What is the best value material for a 2/12 pitched roof?

GAF Liberty or Certainteed Flintastic is new age peel and stick “rolled roofing”. They come with their own base sheets, Google their installation manuals before asking easily answered questions. If you’re talking spreading a can of tar on your roof and pushing 90lb. into it as a roof, that’s Caveman crap and there are better/faster/more efficient ways to doing your job.

I can’t find a price for Certainteed Flintastic. Not putting a price on your company website is sooooo retarded. That whole manufacturer, distributor, salesman, contractor relationship thing is just plain dumb and old-fashioned. Put the damn prices on your website Certainteed!

GAF Liberty looks like it’s $100 per square. homedepot.(com)/p/GAF-Liberty-Sbs-Self-Adhering-Cap-Sheet-in-White-3732920/100031926
So I can put this right onto wood?

I don’t see what’s so bad about 90# rolled roofing. you just use roofing cement on the overlap. Nail the leading edge. You don’t have to slop tar everywhere. it’s $35 a square! If it lasts half as long as GAF Liberty it’s a better value since GAF Liberty is almost 3x as much.

[quote=“John12341234”]I can’t find a price for Certainteed Flintastic. Not putting a price on your company website is sooooo retarded. That whole manufacturer, distributor, salesman, contractor relationship thing is just plain dumb and old-fashioned. Put the damn prices on your website Certainteed!

GAF Liberty looks like it’s $100 per square. homedepot.(com)/p/GAF-Liberty-Sbs-Self-Adhering-Cap-Sheet-in-White-3732920/100031926
So I can put this right onto wood?

I don’t see what’s so bad about 90# rolled roofing. you just use roofing cement on the overlap. Nail the leading edge. You don’t have to slop tar everywhere. it’s $35 a square! If it lasts half as long as GAF Liberty it’s a better value since GAF Liberty is almost 3x as much.[/quote]

It’s dumb and old-fashioned because reputable manufactures don’t want the average joe blow installing their product incorrectly, then telling their friends it is crap because they installed it wrong? Or is it because they don’t list prices because pricing structure may differ between contractors?

Base sheet, then cap sheet at a bare minimum, and yes right to the wood. Ideally nailing a compatible base sheet then the self adhered cap sheet. But read the directions there is about 6 different ways you can do it.

If you get 90# rolled roofing to last 1/3-1/2 as long as gaf’s liberty or Certainteed’s you would surprise everyone of us. You did see the part where you nail the top edge and dope the lap right? The middle isn’t adhered anywhere? And you don’t see anything wrong with that?

Plus what are you going to do on the rake edges?

I would honestly suggest doing a lot of research before stepping up and doing this project.

Good Roofing is 85% installation and 15% is from the actual product.

A good roofer can make a bad product last longer. (sometimes)
A bad roofer will always screw up a good product.

John, your something else! Just hire someone! B/T/W recovery board & fiber board are the same, just worded differently.

I found a price for white Flintlastic at my local roofing supply company. $87 a roll. Forgot to ask how many square feet each roll was though… It’s usually a square from what I’ve seen…

I’m trying to add up costs here. I don’t just have the roll to pay for, but also “Flintlastic SA Nailbase” Who knows what that costs per square. Then there’s nails and cement. Whatever all of the prices for all of that stuff are, they need to be added up and compared to the total cost of 90# installation materials. Then, once that’s done, you get the average life-times for both and compare the price vs life-time. If 90# costs $50 per square and Flintlastic costs $150 per square then the Flintlastic better have a rating of at least 3x as long. the problem is that there is too much missing information. Need the cost of the nailbase, and life-times for each product at bare minimum. The correct material depends on the math. It depends on which has a greater value.

If I install 90#, I’m not nailing the overlap. (By that I mean putting nails through the tail flap, cement, and leading edge of the sheet below it such that a nail head is exposed to the elements) That’s prone to leak. Water will have a chance to run right down that nail. It’s the roofing cement’s job to hold it down. As long as it’s done right so that the wind can’t get a good enough grip on it then it should be fine as long as the cement does it’s job right. You can adhere the middle but it shouldn’t be necessary. If done right, the stuff shouldn’t bow up in the middle. I can put a bead down the middle I guess but it shouldn’t matter.

