CEMENT/CONCRETE uses reinforcement materials such as stone, aggregate, steel bars and steel mesh to add strength to the concrete or cement. In roofing, the polyester (POLARA®) is added to the asphalt to reinforce it. Asphalt alone would crack and deteriorate quickly if not reinforced.

In the past, around the turn of the century, paper, wood pulp and cotton rag were made into rolls saturated with asphalt at the plant, then used on a roof in multilayers with hot asphalt between each layer. Multilayers were needed to add as much strength as possible. This type of roofing felt was used until after World War II. Then cotton rag became scarce due to synthetic fibers. At that time, manufacturers to recycled newspaper and wood pulp, but little or no cotton rag. This type of felt experienced many problems. Splitting of the roof was the most common.

Asbestos felts introduced in the 1930's became the new generation of reinforcement and performed very well. They were inorganic and did not need any stone topping to protect them from ultraviolet rays of the sun. Of course, they are nonexistent due to the carcinogen effect of asbestos.

To replace asbestos, fiberglass was introduced. Fiberglass is inorganic, readily available and can be woven into a roofing felt and saturated with asphalt quite easily. However, fiberglass is not pliable and asphalt does not adhere to the fibers easily. These fibers are held together during manufacture using organic binders that breakdown exposure.

The memory of the fiberglass is also detrimental, causing fishmouths and blisters in a roof covering. Although fiberglass has more strength than its predecessors, splitting is still the common cause of roof failure.

We have found in POLARA®, the perfect reinforcement for asphalt. Using a non-woven polyester which is specially treated with binder resins to allow the polyester to be combined with 500-degree asphalt without melting or losing its properties, polyester has strengths hundreds of times greater than fiberglass and far exceeds the stress it will encounter on a flat roof. Hot asphalts are attracted to the millions of tiny fibers in polyester and actually heat weld themselves together to form a uniform, waterproof membrane over the entire roof.

As I mentioned earlier in this letter, asphalt must be protected from sunlight. Black asphalt surfaces are detrimental to the longevity of a roof. Hageman Roofing Company has perfected a coating system superior to any in the roofing industry. We use mastic that is perfectly formulated to adhere to our POLARA® membrane and adhere a ceramic granule surfacing to the surface. Monsey Baker formulates the mastics for us. The ceramic surfacing is manufactured by the 3M Company.

By combining the two, the inorganic ceramic surfacing will indefinitely protect the POLARA® and asphalt from sunlight deterioration. A beneficial feature of this surfacing is the added life it affords the roofing system.

P.S. The U.S. Government considers our system so unique; it has issued Patent Nos. 4,521,478, 4,599,258 and 4,837,095.