Elevate Membrane Systems, Formerly Firestone, on Valley Roofs
A lot of building owners in this market still call it Firestone, even though the commercial roofing product lines are now under the Elevate brand following Holcim's acquisition of the business. The membrane chemistry and detail requirements carried forward from that legacy, which matters on older buildings around this valley where a prior Firestone roof is still in service and due for eventual recover or replacement.
RubberGard EPDM's Long History in This Market
The RubberGard EPDM line, carried through from Firestone's legacy product naming, has been on commercial roofs in this region for decades, and we still find original Firestone EPDM in service on some of the older steel-deck buildings we inspect around Girard and Warren. When we're recovering or repairing an existing Elevate or legacy Firestone EPDM roof, we work from the current published detail requirements for that product line, checking whether older field-applied details still meet what's currently specified before we tie new work into old.
Global Manufacturing Scale and Product Consistency
Holcim's scale as a global building materials company gives the Elevate product line manufacturing consistency across production runs, which matters less on a single small repair than it does on a large warehouse reroof where membrane from multiple production batches ends up on the same building. We check batch and lot markings on larger jobs so any material questions can be traced back to a specific production run rather than treated as a blanket assumption about the whole shipment.
UltraPly TPO for Newer Installations
UltraPly is Elevate's TPO line, and we spec it on standard commercial reroofs the same way we'd consider any major manufacturer's TPO, weighing thickness and assembly type against the building's actual traffic and exposure. Because so many buildings in this market carry a legacy Firestone roof already, owners sometimes prefer staying within the same manufacturer family for a replacement, which UltraPly makes straightforward compared to switching to an unrelated product line entirely.
Recovering Over Decades-Old Firestone Membrane
A recover over an existing Elevate or legacy Firestone system requires confirming the old membrane is still a sound substrate, adhered and dry, before installing anything new over it. We run the same moisture survey process on these recovers that we'd run on any manufacturer's system, since the manufacturer name on an old membrane doesn't tell us anything about whether the insulation underneath stayed dry over the decades that membrane has been in service.
Where the old system's detail work, particularly at flashings and penetrations, doesn't meet current published requirements, we flag that as part of the recover scope rather than building a new membrane over outdated details and hoping they hold.
Component Systems Beyond Membrane
Elevate also produces insulation and cover board products that pair with their membrane lines under a single-manufacturer assembly, which we use when a job specifically calls for a full Elevate system rather than mixed components across manufacturers.
On a full tear-off and replacement, using a complete Elevate assembly, insulation, cover board, and membrane together, keeps every component under one set of tested detail requirements. On a repair or partial recover, we're more often matching whatever's already on the roof rather than starting an assembly from scratch, which means checking what generation of Elevate or legacy Firestone product is actually up there before ordering replacement components.
- Whether an existing roof is legacy Firestone or current Elevate product
- Moisture condition of the existing substrate on any recover project
- Detail work condition at flashings and penetrations relative to current specs
- Owner preference for staying within a single manufacturer family
- Membrane type and thickness matched to the building's actual use
That assessment matters most on this manufacturer's products specifically, given how many decades-old Firestone roofs are still out there in this valley waiting on a recover or replacement decision.
Identifying Original Firestone Product in the Field
When we're up on an older roof that's supposedly Firestone EPDM, confirming that's actually accurate matters before we plan a recover, since prior owners or maintenance crews sometimes patched a Firestone roof with a different manufacturer's material over the years without documenting it. We look for original seam tape width, membrane thickness, and any legible markings before assuming the whole roof is a consistent, single-manufacturer substrate. A roof with mixed patch history needs a different recover approach than one that's genuinely intact original material.
Why the Rebrand Doesn't Change the Installation Standard
Holcim's acquisition and the Elevate rebrand changed the corporate ownership and name, not the underlying published installation and detail requirements we follow on the job. We work from Elevate's current documentation the same way we'd work from any manufacturer's current specifications, rather than installing from memory of how an older Firestone spec used to read.
What Comes Up When We Discuss Elevate Systems
Is our old Firestone roof the same as an Elevate roof now?
The product lines carried forward under new ownership and branding. We check the specific membrane and detail requirements that applied when your roof was installed before recommending a recover or repair approach.
Can you recover our EPDM roof if it's decades old?
Sometimes, if the existing membrane is still adhered and dry. We run a moisture survey first, since age alone doesn't tell us whether the roof is a sound recover candidate.
Should we stay with the same manufacturer for a full replacement?
There's no requirement to, but some owners prefer it for consistency across a portfolio or familiarity with the product. We'll walk through the actual options either way.
Do you work with both RubberGard and UltraPly?
Yes, we install both the EPDM and TPO lines depending on what fits the building's deck condition, traffic, and budget.
Does the Holcim ownership change affect warranty support?
Warranty administration is handled through the manufacturer's own process; we install to their currently published specifications regardless of past ownership changes.