Theme parks generally rely on off-season time to do major renovations, including roofing projects. But what happens when the downtime in mid-winter features almost a dozen days of below-zero temperatures and more than 60 inches of snowfall? Getting up on the roof can be a cold, challenging activity.

“One of the reasons polymer Bellaforté slate roofing tiles from DaVinci Roofscapes were chosen for the Hotel Breakers re-roofing project was because the installation could be done in cold weather without having to warm the roof tiles before installation,” said Jim Carson, vice president of A-STAR out of Macedonia, Ohio. “The hotel is at Cedar Point theme park on the shores of Lake Erie. That's a challenging situation, especially since we experienced the worst Cleveland winter in 30 years right in the middle of the installation!”

Carson and the team at A-STAR relied on coordination of the project and clear direction from John G. Johnson Construction Company, building moisture consultant Felice & Associates and Kary Project Management. “Given all the details and considering this was the first time we installed Bellaforté tiles, the challenges on this very difficult and high-profile project were minimized,” said Carson. “These teams were great to work with, and it also helped significantly to have skilled technicians from DaVinci provide onsite training on the proper installation of Bellaforté tiles.”

Backed by a 50-year limited warranty, all DaVinci roofing products are designed to remain flexible at extreme temperatures, making it possible to install roofing tiles during all types of weather.

“DaVinci polymer tiles are designed so that the tiles remain flexible in cold temperatures and can usually be installed in temperatures as cold as 20 degrees,” said Tim Gentry, vice president of technical services with DaVinci Roofscapes. “Still, when installing DaVinci Slate or Shake tiles in cold temperatures, installers should make sure that the tiles have been stored flat and are flat when installed. We recommend that the space between tiles be a minimum of 3/16-inch in cold weather installations. And, during these cold temperatures, if the tiles are being installed using a pneumatic roofing nail gun, then make sure that the pressure isn’t set too high.”

Opened more than 100 years ago, the Hotel Breakers is the original on-property Cedar Point hotel. Situated on the Cedar Point beach and just a two-minute walk from the theme park, the hotel interior features rich architectural details including original Tiffany glass and a beautiful rotunda.

“There are 650 rooms and suites in this large property, so we used about 425 squares of a custom Milano blend of Bellaforté in our first phase of the re-roofing,” said Carson. “The combinations of gray and purple tones in the roof sets off the hotel beautifully.”

“Once the park closes this autumn, the same Bellaforté synthetic shingle will be used to re-roof the second phase of this project, which will be even bigger since it will use up to 700 squares.”

A-STAR works on commercial and residential projects in northeast Ohio. For more details on the company, visit www.ASTAR1.com. For additional information on Hotel Breakers and Cedar Point, which is owned by Cedar Fair, visit www.cedarpoint.com.

For more information, visit www.davinciroofscapes.com.