Commercial flat roofs are frequently paved to seal the roof against leaks and water damage that results from collected, standing pools of water. If it has been some time since your building has had its roof properly paved, you may want to move that to the top of project list. Unfortunately, paving a flat roof is not a job you can do yourself or do without the help of paving contractors, and here is why.

The Equipment Needed Cannot Get to the Roof Without Help

Paving a flat roof not only requires an asphalt mixer, a paver and tar machine, but also a full-sized crane to lift the equipment to the roof. This equipment cannot get up to your roof any other way, and you will need the crane and a crane operator just to start this project. Since a crane and crane operator comes as a part of the package from your paving contractor, it just makes sense to have a paving contractor manage the entire project.

Hot Asphalt Needs to Be Spread Quickly

The reason why an entire crew is required to pave a road or pave a flat roof is because hot asphalt needs to be spread quickly. If the asphalt is not leveled out across the surface to be paved, it will cool and harden before you have a chance to make it a nice, flat surface. Paving a roof is nothing like paving your driveway at home or spreading a little asphalt on your walkway. It is a much larger surface area that needs to be covered evenly and quickly. (There is also a certain skill set needed to work with asphalt, and only paving crews and contractors typically have that set of skills.) 

There Are Numerous Safety Issues with Trying to Do This Job on Your Own

For the sake of argument, say you could operate a crane, rent the equipment and get everything to the roof on your own. Because you are not a licensed paving contractor, you are taking major risks with your own safety as well as the safety of anyone within several yards of you. Would you know what precautionary measures to take? Would you know how to prevent injuries to yourself and others? Furthermore, would you know how to avoid breathing in the fumes from the asphalt machine and protect yourself against the hot tar involved? Probably not. That is why this job belongs to the paving contractor and the contractor's crew.

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