How To Tell The Difference Between Tpo And Pvc Roofing

Similarities of tpo and pvc roofing membranes.

How to tell the difference between tpo and pvc roofing.

Tpo is the most popular rv roofing material today because of two reasons it is cheap and it is already colored white. It instantly became very popular as it was economical and cost efficient. Two of the hardest flat roof systems to tell apart is the pvc roof and the tpo roof both are white heat welded systems that look virtually identical. Tpo is thin compared to other membranes usually around 1 1 2 millimeters in thickness.

However while the face of both membranes and their installation are virtually identical they are very different systems on the inside. It is typically white in color and has a rubbery feel. When being attached to the roof material it is either nailed or glued on. Several bad pvcs most of the hypalon products and tpo which at that time was a very new product to the market so new that most manufacturers actually called it tpa thermo plastic alloy since they would routinely change the core supplier ingredients and percentages of each component.

Peak roofing construction explains in this blog post the difference between tpo and pvc materials when it comes to commercial roofs. Yeah 20 years ago and further back a bunch of junk thermoplastics were made.