Duro-Last® 2018 Specialty Membrane Award

Completed in 1973, the unique design of Freedom High School has been a staple of the Morganton, North Carolina community for generations.

Most notably, the variable slopes and large radial features of the roof are visible from every angle on the ground, which up to this point featured built-up gravel over fiberglass insulation and structural gypsum decking. When roof leaks became unmanageable throughout the school, the facilities team knew it was going to be a challenging project to tackle.

“The original insulation materials on this building contain asbestos because of its fire barrier properties during that time,” explained Darren Crosby, president of Crossmark Roofing Solutions. “The asbestos was encapsulated so it didn’t pose any risk to the faculty and students, but it couldn’t get wet or be disturbed. This meant that any new roofing system could not be mechanically attached. We bid a plan to remove the existing gravel to create a smooth surface and adhere the Duro-Tuff membrane, which the School Board ultimately approved.”

The Crossmark team began the difficult task of spudding the entire 4:12 pitched roof to create a smooth substrate, utilizing two-man teams and ropes for safety. They then layered Securock Gypsum boards using low-rise foam, taking meticulous care to stagger seams and shave down any raised edges to create an even surface for the membrane to adhere.

“The School Board was very aware of the building’s aesthetics and wanted the option of adding vinyl ribs to the roof once the installation was complete” explained Darren. “We had to figure out a way to systematically install the membrane from the bottom drain line up to the ridge that would position the seams uniformly, allowing for the vinyl ribs to give the appearance of a standing seam metal roof.”

Crossmark Roofing crews measured the radial dimensions of the rooftop and cut the Duro-Tuff rolls lengthwise, creating pie shapes that could be pieced together with evenly spaced seams. “We spent a lot of time welding these pieces together, but it was immensely helpful that Duro-Last was able to cut the membrane rolls to the specific lengths that we needed,” Darren said. “That definitely helped save us some time when piecing everything together and essentially eliminated any waste.”

With rooftop crews averaging 16 to 18, it took the Crossmark team approximately four months to complete the project. While the school has not decided to add vinyl ribs to the roofing system yet, students and faculty were excited to return to their newly updated building and facility managers were thrilled to focus their resources on projects other than roof leaks.

Contractor: Crossmark Roofing Solutions
Project: Freedom High School
Location: Morganton, NC
Square Feet: 118,000
Products: Duro-Tuff® 60 mil gray membrane, Duro-Last® custom curbs, stacks, Roof-Trak® III Walkway Pads; Duro-Guard® Securock® Gypsum Roof Board; EXCEPTIONAL® Metals 2-Piece Snap-On Compression, scuppers

To estimate the required materials for your roof coating needs, access the Duro-Shield Coatings Calculator on the Contractor Portal.

For more information visit www.duro-last.com.