San Diego Torch Down Roofing

SAN DIEGO, CA

Torch Down Roofing

Two Plies, Welded Seams, No Guesswork.

Torch down roofing in San Diego is modified bitumen, installed in two plies and heat-welded as it goes down: a base sheet torched to the prepared deck or cover board, then a white Polyfresko cap sheet over it. The seams fuse instead of relying on adhesive, which is why the system holds up on flat and low-slope roofs that see standing water.

Los Angeles Commercial Roofing & Roof Repair installs and repairs torch down on houses with flat sections, apartment buildings, HOA property, offices and light industrial across San Diego, Tujunga, Shadow Hills, Lake View Terrace and the northeast San Fernando Valley.

Why Flat Roofs in San Diego Fail

San Diego sits in a bowl at the foot of the Verdugo and San Gabriel Mountains and it bakes. A dark flat roof here runs far hotter than the air, the daily swing works every lap, and the fall winds drive grit across the surface. Then the rain arrives in short, heavy bursts and finds whatever the summer loosened: a split lap, a lifted edge, a drain that has not been cleared since the last storm.

• UV &
  HEAT
• SANTA ANA
  WINDS
• PONDING
  WATER
• SPLIT
  LAPS

How We Install It

1. Tear-off and deck check

   The old roof comes off and any soft decking is replaced before a new sheet touches it. You see the bad bays before they are covered.

2. Insulation or cover board

   Where the building wants R-value, polyiso goes down; otherwise a cover board gives the torch a sound, even surface.

3. Base sheet

   The modified bitumen base ply is torched and rolled so the whole sheet bonds, not just the edges.

4. Polyfresko cap sheet

   The white cap ply goes over it, seams welded and probed. White means the roof reflects heat instead of storing it.

5. Flashings and drains

   Curbs, pipes, parapets, edge metal and drains are detailed last, because that is where flat roofs actually leak.

Torch Down vs the Alternatives

• Against a patch. Patching buys months. A two-ply system is a roof, with a manufacturer warranty behind it.
• Against TPO. Both work on flat roofs. Torch down suits smaller, cut-up roofs and buildings with lots of penetrations; TPO suits wide open spans.
• Against a coating. A coating renews a sound roof. If the deck or insulation is wet, torch down replaces it instead of sealing the problem in.
• Against built-up. No kettle, no gravel, and a white surface rather than black asphalt cooking all afternoon.

Straight talk: torch down is hot work. We carry the permits and insurance for it, run a fire watch and keep extinguishers on the roof. Where open flame is not appropriate — a wood deck in poor condition, an occupied building with tight access — we quote a cold-applied or coating system instead and say why.

What We Roof in San Diego

If the roof is flat or low-slope, torch down is on the table:

• 

  Homes with Flat Sections

  Additions, garages and mid-century flat roofs where shingles were never the answer.

• 

  Apartments & HOAs

  Staged section by section so tenants stay put and the lot stays usable.

• 

  Commercial Buildings

  Offices, retail and light industrial, scheduled around your hours.

• 

  Low-Slope Roofs

  Shallow pitches where water moves slowly and details decide everything.

Before and After

The same roof, cracked and ponding, then two plies down with a white cap sheet.

Warranty and Lifespan

Installed to spec, a two-ply torch down roof runs twenty years and up, and the manufacturer warranty is written for 10, 20 or 25 years depending on the system we specify. The paperwork is registered in your name, not left in a folder. We check the roof after the first rainy season so small things stay small.

Repairs and Maintenance

Most calls start with a leak over one room. We trace it to the source — a split lap, a failed pipe flashing, a drain that never cleared — repair it and photograph what we found. Two things keep a flat roof going: clear the drains before the rains, and have the flashings looked at once a year.

Serving San Diego and the Foothills

We install and repair torch down throughout San Diego, Tujunga, Shadow Hills, Lake View Terrace, La Crescenta, Sylmar and the rest of the northeast San Fernando Valley. Flat roof work is dry-weather work, so the calendar tightens once the rain starts — call early.