If I remeber correctly, flintlastic cap sheet come in one square rolls and the nail base comes in one and a half square rolls, don’t quote me on that though. One bucket of matic and one box of cap nails is enough for most of the jobs I do. I agree that this system will last three times as long as 90lb no matter what the ratings say as long as its properly installed. How big is the section you are replacing anyway?

[quote=“John12341234”]I can’t find a price for Certainteed Flintastic. Not putting a price on your company website is sooooo retarded. That whole manufacturer, distributor, salesman, contractor relationship thing is just plain dumb and old-fashioned. Put the damn prices on your website Certainteed!

GAF Liberty looks like it’s $100 per square. homedepot.(com)/p/GAF-Liberty-Sbs-Self-Adhering-Cap-Sheet-in-White-3732920/100031926
So I can put this right onto wood?

I don’t see what’s so bad about 90# rolled roofing. you just use roofing cement on the overlap. Nail the leading edge. You don’t have to slop tar everywhere. it’s $35 a square! If it lasts half as long as GAF Liberty it’s a better value since GAF Liberty is almost 3x as much.[/quote]

I find it hard to believe that I am the only one that thinks you are just trolling…

Tear of the existing shingles and put down that 90# crap, you’ll be fine.

It doesn’t matter if it lasts 3x longer if it costs 4x+ more. Here’s an extreme example of value for those that don’t get it: you replace your roof for $1000. It lasts 5 years. You replace your roof for $5000. It lasts 10 years. The first scenario is superior. It’s the better choice. Every 5 years you pay $1000 instead of $2500. That’s why I’m trying to get all of the costs and the average life-times for all of the options. I want to find the choice with the best value. It doesn’t matter if one product lasts longer than another UNTIL you also look at price. Only with performance AND price can you make an educated decision.

[offtopic]It doesn’t matter if it lasts 3x longer if it costs 4x+ more. Here’s an extreme example of value for those that don’t get it: you replace your roof for $1000. It lasts 5 years. You replace your roof for $5000. It lasts 10 years. The first scenario is superior. It’s the better choice. Every 5 years you pay $1000 instead of $2500. That’s why I’m trying to get all of the costs and the average life-times for all of the options. I want to find the choice with the best value. It doesn’t matter if one product lasts longer than another UNTIL you also look at price. Only with performance AND price can you make an educated decision.[/offtopic]

You replace your roof for $1000. It lasts 5 years. = $200.00yr for 5 yrs

You replace your roof for $5000. It lasts 25 years. = $200.00yr for 25yrs

Keep in mind you’ll be replacing your first roof 5 times during that 25yr period, so let’s add inflation on your 200.00 a year for the next 5 jobs for both materials and labor. Not taking into account at some point you will have to tear off the roof at some point anyways, as it can only hold so many layers according to building code. Not taking into account the very good chance you may have leaks on an inferior job which will cost extra for roof repair or interior damage along the way. Not taking into account that your numbers used in this example have no actual basis on this discussion other than trying to impress your flawed logic on persons you feel may be too stupid to comprehend it.

You’re trying to compare apples to oranges imo. Going over the shingles…5yrs ish is probably an accurate estimate, a new EPDM roof on a fully torn roof deck would net you closer to 20-25yrs so I’d say you’re math is a bit flawed in any case… Sounds like you have all the answers though so go buy a couple 5gal pails of Karnak, a big ass trowel (usually found in the big ass trowel section), smear tar all over your existing roof and push some 90lb into it, crack a beer and pat yourself on the back.

The whole point of the previous post was to say that UNTIL I have all the numbers, you can’t say one option is better than the other. The amounts I used in the previous post are just an example. You need ALL of the numbers to compare cost vs life-time. Only then can you say which is better.

The whole point of my previous post was to say that UNTIL you include all the variables involved, you can’t say one option is better than the other.

