Tips for Recommending and Applying FullForce™ EPDM

Elevate FullForce™ made its debut in 2019 as the first fully-coated, seam-to-seam EPDM SA membrane. The membrane is one of the many ways Holcim Building Envelope fulfills its promise to provide contractors with innovative solutions that make their lives easier.

Customers that have installed FullForce EPDM on projects have provided insight on why the product is so valuable. For example, Steve Hoekstra, president of Hoekstra Roofing Company, noted the product's efficiency right away. 

"Our whole team was immediately impressed by the installation speed and efficiency of [FullForce], as well as how easy it was to handle the product." With FullForce, "we are able to lay more squares in a day, allowing us to complete more projects in a season and take on new business we couldn't take on before," Hoekstra said. See additional comments on FullForce EPDM in this case study and on YouTube. 

As with any newer product, the more information you have, the faster you can take advantage of its benefits. Here we share our best tips and tricks for specifying, applying, and repairing FullForce.

Review the FullForce EPDM Application Guide for complete installation instructions.

There's no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to commercial roofing products. You have to recommend the right solution for the job. Get to know your building owner or property decision-maker, and keep these simple tips in mind for when to recommend FullForce. 

On your first FullForce job, make sure you install at least 10,000 sq ft.

It's best to do an entire job to understand the benefits of FullForce. Doing a full job not only enables you to see how quickly your crew can master the installation, but it will give you and your estimator a full comparison to understand how much faster the process is from start to finish. For reference, most first trials start with 20,000-30,000 sq. ft. That said, FullForce has installed in jobs as small as 500 sq. ft. and as large as over 1,000,000 sq. ft. 

Recommend when a building needs to stay occupied and operational during installation.

FullForce has zero VOCs and no odor, making it ideal for occupied buildings and sensitive environments like hospitals and schools. The adhesive is applied in a controlled environment at a manufacturing facility. It is less dependent on on-site conditions, which results in higher confidence in the workmanship.

Recommend when time and labor savings are a priority. 

When you save money on time and labor, you can invest more in your business and crew. FullForce EPDM can be installed more than four times faster* than standard adhered EPDM and reduce man hours up to 77% on membrane installation.** 

Recommend for warranted repairs. 

If you want your repair and service crew to cover more ground, FullForce EPDM may be used to repair cuts, punctures, and other isolated instances of membrane damage on approved EPDM systems. Membrane repairs may be as small as 6" x 6". Or, if a warranted EPDM system sustains more than six punctures in any 100 sq. ft. area, the entire area can be overlaid with a new membrane, such as FullForce EPDM. See the full repair guidelines. 

Recommend for complex roofs. 

FullForce EPDM can simplify installation on complex roofs and even smaller roofs thanks to 10 x 50 rolls. With factory-applied self-adhering adhesive, FullForce not only speeds up the seaming in the field of the membrane, but it also simplifies and accelerates projects with lots of curbs and penetrations. 

Conventional EPDM curb wrapping requires significant preparation of the selvage edge, including measuring, cutting, aligning, and installing seam tape for all field and vertical laps. Because FullForce does not require seam tape, wrapping a curb using FullForce can be done using a single-piece section. And because the adhesive is factory applied, there is less to worry about.

How about a complex roof with moisture issues? FullForce seams resist ponding water and water intrusion exceptionally well. The membrane aced both the FM 4470 and 4.5 Leakage Resistance Test where FM tests in accordance with ASTM D7281 "Standard Test Method for Determining Water Migration Through Roof Membranes." It also passed all FM requirements for water resistance.

Remember — FullForce installs 4.6x faster* than a standard EPDM membrane and can reduce man hours up to 77% on membrane installation**. Maximize this benefit by making the most of your application.

Picking a Primer

While the installer can use any of the approved primers with FullForce, each primer has different strengths and benefits to suit different applications. This allows the contractor to best choose what fits their operation by either ordering the best primer for each application to get the most out of their crew or opting for simplicity/versatility by using one type for the whole job.

For detail work and fast completion of individual rolls, use QuickPrime™ Plus or QuickPrime™ Plus LVOC. 

These primers have great tack-back, which is helpful in detail work for holding back the membrane when preparing the lap surfaces or substrate. Quick Prime Plus is also a fast drying primer which may be ideal for speedier completion of individual rolls.

For priming large areas, use Single-Ply QuickPrime or Single-Ply QuickPrimer LVOC. 

These primers have less tack-back, which helps avoid any catching or snagging of the release liner during removal. Also, once seams are rolled in, some installers find it helpful to do the pre-sealant priming in long stretches. For this application, it is useful to use a primer that is not subject to a working window where the primer can be too wet or too dry. Single-Ply QuickPrimers are ready when they are simply dry to the touch and cannot be too wet or too dry. In fact, the drier it is, the better it works. This makes it ideal for priming large areas all at once.  

Working with Sealant 

Match your caulk and caulk gun with the application. 

Tooling of the sealant is not needed with FullForce Sealant as it's self-leveling. For the best consistency of flow, cut the caulking tip at ¼" at an angle.

Choose your caulking gun appropriately — for seams and larger details, a battery-operated caulk gun ensures a fast application. But for horizontal seams or edges on walls, consider using a manual caulk gun for more flow control. This will help reduce the risk of over-application, which may cause the sealant to run and produce a less aesthetic appearance. Want to apply more sealant with fewer cartridges? FullForce sealant now comes in 28.2 oz. (0.83 L) cartridges.

Apply sealant at the end of a shift. 

Pending weather conditions, FullForce Sealant can take up to 4 hours to fully dry. To reduce the risk of smearing the sealant during work, installers may apply the sealant at the end of the shift. But note, FullForce Sealant must be applied to all seam and flashing edges by the end of each working day. If an emergency situation such as inclement weather is threatening, Elevate Primer can be applied to the edge of the membrane splice before leaving the project. 

During Installation

Save scrap pieces! 

Because SecureBond adhesive is used throughout the entire underside of the FullForce membrane, virtually all of the material can be used in one way or another, such as wrapping curbs, cutting t-patches for detail work, fixing punctures caused by other trades, and many more!

Review the FullForce EPDM Application Guide for complete installation instructions.

Now use your scrap pieces!

Any piece of FullForce EPDM can be cut and used for field or detail applications, but did you know that FullForce is also approved for warranted repair on adhered EPDM systems? 

Membrane repairs may be as small as 6" x 6". Or, if a warranted EPDM system sustains more than six punctures in any 100 sq. ft. area, the entire area can be overlaid with a new membrane, such as FullForce EPDM.

There is no maximum size limitation on a repair using FullForce EPDM provided that overlapping sheets of FullForce EPDM are installed according to Elevate technical requirements. Special attention is needed when repairs with FullForce EPDM cross-over seams in the existing EPDM membrane. 

FullForce EPDM is not approved for repairs to seams, corners, or for repairs to vertical surfaces. FullForce EPDM is not approved for complete Re-Skin applications at this time. See the RubberGard EPDM Applications Guide or FullForce Application Guide for further details.

Find a Elevate Sales Rep near you for more information about FullForce. From quote to project completion, we're your resource for roofing and building solutions.