PVC vs EPDM Roofing Membrane – Why EPDM Roofs Fail

Black rubber vs white rubber?  The condensed argument goes like this:  Black rubber (bad) is glued together and the glue will eventually fail.  White rubber (good) is heat-welded together and becomes a single, impermeable membrane.  Black rubber is called EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer).  It is essentially the same thing as a rubber tire inner tube rubber for inside a car tire.  White rubber is in two types; either PVC (polyvinyl chloride) or TPO (thermoplastic polyolefin). 

They are both heat-welded together and they are both better than EPDM.  However, we at Ace Roofing believe that the best product that we can offer our customers for flat roof applications is a PVC membrane manufactured by IB Roof Systems.  These roofs will last 30+ years and we take pride in installing them with integrity.