaped out on this part, with or without the knowledge of the previous owner. Because it certainly doesn't look as durable as the metal (aluminum, sheet metal?) shingles on the rest of the roof.

Looks like a Hypalon material. Most were white but now are offered in colors. If it is hypalon type material ,it is correct material as it is designed for flat roofs . The detail on the perimeters is critical and must be flashed, primed and installed according to manufacture's instructions. You could check city permit records and find out who the installing contractor was . Ask them what the product is.

wag-vinyl waterproof deck/balcony membrane with solvent or heat welded seams these come in many colors and are textured for slip resistance

In the picture of the shingled roof, what are the items forming the staggered pattern a little bit above the roof eve?

Originally Posted by Darrel Hood

In the picture of the shingled roof, what are the items forming the staggered pattern a little bit above the roof eve?

never seen around these parts

Barry,
Thanks for the education. Here in Conroe we should use them to keep leaves and tree branches from falling on our heads. In Garland, maybe you can use them to keep the summer heat from falling below roof height.

Just had the same product, apparently this was made by Dura Last.
Told client to verify this product was approved for roof covering material.
I tried to verify, went to Dura Last website, good write-up stating it was UL approved.
At UL website, I could not find any information on Dura Last or the vinyl coated canvas or whatever.
My conclusion: it is not approved for residential roofing material.

Jim C
Cornish Home Inspections, Inc.
Michigan