“Advancing Asphalt” Through the Years

By United Asphalts.

How United Asphalts has carried BUR into the future.

Explore United Asphalts’ history and relationship with Built-Up Roofing (BUR). Their journey started in 1961 when United Asphalts was established, travels through the industry advancements and ownership changes of the 80s and 90s, and continues with the future of BUR. Learn about the modifications, new products and advancements the company has made over the years and what is yet to come.

The commercial roofers of the 21st century face widespread increases in severe weather events unseen and undocumented by prior generations. The development of performance products that can withstand high-wind and high-impact weather events is an emerging trend for the roofing industry. The solutions vary from new concepts and materials, to the ongoing evolution and adaptation of proven technologies. ENDURAflex HT polymer modified asphalt from United Asphalts embodies both; a highly engineered modern product that takes a time-tested and proven system to a dramatic new level of performance. 

When it comes to low-slope roof systems, BUR (Built-up Roof) membranes have been in use longer than any other system at over 160 years and counting. This is due, in large part, to the inherently positive traits that asphalt based products lend to the system. A superior waterproofing agent with remarkable adhesion, asphalt is the key ingredient that binds these highly redundant membranes together. These systems have long been lauded for their ability to withstand extreme weather and perhaps as importantly, for their ease of maintenance and repair.

As with any technology with a long history, these systems have evolved and taken many different forms. From the initial use of natural bituminous materials that flowed from the ground, to today’s highly engineered polymer modified products, asphalt based BUR membranes have proven as adaptable as they are effective at combating mother nature.

United Asphalts has been manufacturing oxidized asphalt for BUR since 1961. Based in Denver, Colorado, United Asphalts uses premium flux from U.S. suppliers to produce high quality type 3 and type 4 roofing asphalt as well as type 2 waterproofing asphalt. UA’s product has long been recognized as one of the best on the market. Most major manufacturers offering NDL warranties agree, having accepted United Asphalts oxidized asphalts as a key component of their systems. Today, the ever-increasing demand for materials and systems that can withstand the most extreme weather serves as the catalyst for the introduction of ENDURAflex HT SEBS modified asphalt.

Polymer modification does represent the most significant performance upgrade in the fabrication of BUR membranes. Dating back to the early 1970s, the advent of SBS (Styrene-Butadiene-Styrene) modified asphalt was made to improve the extensibility and durability of roofing asphalt. SBS did represent a significant material performance upgrade for the cost, but not without important limitations. This new material would require the use of expensive oil-jacketed kettles to avoid damaging the chemical composition and therefore the effectiveness of the system. SBS also does not possess a level of UV resistance that is needed for multi-decade effectiveness in many environments.

 The 1980s saw the development of SEBS (Styrene-Ethylene-Butadiene-Styrene), another major step forward in polymer modified asphalt manufacturing. The addition of the Ethylene midblock in SEBS served to make the material both thermally stable and highly UV resistant. This new material could be used in standard direct-fire kettles and was found to excel in a wide range of climatic conditions. By the 1990s, the dramatic success of the material in the field was undeniable and set off significant competition amongst manufacturers to produce cost effective versions for an expanding segment of the commercial roofing market.

The 1990’s were an important time in the history of United Asphalts as well, with an ownership transition that saw Brad Lorenzen take the helm of the company. Brad brought with him a profound belief in the positive traits and adaptability of BUR systems. Installing dedicated and driven leadership with a like-minded approach would prove critical in carrying that belief forward through the decades that followed. Even as the commercial roofing market saw a significant shift from hot applied asphalt built up roofs to single ply rubber and PVC systems in the early 2000s, United Asphalts’ leaders never wavered. 

As monolithic fluid applied systems became more popular, United Asphalts continued to make premium oxidized asphalt for the longest lasting roof in the industry.  Armed with an understanding of the adaptability of BUR and a notion of the potential limitations of newer technologies, UA patiently waited as time eventually bore-out what they had always believed; BUR is here to stay.

“Advancing Asphalt” has become something of a mantra for the United Asphalts crew in the years since Brad’s ownership tenure began. It has not been enough to simply believe that BUR will always have a share of the market. The goal has been to bring innovation and advancement to the industry along the way. CEO Janelle Sebring and Plant Manager Eddie Sanchez have played a key role in propagating this mantra. Their tenures with the company are measured not in years, but in decades. Their directives have led to several innovations and practices that set UA apart from the rest.

One of the first major innovations to their credit is the very robust packaging of the product.  United Asphalts uses a heavy-duty slip sheet between pallet layers and double-bands the inner kegs. Next, they wrap each pallet in a heavy 6-mil shroud that is heat shrunk to create a stable unit that stands up remarkably well to the elements. In 2018, UA also reintroduced their popular 50# baby kegs. These have been a real game-changer for BUR contractors everywhere. These baby kegs are easier to lift, easier to load into a kettle and require less chopping, meaning less fatigue for work crews.

Couple these innovations with their dedication to creating new and improved products for today’s buildings and you see ample evidence of the mindset that has led United Asphalts to this exciting point in its evolution as a manufacturer. The introduction of ENDURAflex HT represents the first phase of a larger plan to move United Asphalts to the forefront of the movement to carry BUR into the future. With this newly implemented manufacturing capability, ENDURAflex HT is just the beginning. These investments will allow for additional cutting-edge product releases in the future as the worsening of extreme weather patterns across the globe has spawned a demand for more robust commercial roofs.

An asphalt company through and through, United Asphalts is seizing upon this demand to again provide all new top-quality products for the built-up roofs of the future.

Learn more about United Asphalts in their RoofersCoffeeShop directory.