Material price/estimated roof life != value

You have more variables to plug into your algorithm before you can say definitively which course of action is the better “value”. As I stated previously though, you seem to have your mind made up already and are just looking for affirmation. In any case good luck with it.

Numbers are numbers and average life is average life. There is a lot of variables involved.

The fact is, you have some very knowledgeable roofers telling you what is and isn’t good. We have no interest in this as not one of us stands to make a single dollar off this project.

I haven’t seen anyone here yet throw out an idea that isn’t both cost effective and has a long life. IE PVC, run some numbers on doing a PVC roof. It will out last 80% of the systems out there, but it also costs a pretty penny, or a copper standing seam for that matter. Again high dollar but everyone who knows will tell you that both systems are great.

I haven’t seen you say anything about a base sheet under your 90#. I would advise that, so add that in to your cost.

The thing is I’m sure more then enough of us have torn off 90# roll roofing, and we all can say it is not quality by any means.

As someone mentioned price increases, one thing you don’t realize is one year single ply roofing products went up around 20% across the board. Asphalt products had around the same increases that year, whether shingles or roll products. So add that in.

Also another thing to consider is not all 90# is the same, it differs from manufacture to manufacture, so while one might last 5 years the other may last 2 years.

Weather plays a big factor also. 90# has a tendency to get very brittle while baking in the sun. EPDM and most of the SBS modified do not.

So let me ask you this,

What was the point of coming here to ask our opinion only to have it in your head your going to use 90# and redo it ever 3-5 years?

I think you miss read my post. but to be fair out of 75% of the 90# jobs we have torn off there were nails through the lap, and all over the sheet for that matter. Clearly you haven’t done enough research, roof’s blow off all the time, don’t think that fasting the sheet on the edges only will prevent it, wind has a tendency to get places and roofing nails do not have the holding power to hold down a 30x3 long roll in 40+ MPH wind.

Again your comparison is not apple to apples, heck it’s not even apples to oranges, its more like apples to prunes.

What if I just buy a nail gun and nail shingles over shingles? I don’t really like the idea because the pitch is 2/12. I don’t have time to tear off the roof. One man to tear off 18 squares of painted over shingle with hand tools will not be quick enough. The roof leaks in 10 or more different spots. I’ve only got about $2k for this project and a weekend to do it. That’s why I’m so picky about it.

You keep talking of value,what value is there in put a crap roof on probably your single largest investment in your life. That rolled roofing will not last in that Florida weather, all that heat and sun.Hopefully you don’t get any wind, cause when that mofo blows off, you’ll have to run to the supply yard to grab a couple tarps and lathe with the money you saved!!! I understand your plight, but I would not suggest the rolled roof as a permanent solution,rather as a get you by thing. True value is being able to rest assured your “Home” is well protected from the elements, knowing that,that 3" of rainstorm coming don’t mean a thing, knowing that anything short of hurricane winds(and in many cases hurricane winds) your still gonna be dry and warm in your “Home”. To me that is real value, not sure what price you can put on that!

Ive seen fema tarps last two years around here and thier free if you can locate them,some 2x2s and nails, thats what i would do before roll roofing or epdm in florida and the blue roof goes with the beach look!

Hello John,

Another consideration is that in Florida all approved roofing materials and installation methods MUST be listed either on the state or Miami-Dade Product Approval websites. Many of the posts above mention methods & materials which I am sure are not approved for low-slope installations.
A further discussion ensues relating to the required wind rating and exposure category at the particular site in question. Uplift values of well over 100 pounds per square foot can be generated on roof corners (Zone 5) areas and along eaves & rakes, so special consideration needs to be given to these areas.
I agree that tear-off to the plywood and re-nailing the sheathing with 10d ring-shank nails would be a starting point for a quality job, and is probably required by the Florida Building Code.If this area is down-slope from a higher pitch area, careful consideration needs to be paid to the “break-point” to prevent water intrusion at this critical juncture.

JMF
Florida coastal registered Architect
1980 to date

Metal Roofing would do??? I’m not very sure but at least it will prevent leaking! Got mine done by Rooflines in Toronto!