Will Spray Foam Roof hold up to Hail?

So, you’re thinking about a spray foam roof?

After viewing the pros and cons of a spray foam roof, you determine that a spray foam roof is right for my building.

But then you get to thinking…shoot, what if it gets pulverized by hail and I’m back at square one?

Statistics on hail damage and roofs….

No matter what kind of roof you have (Shingles, TPO, EPDM, Spray Foam, Metal etc.), every type of roof will and can be damaged because of hail.

Now that we know hail damage is unavoidable no matter what kind of roof you have, and hail damage happens in almost every state, what does hail damage look like on a spray foam roof?

How does a Foam Roof handle Hail?

As we saw before, spray foam roofs will indent and the surface may crack when being exposed to hail. When a roofing contractor sprays foam down, it’s usually about 1.5 inches thick.

We’ve seen some crazy hailstorms, ones that made impacts as deep as ½ inch.

The great thing about spray foam is that it’s closed cell, meaning water cannot travel laterally through the system. Water will not leak unless the full 1.5 inches is broken through.

What about spray foam coating?

Since spray foam isn’t resistant to UV lighting, there must be a coating over top to reflect the UV rays.

Depending on what area of the country your building’s in, will determine what kind of coating you should use.

Southwest/Southern Midwest – Spray foam roofs in the Southwest and Southern Midwest areas generally use acrylic coating. Acrylic is very strong (more than 1500 PSI of tensile strength), which is great because these areas are more prone to hail damage being in the hail belt. Here at White Roofing Systems our Team of Contractors use Elastomeric Roof Coatings.

Repairing a Foam Roof with Hail Damage:

With a spray foam roof, you can simply do a recoat, starting with cleaning the roof, then add sealant to the visible damage and you’re good to go. The level of repair depends on frequency and depth. We at White Roofing Systems use Conklin Kwik Kaulk to caulk over the damaged area before we recoat with our Elastomeric Roof Coatings.

Here is a chart from the SPFA on mechanical damage and repair recommendations:

After a hail storm is is best to call today a trained commercial roofing contractor to inspect your roof!

It is critical to have roof inspections, performed by a licensed roofing contractor.