Flat Roofing in Trail, Nelson and Castlegar: Torch-On, TPO and PVC.
Commercial or strata building? Start with a Free Flat Roof Assessment, a dated photo report of what your roof needs, in writing.
Kootenay snow sits on a flat roof for five months. The roof has to be built for that.
This page is for anyone with a flat or low-slope roof: a house in Trail, a shop in Nelson, a strata building in Castlegar. We install three membrane systems: SBS torch-on, TPO, and PVC. We spec the building, not our habit. The comparison below shows how the three differ and where each one earns its place.
Torch-on, TPO or PVC: how we choose
Torch-On
- What it is
- Two plies of SBS-modified bitumen, torched down and sealed into one waterproof layer. The proven flat roof in this valley for decades.
- Best for
- Houses, garages, and smaller commercial roofs. Rooflines with lots of edges, curbs, and penetrations.
- Kootenay winters
- Thick and forgiving under ice and shovels. Seams go down in cold weather because they are torched, not glued.
TPO
- What it is
- A white membrane laid in wide sheets with heat-welded seams. The most common system on new commercial flat roofs.
- Best for
- Larger flat areas: shops, warehouses, strata buildings. The white surface reflects summer heat.
- Kootenay winters
- Heat-welded seams stay welded under five months of snow load. Cold does not stop an install; heavy snowfall days do.
PVC
- What it is
- A heat-welded membrane like TPO, with a longer track record and seams that stand up to grease and chemicals.
- Best for
- Restaurant and shop roofs with grease or exhaust exposure. Buildings that need a membrane the vents cannot eat.
- Kootenay winters
- Stays flexible in deep cold and takes the snow load season after season.
Heard of EPDM rubber roofing? We don't install it: our advice article on flat-roof systems covers it honestly.
Common questions
Yes. Torch-on and TPO both go down in cold weather because the seams are heat-welded, not glued. We roof through Kootenay winters and have since 1953. Heavy snowfall days pause work; cold alone does not. We work year-round, so you don't have to wait for spring.
A well-built two-ply torch-on roof around Trail and Nelson gives decades of service. What kills one early is ponding water and plugged drains, so Trail Roofing checks both on every service call. An annual inspection and clear drains add years to any Kootenay flat roof.
It depends on the deck, the drainage, and how the building is used. Torch-on suits most Kootenay homes and smaller commercial roofs. TPO and PVC earn their keep on larger flat areas. Trail Roofing specs the building, not our habit. The comparison above shows how we decide.
We repair them. A patch that buys a flat roof more time is often the right call, and Trail Roofing will say so on the quote. If the membrane is done, we tell you that too. Either way you get a written quote, anywhere in the West Kootenays. Written quotes stand for 30 days.
Who this is for
- Residential: houses and garages with flat or low-slope roofs, anywhere in the West Kootenays.
- Commercial: shops, offices, warehouses, and strata buildings. Start with a Free Flat Roof Assessment.
- Industrial: industrial roofing in smelter country. Call and ask what we've handled.
Service area
We install and repair flat roofs across the West Kootenay: Trail, Rossland, Nelson, Castlegar, Kaslo, Salmo, Fruitvale, Grand Forks, Warfield, Montrose.