If you’ve been by the EternaBond booth at a trade show, perhaps Chris Margarites has flagged you down and given you this demonstration: He uses his EternaBond roofing tape to join a piece of metal to a piece of EPDM to a piece of PVC to a piece of just about anything and dares attendees to pull them apart.

If you’ve been by the EternaBond booth at a trade show, perhaps Chris Margarites has flagged you down and given you this demonstration: He uses his EternaBond roofing tape to join a piece of metal to a piece of EPDM to a piece of PVC to a piece of just about anything and dares attendees to pull them apart.

Impressed with the demonstration, I interviewed several contractors about their use of EternaBond. The contractors I spoke with used EternaBond for a variety of tasks, including repairing leaks; waterproofing and reinforcing seams in low-slope and metal roofs before a coating is applied; securing copings, gutters, edge metal, skylights and ductwork; temporarily patching holes when core samples are taken; and permanently repairing the roofs when core samples are restored.

According to Chris Margarites, the president of EternaBond, the secret to the watertight roofing tape is its microsealant, which fuses at the molecular level.

The product is based on technology originally developed for underwater/saltwater applications and adapted and reformulated for roofing. Margarites points out the product is environmentally stable and friendly, UV stable, has no off gassing, and performs at temperatures ranging from over 250 degrees Fahrenheit to 70 degrees below zero. The current formulation has been in use since 2000, with some 60 million linear installed.

“We guarantee EternaBond for 10 years - any failure, we replace it, no questions asked,” he said. “We’ve replaced very little. It is expected to last for up to 35 years, so 10 years is a safe bet.”

Products include RoofSeal and a thicker version called RoofSeal Plus, both available in white, black, gray, tan, and with a 4mil aluminum foil backing. A double-sided version called Double Stick is available, as well as fabric-backed version called WebSeal. Standard rolls are 50 feet long and 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 18, 24, 36 and 48 inches wide. Custom lengths, custom widths (up to 48 inches), and custom slitting of the release liner are available so the product can be set up to best fit the application. It can even be rolled with the release liner on top to ease installation.

Its ability to be used with a variety of roofing surfaces, including EPDM, TPO, most aged PVCs and Hypalon - as well as gutters, copings, edge metal, skylights, ductwork and other roof accessories - has made EternaBond standard equipment for many roofing contractors. If you’d like to share your experiences with the product, please let me know.

For more information, visitwww.eternabond.com.