roofing granules being installed on a flat roof

The Purpose of Roofing Granules on a Flat Roof

Greg PalyaCommercial Roofing

You may be familiar with roofing granules on shingle roofs for residential homes. But what’s the purpose of roofing granules for commercial flat roofs?

Perhaps you’re getting a quote for a spray foam and coating roof or just a silicone restoration coating roof and you see granules are included in the scope of work.

You may be wondering, what’s the purpose of these granules?

Well, in this blog post, you’re going to learn the three reasons that roofing granules are included in a scope of work.

#1 – To make roof coating systems non-slippery

The first reason is to make roof coating systems non-slippery. Roof coatings on their own are very slippery, which can create a safety hazard for service people working on your roof.

#2 – Impact resistance

The second reason is impact resistance. Spray foam roofs and roof coating systems can be impacted by sharp branches or sharp objects.

But when you add granules into the topcoat, it makes the roof just a little bit stronger than it was before.

#3 – Used for walkways

A double broadcast of granules used to create walkways

And the third purpose of roofing granules for a flat roof is for walkways. Perhaps you have a very busy roof with lots of HVAC units and service people are constantly on your roof.

You want to direct where they walk, so some roofing contractors will do a double broadcast of granules to highlight a walkway.

It’s not that you can’t walk on a foam roof or a coating roof but if you just make these dedicated walkways a little bit stronger, it’s only going to be a little bit beneficial for the roofing system to hold up long-term.

Conclusion

And that’s really it. We hope you learned the purpose of roofing granules for commercial flat roofs. If you have any questions regarding granules, you can contact us anytime.

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About the Author

Greg Palya

Greg Palya is the Digital Content Manager of West Roofing Systems, Inc. He has a B.S. in Marketing from the University of Akron and an MBA in Marketing from Walsh University. When he's not trying to teach others about spray foam roofing and silicone roof coatings, you can find him on the basketball court or golf course.