by Brianna Crandall — April 26, 2019 — Designed for attachment directly to plywood and oriented strand board (OSB) roof decks, the new TPO Fleece Back FR roof membrane from Mule-Hide Products Co. delivers a UL Class A fire rating without the need for a fire-retardant barrier board or slip sheet, the company announced this week.
Ken Schultz, West regional director for Mule-Hide Products, pointed out:
TPO Fleece Back FR is ideally suited for use in the West, where fire is a significant concern and building codes require many buildings to have Class A fire-rated roofing systems. Building owners get the necessary Class A fire rating. Contractors get a faster, easier installation by eliminating the need to add a fire-retardant barrier.
According to the company, which offers premium-quality, high-performance roofing products and systems designed to meet the current and emerging needs of the design community, contractors and building owners with a strong focus on sustainable solutions, fleece reinforcement gives the roof membrane an added layer of protection against punctures.
Mule-Hide Products says that splinters from OSB and plywood roof decks will not create holes in the membrane — a common issue when standard membranes are attached directly to these materials. More puncture-resistant than modified bitumen membranes, the TPO Fleece Back FR reportedly stands up to hail and damaging debris exceptionally well.
Large sheet sizes and a wide window of weldability make installation quick and easy, says the company. TPO Fleece Back FR is available in 10×50-foot and 10×100-foot sizes; this is significantly larger than typical modified bitumen sheets, reducing the number of seams to weld by 67 percent. The ability to weld at wide ranges of temperature and humidity is also said to mean fewer stops to adjust the settings on the automatic welder and perform a test weld.
The TPO Fleece Back FR roof membrane is engineered to remain flexible in low temperatures and offer excellent resistance to impacts, as well as to stand up to acids, bases and restaurant exhaust emissions without degradation.
Like all Mule-Hide Products TPO membranes, the TPO Fleece Back FR membrane includes the Mule-Hide Products Weathering Package to ensure that the roof membrane will withstand exposure to severe climate conditions. The weathering package is comprised of three heat-stabilizing antioxidants, three ultraviolet (UV) light stabilizers and two UV light absorbers to make the membrane highly resistant to heat, sun, ozone and oxidation.
TPO Fleece Back FR membranes contain no chlorine, plasticizers or volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and are odor-free, making them an environment-, crew- and building-occupant-friendly choice.
For more information, see the Mule-Hide Membranes section of the company’s website.
