by Kim Scholten, Regional Sales Manager
You may think polyester is polyester. We have found this to not be true. It became very important to so many of us during the great recession to save money where ever we could. Looking at foreign made polyester was a natural choice for many in the roofing industry. We looked. We thought we might be able to incorporate them into our systems. This not only would have helped us to be more competitive in the marketplace, it would have saved the end user a little money. We simply found them to be of lesser quality and we don’t like to compromise. We debated the issue and stuck to our guns. We never wavered from our high standards and adopted these other fabrics. The factory that manufactures our American made fabrics adheres to stricter guidelines. They have proven products over many years.
One of the most important factors we found in the foreign made products was simply the consistency in the production. Inconsistency can affect polyester production in a variety of ways.
- Weight & Thickness – Both weight and thickness are critical to how much force and movement your roofing system can take. We want consistency in the fabric itself and in the weight, thickness and quality from roll to roll.
- Straighter Rolls – Cutting standards are important and thickness can also affect it. We want straight rolls. Crooked rolls take the roofer longer to set. If the roll goes off course the crews are constantly stopping to reset. This slows down production and may even lead to gaps in the system if they are not diligent in resetting them on course. Straight rolls are easier to install correctly.
- Better Adhesion – Proper adhesion is critical to any roofing system. We need adhesion and proper absorption to make our systems work. We recommend a light embedment of polyester in emulsion, not a saturation. This can be difficult to achieve with the wrong polyester. Improper adhesion can lead to top coat failure.
A final thought. With whatever roof system you are using always use the manufacturers recommended products. Roofing systems are tested as a whole. Every component in the system is important to the function. If you fail to meet your manufacturers requirements you are compromising the integrity of the system and will probably not meet the manufacturer’s warranty requirements.
Western Colloid systems have been tested and proven using only the best American made products and polyesters. And we are very proud of the fact that they are American made.
Contact us or more information or samples of the polyester fabric used in Western Colloid’s Roof Systems.
Products
Polyester Fabric