Property Types We Roof
Restaurant Roofing in Federal Way, WA
The walk on a restaurant roof starts at the exhaust fan, because that is where the grease is. The crew leader checks the fan curb, the grease trough, the roof surface downwind of the hood and the drain nearest the kitchen before looking at anything else. A restaurant roof lives with a hot, oily plume that most commercial roofs never see.
Restaurants in Federal Way, WA sit in strip centers, in pad buildings beside larger retail and in freestanding buildings with their own parking, along corridors such as Pacific Highway South. Whatever the building, the roof has to keep rain out while the kitchen runs below, and the repair schedule has to work around lunch and dinner service. That is the sequence this work follows.
What does kitchen grease do to a roof?
Cooking exhaust carries grease vapor up through the hood and out the fan. Some of it lands on the roof around the fan as a film, and over months that film attacks certain membranes. Standard EPDM and asphalt-based roofs soften and swell when they sit in animal and vegetable fats. The membrane loses strength, seams open, and the surface can become slick.
Roof systems for restaurants therefore lean toward grease-resistant materials. PVC and KEE membranes are formulated to resist fats and oils, and they are the usual choice for a new roof or a replacement near a kitchen exhaust. TPO can also be used with a formulation suited to the exposure. PVC roofing is a common pick for the area around fans, and in some buildings the whole roof is made in PVC for a consistent system.
Maintenance matters as much as material. A grease trap on the exhaust fan, emptied on schedule, keeps most of the film off the roof. When the trap is full or missing, grease runs down the fan housing and onto the membrane. We check the traps, report their condition to the manager, and clean the roof surface where a film has built up.
How are exhaust fans and rooftop units flashed?
A restaurant roof carries more penetrations than most buildings its size: a hood exhaust, make-up air, a grease duct, walk-in cooler condensers, rooftop units and plumbing vents. Each one is a place where flashing can fail, and kitchen equipment is serviced often, which means more foot traffic and more chances of damage.
We inspect each curb, check the termination at the top edge, test the sealant joints and look at the membrane for punctures from tools or dropped parts. Where a curb has failed, we rebuild the flashing in the membrane manufacturer's detail with a new base flashing and counterflashing. Failed curbs get penetration flashing repairs, and equipment that has outgrown its stand may need new rooftop equipment curbs and supports.
We add walkway pads along the path from the hatch or ladder to the equipment, so the technicians who service the hood do not walk on bare membrane.
How do we work around service hours?
A kitchen cannot shut down for a roof job. We schedule noisy work, such as tear-off, fastening and torch-free adhesive work, for hours outside lunch and dinner service where possible, and early morning is usually the best window. Odor from adhesives or coatings can reach the dining room through air intakes, so we choose low-odor materials and ask the manager to tell us where the make-up air units sit.
Dry-in is the priority. Each day the opening is kept small enough to seal before the restaurant opens or rain arrives. About 37 inches of precipitation fall on Auburn each year, mostly weighted toward November and December. Winter work is staged in small sections with temporary seals ready.
Access is coordinated with the manager. We need a route to the roof that avoids the dining area and the kitchen, a place to stage materials that does not block deliveries or the dumpster enclosure, and a plan for protecting parked cars and the entrance during crane picks.
What do restaurant leaks usually trace to?
Restaurant leaks often trace to equipment curbs, exhaust penetrations and roof drains. A drain near the kitchen can clog with grease and debris, backing up water onto the roof. A cracked boot on a plumbing vent or a loose termination on a fan curb lets water into the ceiling cavity, where it can reach insulation, lighting and electrical fixtures.
Stains on a dining room ceiling tile do not always mark the point of entry. Water travels along the deck and ducts before dropping. We trace the path from the stain upward and check the roof around the nearest equipment first. A commercial roof leak repair follows the same method, and the repair is tested before the crew leaves.
What changes for multi-unit restaurant operators?
Operators with several locations along corridors such as Pacific Highway South, International Boulevard (the SR 99 stretch through SeaTac, lined with restaurants for airport travelers), and the freeway exits off I-5 at 348th, 320th and 272nd need a consistent standard from store to store. A roof report in the same format for each restaurant lets a facilities group compare condition and plan spending. The same format serves retail and restaurant chains that keep many kitchens running.
Pad restaurants on a lot shared with a shopping center or a grocery store often sit on a roof that belongs to the landlord. In that arrangement, the lease usually decides who pays for the membrane and who pays for damage from tenant equipment, so we document the roof's condition at the start of each job and photograph the work at every curb. Those records are what the landlord, the tenant and the insurer rely on later.
Commercial Roofing Questions
Which roof membrane holds up best next to a kitchen exhaust fan?
PVC and KEE are the usual answers, because their formulations resist animal and vegetable fats that break down EPDM and asphalt-based membranes. A grease-rated TPO can also work. The better choice depends on the existing roof, the seams and the warranty terms. Whatever the membrane, a working grease trap on the fan does the most to protect it.
Can the roof be replaced without closing the restaurant?
Usually yes. A recover or a tear-off in sections can proceed while the kitchen runs, provided the dining room is protected from dust and odor, and loud work is scheduled outside service hours. For a restaurant in a strip center, we coordinate with the landlord and the neighboring tenants as well.
Who is responsible for roof damage from kitchen grease, the tenant or the landlord?
Lease terms decide, and they vary. The roof record helps either side: we photograph the grease pattern, the condition of the trap and the membrane damage, so the owner and tenant have the same facts when they sort it out.
How often should a restaurant roof be cleaned around the fans?
Cleaning follows the grease load, not the calendar. A busy fryer kitchen films the roof faster than a sandwich shop. We check at each maintenance visit and clean when the film is visible or the traps are overflowing, and we report how fast it builds so the schedule can be adjusted.
What if the new tenant wants to add an exhaust hood to the roof?
A new hood means a new penetration, a new curb and a structural check of the deck beneath. We cut and flash the opening to the membrane manufacturer's detail, set the curb to the equipment drawings and coordinate with the mechanical contractor so the warranty is not disturbed.
Send the roof plan and the service hours
Send the roof plan, a list of the rooftop equipment and the hours the restaurant is open. We will walk the roof with the manager, sequence the work around service and agree on staging before a price goes on paper.
