Maintain Sure Footing for the Duration of Your Roof’s Lifetime

Your building’s roof sees a lot of foot traffic in its lifetime—more so than you might consider. It needs a sturdy foundation to maintain its structure as intended and support those above without damage. This is where a high-performance rigid cover board comes in handy, to help avoid puncture from the added stress and weight underfoot over time.

Protection at Installation

Roofs can take quite a beating during installation, as countless tradespeople work quickly and tirelessly to efficiently assemble the structure. Depending on the design needs, they may also bring anything from small tools and materials to hefty machinery and equipment with them throughout construction. But including a high-performance cover board in the roof assembly from the start can help to handle the additional wear and tear from these workers and their tools during installation. Without it, the roofing materials may puncture and start to degrade before a single tenant has even started using the building—which doesn’t do much to help ensure roofing longevity.

Durability During Maintenance

Whether you’re storing HVAC, solar, or other equipment up top or simply trying to put a reliable roof over your tenants’ heads without incident, your roof will need routine maintenance checks to ensure ongoing stability without surprise damage. With a cover board safely secured in the roofing assembly, the added strength helps safeguard against ongoing maintenance and repair work stress. The sturdy support also helps lessen the impact of workers’ movement when transporting tools and equipment to repair damages, while also providing a puncture-resistant barrier against any dropped tools in the process.

Support for Social Use

For dual-use roofs that optimize rooftop real estate with gardens, decks, or other tenant-use space, you can anticipate a significant amount of foot traffic as part of the building’s general use. This increased foot traffic adds further strain that can subtract time from the life of the roofing materials, unless you incorporate extra durability into the assembly underneath all the added furniture and equipment. For buildings designed with special rooftop accommodations in mind—such as photovoltaic (solar) paneling, HVAC storage, gardens, or public-use spaces—adding a rigid cover board boosts the roofing system’s durability against the increased weight of cumbersome equipment and frequent visitors.

The Simple Solution

Although less easily noticeable than other damage, foot traffic’s impact is no less pervasive—or destructive. A high-performance gypsum cover board like DensDeck^® Prime Roof Board helps to stiffen and stabilize the roofing system, while also protecting against accidental punctures during construction, maintenance, and storms. It gives the roof membrane a sturdy substrate to adhere to, helping the materials to hold together under the stress of foot traffic from people walking on the roof. And it helps protect the more delicate insulation underneath from potential damage, as well.

To learn more about how DensDeck^® Prime Roof Board can help improve your building’s roof lifespan and avoid potential reroofing sooner than necessary, visit DensDeck.com.