Had similar worries myself when I was choosing a roof last year. Ended up going with EPDM because of the cold weather seam concerns you mentioned. Curious, have you looked into coatings or treatments to boost EPDM's fire resistance?
"Curious, have you looked into coatings or treatments to boost EPDM's fire resistance?"
Yeah, good call on the coatings—definitely worth checking out. I've seen some EPDM roofs treated with fire-retardant coatings, and it seems to help quite a bit. Just make sure it's compatible...had a buddy who learned that the hard way.
Coatings can be helpful, true...but personally, I'd lean towards selecting a roofing material that's inherently fire-resistant rather than relying too heavily on treatments. Coatings eventually wear off or degrade, and maintenance gets tricky over time—just something to keep in mind.
Good point about coatings wearing off—I remember a job we did a few years back where the owner insisted on a treated EPDM roof. Looked great at first, but after a couple harsh summers, the coating started peeling in spots. Makes me wonder, has anyone here had better luck with coatings holding up long-term?
Had a similar experience myself with a coated EPDM roof a while back. Looked pristine at first—client loved it, neighbors were jealous, even the pigeons seemed impressed. Fast-forward three summers and it was peeling like a bad sunburn. To be fair, though, I think prep work and product quality make a huge difference. I've seen some silicone-based coatings hold up surprisingly well, even after several brutal summers. One building we worked on downtown had a silicone coating applied about five years ago, and last I checked, it was still going strong. No peeling, minimal discoloration, and no angry calls from the owner (always a good sign). So, maybe it's less about EPDM vs TPO and more about picking the right coating and installer? Just my two cents...
