What this covers
EPDM is a synthetic rubber membrane, usually black, sold in wide sheets that can cover a small residential roof with few or no seams. The roofer installs insulation or a cover board, fully adheres the sheet with bonding adhesive or lays it loose under ballast, then primes and tapes any seams and terminates the edges under metal drip edge, into scuppers, and up walls with termination bar and sealant. Pipes and corners get preformed rubber flashings. It stays flexible in cold and is simple to repair. Careful work shows in fully rolled seams with no fishmouths, membrane relaxed before gluing so it does not shrink back from the walls, and clean edge metal.
When to call
- A porch, garage or addition roof with a worn rubber or rolled roof.
- Seams on an existing EPDM roof lifting or the membrane pulling away at the walls.
- Ponding or a soft spot that suggests wet insulation under the sheet.
- A small flat roof where a single sheet can avoid seams altogether.
What to expect
- AssessThe roofer checks drainage, the deck and the insulation and confirms EPDM suits the roof.
- PrepareOld roofing is removed or a recovery board installed, and the surface cleaned.
- AdhereThe sheet is relaxed, adhered and rolled, and any seams primed and taped.
- TerminateEdges, scuppers, pipes and walls are flashed and the roof water-tested.
Get a certified company
Look up a certified company by ZIP code. Every company's license, insurance and trades are verified before it is listed, and placement is never paid.
Questions people ask
Black or white EPDM?
Black is the standard and absorbs heat; white EPDM reflects it. A black roof over a well-insulated deck is common on residential additions.
How are leaks found on a rubber roof?
Most leaks are at seams, pipes and edges rather than in the field. A roofer checks those first, then floods sections or probes the seams.
Can EPDM be installed in cold weather?
Adhesives have minimum temperatures, so installation is scheduled for mild weather. The membrane itself handles cold well once installed.
Related: Flat roofing · TPO roofing · Roof repair · All roofing and gutters
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