When it comes to choosing roofing and waterproofing materials, the decisions can be crucial. It’s estimated that 60 percent of litigation claims related to buildings involve the roof, and anyone who’s excavated landscaping to address a below-grade waterproofing issue knows how expensive that process can be.
Roofing and waterproofing professionals all rely to some degree on field testing and laboratory testing to make decisions about which product might perform best for a given project. But how can we make sure those tests are relevant and accurate? Everyone’s heard the old adage about comparing apples to apples, but in the real world it’s hard to get performance data that’s set up under the exact same criteria. A roof in Seattle faces different conditions than a roof in Texas or Minnesota. The roof of a warehouse faces different conditions than the roof on top of a manufacturing facility, a restaurant or a condominium.