What Is PVC Roofing?
PVC is a single-ply membrane, heat-welded at the seams like TPO, but with a different chemistry that makes it markedly more resistant to oils, greases and chemical exposure. That single property decides most of the cases where we specify it.
How PVC Differs From TPO
Both are white, reflective, welded single-ply systems, and on a plain warehouse roof they perform similarly. The difference is what they tolerate:
- Grease and oil resistance — PVC handles it, TPO degrades. This is why restaurant and food-plant roofs get PVC.
- Chemical exposure — PVC copes with exhaust and process discharge that would shorten a TPO roof.
- Service life — typically twenty to thirty years, generally longer than TPO.
- Cost — higher per square, which is why it is a choice rather than a default.
- Weld strength — both weld well; PVC seams are extremely reliable when properly hot-air welded.
When We Recommend PVC
Kitchen exhaust anywhere near the roof. Industrial or process discharge. A roof with a history of membrane failure around vents. And buildings where the extra decade of service life justifies the up-front difference. Everywhere else, TPO is usually better value and we will say so.
Watertightness And Flash Flooding
North Texas rainfall arrives in volume rather than steadily. A welded single-ply membrane with correct drainage handles that far better than a patched multi-ply system, provided the drains and scuppers are sized and clear. Where a roof already ponds, we address drainage rather than laying new membrane over the same problem.
Emergency PVC Repair
PVC is repairable by welding in a patch, so a puncture is not a re-roof. For an active leak, call rather than email — see roofing repair.
Installed Over A Building That Keeps Working
Commercial replacement is a scheduling problem as much as a roofing one. We phase tear-off so the deck is dried in each day and coordinate around HVAC, parapets and skylights. More on commercial roofing.
