Water Ponding for Days
- You See
- Dirt rings and algae marks across the field.
- What It Means
- Low spots sit below the drain. Tapered insulation or a lowered sump moves water to the outlet.
Frankfort Flat Roofing Contractor
Extend Your Low-Slope Roof's Life With Tapered Insulation and Working Drains
As a Frankfort flat roofing contractor, we replace and rebuild low-slope roofs on offices, retail strips, and medical buildings, starting with how water leaves them.
- Ponding Fixed with tapered board
- Drains Reset at the low points
- Tear-Off or Recover decided by core cuts
Ready to Rebuild the Flat Roof?
Flat roof replacement in Frankfort, KY starts with how much of the roof is wet. A Frankfort flat roofing contractor checks that before choosing a membrane.
A New Flat Roof Fits
- Standing water that stays for days after rain
- Older built-up or modified bitumen roofs with blisters across the field
- Drains set higher than the low spots around them
- Soft insulation in several areas
- Roofs with years of layered patches
Repair or Another System
- One leaking pipe boot or curb
- A short run of loose edge metal
- A firm membrane with dry insulation (repair first)
- Pitched roofs better served by metal panels
Flat Roof Trouble a Frankfort Flat Roofing Contractor Traces
Low-slope roofs fail where water slows down. These are the conditions we look for first.
Blisters on Built-Up Roofs
- You See
- Raised bubbles in the cap sheet or gravel surface.
- What It Means
- Trapped moisture between plies expands in summer heat. Widespread blistering points to replacement.
Clogged Drains and Scuppers
- You See
- Leaves and grit packed around the strainer.
- What It Means
- Primary outlets are blocked. Overflow scuppers give water a second way off the roof.
Ice Sheets After Cold Snaps
- You See
- Frozen ponds that linger into the afternoon.
- What It Means
- Water left on the roof freezes and thaws in the laps. Better slope keeps it from sitting.
Wet Insulation Under the Membrane
- You See
- Soft, spongy spots underfoot.
- What It Means
- Board under the sheet is holding water. Core cuts set how much must come out.
Cracked Base Flashing at Parapets
- You See
- Splits and open seams where the roof turns up the wall.
- What It Means
- Base flashing has aged and pulled away. On a rebuild it gets replaced and ended under new coping.
Flat Roofing Membranes Used in Frankfort
Modified bitumen vs single-ply is the first choice on a low-slope roof, then the slope and drain plan under it.
| System | Seams | Surface | Fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| TPO | Hot-air welded | White, reflective | Cooled offices and warehouses |
| EPDM | Primer and seam tape | Black, or white | Complex layouts, heated buildings |
| PVC | Hot-air welded | White; resists oils and fats | Restaurants and food buildings |
| Modified bitumen | Torched, cold adhesive, or self-adhered laps | Granulated cap sheet | Roofs with heavy foot traffic and patched older layers |
| Built-up roof (existing) | Hot asphalt between felt plies | Gravel or a cap sheet | Older buildings, usually torn off once blisters spread across the field |
What Changes When the Slope Is Rebuilt
Slope and drainage are where a rebuilt low-slope roof differs most from the old one.
Before The Rebuild
- Ponds after rain: water sitting in the same low spots week after week.
- High drains: outlets set above the areas that hold water.
- One way off: no backup when leaves plug the main drain.
- Wet board: insulation holding water against the deck.
After The Rebuild
- Tapered slope: insulation cut to fall toward every outlet.
- Lowered sumps: membrane dropped around each drain bowl.
- Overflow scuppers: a second path through the parapet.
- Dry, new board: insulation and cover board set over a repaired deck.
Water Still Sitting Two Days After the Storm?
Call and tell us where the ponds form. We will check drain heights and slope on the first walk.
How Flat Roofing Work Runs in Frankfort
A flat roof gets rebuilt from the deck up, with drainage designed before any membrane goes down.
Inspect Your Roof
Core cuts, moisture readings, and a look at every drain and scupper show what is wet and where water collects after rain.
Remove in Sections
Old layers come off only as far as the crew can dry in that day, and damaged deck and fasteners get replaced.
Build the Slope
Tapered polyiso, crickets behind curbs, and drain sumps set the fall, with a cover board over the top.
Install and Flash
The membrane goes down and gets seamed, then curbs, walls, drains, and edge metal are flashed and the roof is walked.
Related Low-Slope Roof Services
The membrane under a rebuilt flat roof is one of these.
TPO Roofing
Many rebuilt flat roofs in Frankfort get a white TPO sheet welded over the new tapered board.
TPO Roofing in Frankfort
EPDM Roofing
Rubber membrane suits low-slope roofs with complex layouts and many penetrations.
EPDM Roofing in Frankfort
Commercial Roof Repair
A flat roof with dry insulation and one leaking drain gets a targeted repair instead.
Commercial Roof Repair in FrankfortFlat Roof Questions From Frankfort Owners
Answers to the low-slope roof questions owners ask most.
How do you fix ponding water on a flat roof?
Most ponding traces to drains set higher than the low spots around them. Raising the low areas with tapered insulation, adding crickets behind curbs, or lowering the drain sump fixes the slope, and it all goes under the new membrane during a replacement.
What is tapered insulation for flat roofs?
Polyiso boards made thicker at one edge than the other. Laid in a planned pattern, they give a flat structural deck a slope toward drains and scuppers. Crickets, small tapered pieces, push water around curbs and between drains.
Modified bitumen vs single-ply: which is better?
Each has a place. Single-ply TPO, EPDM, or PVC covers most new low-slope roofs with wide sheets and fewer seams. Modified bitumen, with its granulated cap sheet, still suits roofs with heavy foot traffic. The building, its exhaust, and the deck decide.
Can a new flat roof go over the old one?
Sometimes. A recover goes over the existing roof when the insulation is mostly dry and code limits on layers allow it. Wet board has to be cut out first, and the local inspector confirms whether a recover is allowed on your building.
Why add overflow scuppers on a flat roof?
Leaves and grit plug primary drains during heavy storms. An overflow scupper through the parapet gives water a second way off before it builds up, which protects the deck and the ceiling below.
What does a new flat roof cost?
Roof size, tear-off layers, and wet insulation drive most of it. Tapered insulation adds board and cutting, each curb and pipe needs hand-flashed detail, and edge metal is priced by the linear foot. A busy roof with many penetrations costs more per square foot than an open roof of the same size.
Get a Frankfort Flat Roofing Contractor on Your Roof
Tell us where water sits and how old the roof is. We will walk it and price the rebuild.