Many clients tell us they’ve heard that birds can damage a spray foam roof. Is it true, they ask, and how does it happen?
Yes, bird damage on spray foam roofs does occur, but it’s rare, easily repaired, and can be prevented. It’s even more rare (almost non-existent) with our Cozifoam roofs. Here’s the scoop.
Bird-damaged spray foam roofs usually have a number of things in common:
- They are very close to fast food outlets or other restaurants,
- They are one of the higher roofs in the area,
- They have as a top coating a low-quality or very thin hybrid polyurea, or a silicone or other coating that has a very low tensile strength. (Tensile strength refers to the resistance of a material to breaking or pulling apart under tension.)
How does bird damage happen?
Birds like ravens, crows, or seagulls will raid a dumpster, then fly to a nearby roof to consume their tidbit. They will typically choose the highest roof around so that they can watch for competition that might steal their treat as they’re eating it. Sometimes during this process, a bird will begin to peck at the roofing material and put holes in it.
Bird damage can come and go. Some roofs will go for years with no damage, have damage during one season, then never be bothered again. It must depend on the birds in the neighbourhood at any given time.
Why are Cozifoam roofs more bird damage-resistant than ever?
We researched and obtained a topcoating that has the perfect blend of elasticity and high tensile strength that make it very difficult to puncture, yet superbly resistant to the unique demands of Canadian winters.
What if I install a Cozifoam Roof Armor Systems roof and it gets bird damage?
We will never leave you in the lurch!
First of all, it will be extremely rare for a Cozifoam roof to experience bird damage. But there are some weird birds out there! If it should happen, it can be easily repaired by smearing a high-quality polyurethane caulking into the hole to close and seal it. No special tools or skills required!
If your roof looks like a prime candidate for bird damage, there are things we can do during the installation process to mitigate the risk as well. We can apply a heavy layer of granules that are embedded in the polyurea coating to form a rock-like barrier that prevents beak penetration. This method is widely used in the spray foam industry and is time tested and proven to be effective.
Or, we could apply a geomembrane rather than a polyurea coating over top of the foam. A geomembrane is basically a geotextile (similar to landscaping fabric) that is adhered to the foam layer, then has our coating applied over top. The coating embeds itself in the geotextile fibres, and the two together act like concrete and rebar, making the finished product much stronger (and bird-resistant) than either component taken individually. The slight added cost of either of these two methods still leaves a Cozifoam roof being very cost-effective.
Finally, you could benefit from a Cozifoam roof maintenance program. For a small annual fee, we will clean your entire roof including the drains and scuppers, make sure all your flashings are in good shape, and take care of any bird or other damage (i.e. HVAC technicians) that could happen on your roof. Total peace of mind!
