Soprema Roofing in Yonkers, NY

Soprema is best known on commercial roofs for two product families. Sopralene is a line of SBS modified bitumen membranes that can be torch-applied, self-adhered or installed with cold adhesive. Alsan is a family of liquid-applied resins used for flashing and waterproofing around details that are hard to cut and weld. A Soprema roof in Yonkers may therefore combine a bitumen sheet with a resin flashing, and each part ages in its own way. The sheet shows age at its laps and surface. The resin shows age as chalking, cracking or loss of bond at its edges.

Sheet and resin work both follow the written product requirements. The owner receives photographs, a system note and a repair boundary to approve.

Reading a Modified Bitumen Sheet

A modified bitumen roof is read from the edges inward. Laps tell the story first: open edges, lifted corners and bleeding sealant mark a lap in trouble. Then the surface: granule loss, cracking, blisters and ridges mark aging. Then the flashings, where the sheet turns up a wall or curb and takes the most stress.

We probe laps, press blisters and photograph splits. Small defects are cleaned and repaired with compatible sheet or cold-applied adhesive, and each repair is photographed and marked on the roof sketch so a later visit can find it. A worn cap sheet over sound plies can be recoated or capped. Wet plies or insulation point toward larger removal. Typical modified bitumen roofing repairs re-adhere a lap, patch a split, recoat a worn cap or swap out a failed section.

Granules deserve a note. The mineral surface on a cap sheet shields the asphalt from sun. Where granules have worn away along a drainage path or a walk route, the asphalt below ages quickly, and we mark those zones for a recoat or a walkway pad before the plies are exposed. Whether a roof is a sheet system or a liquid-applied assembly is confirmed from the layers, not from a label on the building.

Torch, Self-Adhered or Cold-Applied

The installation method changes the risk. Torch-applied sheets use open flame, which raises fire-safety questions around combustible decks, nearby walls and insulation. Self-adhered sheets stick to a primed surface without flame. Cold-applied systems use adhesive.

Which method fits depends on the building, the deck, the insurer and the weather. We describe the choices before scheduling, with the fire-safety limits of each, name the fire-watch and safety steps that apply and confirm requirements with the property manager and insurer. Some policies restrict hot work or require a fire watch after the torch is put out, and we price those steps as separate lines. In tight spaces such as a courtyard roof or a roof beside occupied windows, flame-free methods often get the nod.

Surface preparation matters for every method. Dust, oil and moisture keep adhesive from gripping, and a cold deck stalls a self-adhered sheet. We sweep, prime and check the deck temperature and dew point before a sheet is placed, and we pull a test strip to confirm the bond.

Liquid Flashing at Hard Details

Some details defeat sheet flashing: a cluster of pipes, an irregular curb, a roof drain with odd geometry. A liquid-applied resin, such as Alsan RS, is brushed or rolled over the detail, often with a reinforcing fleece, and cures into a continuous film with no laps. It adheres to many existing surfaces when the surface is cleaned and primed correctly.

The success of liquid flashing depends on preparation and on mixing and thickness. Two-part products must be mixed in the right ratio and applied within their pot life, so we measure each batch and stop when the working time runs out. We clean the substrate, prime it, embed the reinforcement and apply the resin in the thickness the system calls for. Cure time depends on temperature and humidity, so we plan the schedule around the weather. Rain on uncured resin ruins it, and a damp surface keeps it from bonding, so we watch the forecast the day before. Where a skylight or penetration flashing is failing, a liquid detail can be a durable repair.

Reinforcement is worth explaining. The fleece embedded in the resin carries tensile load across the detail and keeps the film from cracking where a pipe flexes or a curb moves. We cut it to lap past the sound edges of the surrounding sheet, so water cannot track beneath the transition.

Cold Snaps and Resin Cure

Resin and sheet work both follow the Westchester County Airport normals, which are kept northeast of Yonkers. Its 1991 to 2020 record gives about 47.75 inches of precipitation a year, with a freezing low on around 105 days and a 90-degree high on about ten.

That pattern affects the work. Asphalt sheets stiffen in the cold, and resins cure slowly. Summer is the opposite: surface heat shortens working time and softens bitumen, so crews start early and protect the finished work from foot traffic until it sets. We plan permanent work for suitable days and place temporary protection in between. In the Nepperhan and Saw Mill valley, where roofs may serve working buildings, the schedule also carries the truck and dock calendar. Near Tuckahoe Road, resident notice is added.

Moisture and the Assembly

Under the sheet sit insulation and the deck.To locate trapped water we use probes, meters and, across big roofs, an infrared moisture survey, then core a small sample and patch it that day. Wet material comes out first, and we square and seal the cut so moisture cannot creep from old material into the patch.

The proposal lists cost drivers apart: area, insulation, deck repair, penetrations, access, lift time and disposal. A unit rate on each measured item means a change in quantity is priced before work resumes. State code now means the 2025 Uniform Code, fully effective since December 31, 2025, with permit questions left to the city. We confirm the Yonkers route before dates are set.

Warranty and the File

Warranty terms for a bitumen sheet or a liquid resin can differ, and either may restrict repair methods or products. We request the paperwork first and flag in the scope any step that could affect coverage. The closeout file records products, lot information when available, thickness measurements for liquid details and photographs.

A building with a Versico section next to the Soprema roof gets its own entry, and each maintenance visit adds a dated note. A roof with a prefabricated Duro-Last section is documented the same way, one system at a time.

Commercial Roofing Questions

What is Alsan used for?

It is a liquid-applied resin used for flashing and waterproofing at complex details. It cures into a continuous layer with no laps.

Is torch work required on modified bitumen?

No. Self-adhered and cold-applied methods exist. The right choice depends on the deck, the building and the insurer.

How long does liquid flashing take to cure?

It varies with the product, temperature and humidity. We plan for weather and protect the area until it cures.

Can a worn cap sheet be saved?

Often, if plies and insulation are dry. A recoat or new cap can extend life, and the proposal compares that cost with replacement. Wet material calls for removal before any new surface goes.

What do you record for a liquid detail?

Product, thickness, reinforcement and photographs. These go into the roof file, along with the date and the surface temperature at application, so the next crew knows what was done and under what conditions.

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