PVC vs TPO?

FLRoofPro

Noticed you don't care for Duro-Last. What problems have you had???

rwolfe

Primarily because I don't think roof assemblies should be that complicated. It is a gimicky product that doesn't weld a well as other pvc's (ie fibertite). The kicker to the gimicky idea is: Their sales reps roll around the country saying that Durolast will insure not only the roof assembly but all the contents inside the building up to xx million dollars. Can't remember what the number is but for some reason I'm thinking 10m.

That is a horrible way to try to get market share.

Ed the Roofer

Duro-Last welded quite well for me, especially after around 1988, when they reversed the course side to the bottom of the membrane instead of the top.

The warranty issue is backed by Chubb Insurance, if they still use the same insurance company and many other membranes offer similar marketing gimicks, if that is what it is, to make the choice of their product seem preferential also.

Ed

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SinglePlyGuy

We tried DuroLast for a bit but didnt really buy into the "pre-fab" roof thing.

I dont recall a problem with the weldability of the product, but did not think the organization was on par with the other products in that price range.

Sales representation, tech support, warranty services, etc all seemed to be noticeably inferior to the other products.

That is why we decided to stop using the product.

I do see , from time to time, trucks and trailers around sporting the DuroLast logo, etc and they all seem to have Virginia plates on them.

FLRoofPro

Have around a 12 year history using Duro-Last. They have not had a solid rep in our area, but the support from their corporate plants has been excellent. Most responsive corporate offices I have dealt with for a major mfg. The pre-fab has always been a big seller for me. Easier on the crews too. Duro-Last will stay a top option in my low slope arsenal for sure.

Ed the Roofer

I think the opinion of the Duro-Last installation gets skewed by crews who are incapable or uncomfortable with knowing how to stretch out the bulkiness of the material after you unroll it from the baggy lump it comes shipped as.

I liked it, but I did NOT like the back-stabbing of the rep from my area, who, when they found out which jobs I was bidding on, would all of a sudden provide several othe D-L approved applicators to the contractor for alternative pricing.

Now, due to them being familiar with me, I still wound up getting the jobs, but at a cheaper price due to unqualified competitors bidding on an animal they were not famiiar with, just like when I first started off and learned the true hours of installation.

Ed

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Just Wait A Minute, I Will Be Right Back With A Link For That.
http://www.rightwayroofingcompany.com/ www.rightwayroofingcompany.com
Roof Estimates, Roof Repairs, Roofers, Roof Leak Help, Elgin, Carpentersville, East Dundee, West Dundee, Sleepy Hollow, Algonquin, South Elgin, Huntley, Lake In The Hills, Illinois

SinglePlyGuy

Yeah I just prefer roll goods.... the DL roof always seemed wrinkled...even after I bought their silly "membrane stretcher" contraption haha.

Ed the Roofer

I was friends with the guy who invented that, errrr, should I say, the owner of the company that had an employee come up with the basic idea for the Grip Puller.

He now is the Iowa Rep.

Ed

__________________
Just Wait A Minute, I Will Be Right Back With A Link For That.
http://www.rightwayroofingcompany.com/ www.rightwayroofingcompany.com
Roof Estimates, Roof Repairs, Roofers, Roof Leak Help, Elgin, Carpentersville, East Dundee, West Dundee, Sleepy Hollow, Algonquin, South Elgin, Huntley, Lake In The Hills, Illinois

rwolfe

I remember starting out, my foreman asked me to run down to the truck and get the rubber stretcher. Flipped over every half empty can of bull and moved every soggy box of hanks looking for that damn thing. I figured it would be next to the left handed seam roller.

It was a good 10 minutes before I caught on. Imagine my surprise when I found out years later that Durolast had it the whole time.

Niche product for sure. Niche group who love's the stuff.

rw

Grumpy

How many man hours are lost each year to the "stretcher"? I had people try that with me once or twice in my early 20's. Usually my answer is "Go bleep yourself." when ever anyone asks for anything that streches anything. Every trade has a stretcher of some kind

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-Grumpy
Chicago Gutters Chicago Roofing