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A small spray polyurethane foam roof.

Spray Polyurethane Foam Roofing: Useful Information Guide

By Roof Online Staff • Last updated March 24, 2023

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A small spray polyurethane foam roof.
A small spray polyurethane foam roof.
Spray polyurethane foam at roof-to-curb transition location.
Spray polyurethane foam at roof-to-curb transition location.

1. Book Recommendation: Manual of Low-Slope Roof Systems: Fourth Edition by C.W. Griffin & Richard Fricklas

2. General: A very good general article about various roof systems is on the Whole Building Design Guide site, which is maintained by the National Institute of Building Sciences.

3. General: “Recoating And Renewing SPF Roofing Systems – Procedures, Regional Differences and Type of Coating Systems” is a thorough, informative PowerPoint presentation from the 2014 Spray Foam Convention and Expo.

4. General: “RICOWI Best Practices Guides for Roofing – Spray Polyurethane Foam” is available on the website of the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety. (“RICOWI” stands for the Roofing Industry Committee on Weather Issues).

5. General: “Spray Foam Insulation: Open and Closed Cell” is a great introduction to SPF. Available on the Green Building Advisor website.

6. Building Codes: “R905.14 Sprayed Polyurethane Foam Roofing” from the 2018 International Residential Code and “1507.14 Sprayed Polyurethane Foam Roofing” from the 2018 International Building Code. Available on the UpCodes website.

7. Hail Damage: “Hail Resistance Test of Sprayed Polyurethane Foam (SPF) Roof Systems” examines the performance of various SPF roof systems during hailstorms. Well-researched. Available in the Technical Library at the NRCA website.

8. Inspection of Spray Polyurethane Foam Roofs: “Inspection, Evaluation, and Repair of SPF Roofing after a Windstorm or Hail Event” provides guidelines. Archived on the IIBEC website.

9. Maintenance: “Spray Polyurethane Foam Roof Systems – Maintenance Manual” is a basic how-to guide produced by the Spray Polyurethane Foam Alliance. It can be viewed on the website of NCFI Polyurethanes.

10. Safety: See this material safety data sheet for health and safety information about spray polyurethane foam at the Henry Company website. This is only an example and other products and brands may be different.

11. Technical: “Spray Polyurethane Foam Blisters – Their Causes, Types, Prevention and Repair” – produced by the Spray Polyurethane Foam Alliance and available on the website of NCFI Polyurethanes.

12. Technical: See this product data sheet for the technical characteristics of spray polyurethane foam at the Henry Company website. This is only an example and other products and brands may be different.