EPDM rubber roof repair, replacement and recover for McKinney, TX commercial buildings, with splice testing, hail checks and clear access planning.
Tell us about the building and what you are seeing. We reply with the next practical step.
The weak line on an EPDM roof is the splice, not the sheet. Rubber membrane holds up well to stretching, to temperature swings and to hail, so when one of these roofs leaks the water has usually found a seam tape that let go, a corner patch that was never primed properly or a pipe flashing that has hardened and split. The first check is a hand pass along every splice and detail, because what that pass finds decides whether the call stays a contained repair.
We install, repair and replace ethylene propylene diene monomer roofs on commercial buildings in McKinney, TX. A leak location, the building's operating hours and the roof access limits are the three facts that let us plan the inspection around the workday and not around our own schedule.
EPDM is a synthetic rubber sheet, black or white, supplied in wide rolls that cut down the number of seams on a large roof. Unlike thermoplastic sheets, it is not welded. Laps are joined with seam tape or splice adhesive over a primed, clean surface, and the quality of that bond depends on dryness, temperature and the pressure used to roll it. Flashings are formed from uncured rubber that is formed around penetrations and cures in place, or from pre-molded boots.
The sheet is attached by ballast, by full adhesion or by mechanical fastening. Ballasted systems rely on stone or pavers and carry significant weight, which has to be checked against the structure before any change. Fully adhered systems bond to a cover board or insulation. Each type has different repair methods, so we confirm which one is on the roof before we plan a patch.
A black EPDM surface absorbs sun, and in a North Texas summer that shows up as surface temperature and as cooling load. Dallas-Fort Worth normals put July afternoons near 95.6°F and August near 95.8°F, and those figures describe the region and not any single McKinney roof. White EPDM reduces heat gain but needs cleaning to keep its reflectance. Both colors age, and aging shows as chalking, small surface cracks and shrinkage that pulls the sheet away from walls and curbs.
Shrinkage is the symptom we look for first. A sheet that has tightened can lift at a parapet base, tent over an inside corner or put stress on a splice. We measure the gap at wall bases, press on corners and check whether the termination bar is still holding. If the sheet is shrinking across the whole roof, repair is a temporary measure and the report says so.
Spring is the severe-weather peak in the Metroplex, according to the National Weather Service, with large hail, damaging wind, flooding and tornadoes occurring somewhere in the area nearly every year. EPDM is flexible and generally takes impact well, but a stone can still pierce a thin sheet over soft insulation, and wind can lift edges and ballast. A regional storm does not prove impact at a given building.
After a storm, we check punctures, torn laps, displaced flashings, scattered ballast and wet insulation under any mark. A moisture scan finds water below an intact-looking sheet. The storm damage roof repair record separates fresh marks from older wear so that the claim file and the repair scope point to the same evidence.
EPDM tolerates some ponding better than many sheets, but standing water still carries dirt, speeds aging at the laps and adds load to the deck. DFW climate normals record 37.01 inches of precipitation a year and 4.78 inches in May, so drains see their heaviest use in the same weeks that storms peak. We map where water stays, how long it stays and whether the cause is a blocked strainer, a low area in the deck or a curb sitting across the flow.
Clearing the drain is a maintenance item. Correcting a low area calls for tapered insulation or a crickets system under a new sheet, and a roof drain or scupper that is too small or too high may need to be replaced. We write each correction as its own line so the owner can decide what belongs in a repair and what belongs in a replacement.
A repair on EPDM means cleaning the area, priming it, setting a patch or tape and rolling it down, then confirming the bond. Small, local defects on a flexible, dry roof are good repair candidates. When splices are failing across many laps, or flashing rubber has hardened at most penetrations, the roof is a candidate for a roof recover or replacement. A new sheet over the old one needs a dry, sound substrate and a separator, and ballast has to be moved and reset.
Where an old EPDM roof is being replaced with another system, the tear-off limit and disposal plan are written into the scope. Aged EPDM can be recycled in some programs, and the facility director can ask for that to be priced. The adopted 2024 International Building Code and Energy Conservation Code with local amendments, which McKinney lists among its codes, are confirmed against the permit so insulation changes are set before work begins.
Cost drivers on an EPDM job are easy to name. Ballast removal and replacement, the number of penetrations and curbs, wet insulation, access for lifts and the production window each add time. A black membrane in July also limits how long adhesives can be worked before they skin over, so the heaviest bonding is planned for early hours.
Ballasted EPDM adds a staging problem: stone has to come off before repair and go back afterward, and the weight on the roof is a lift-plan item. We set the work zone, protect drains from loose stone and agree on where the material is staged while the shift continues below. McKinney's office and industrial parks sit among highway routes such as US 75 and SH 121, and property-level truck access still has to be confirmed at each site. For buildings in the US 75 and FM 543 District or the North US 75 District, we confirm dock routes and parking limits before the lift arrives.
The closeout file lists the attachment type, the splice and flashing methods, the moisture findings, the drain checks and the materials used, with photographs of each work zone. A preventive roof maintenance plan then checks laps, flashings and drains on a schedule. Owners weighing EPDM against a welded sheet can compare it with TPO roofing or modified bitumen roofing on the same roof plan, since each handles seams, impact and heat differently.
Share the leak location, operating hours and access limits. We will inspect the laps and flashings and plan the work around the building's workday.
Short answers to what owners and facility managers ask before a roof visit.
Seam tape depends on a clean, dry, primed surface. Dirt, moisture or poor pressure during installation leaves a weak bond that opens as the roof moves.
Local shrinkage can be relieved by re-forming the flashing and securing the termination. Roof-wide shrinkage usually means the sheet is near the end of its life.
Yes, because stone has to be moved and replaced. The work zone needs staging space, and drains need protection from loose stone.
It reduces heat gain on the surface, but it needs cleaning to keep that benefit. The insulation and the energy code decide the net effect.
It shows the attachment type, splice and flashing methods, moisture findings and drain checks, with photographs for each work zone.
Send a question about the building and we will reply. Or call 555-555-5555.
