Restaurants & Bars: Flat Roof Repair & Replacement
Most Pittsburgh restaurants sit in older brick buildings on neighborhood business streets, often with apartments above and a flat roof that was never meant to handle a commercial kitchen. The exhaust fan blows grease onto that roof every day, and grease softens rubber and asphalt until the membrane swells, splits and leaks, usually right over the kitchen. Add make-up air units, a walk-in condenser and service techs crossing the roof, and the area around the fans wears out years before the rest. We repair the damaged section with a grease-resistant membrane, add containment at the fan, and schedule the work before you open.
What matters on these roofs
Grease at the exhaust fan
Cooking grease breaks down EPDM and asphalt roofs. A PVC section around the fan, tied into the existing roof, plus grease containment, stops the cycle.
Apartments or offices above
In mixed-use buildings the roof may sit two floors above the restaurant, but the leak still finds the kitchen. We trace it down through the building.
Rooftop equipment traffic
Exhaust fans, make-up air units and condensers each need their own curb flashing, and walk pads keep service crews from wearing holes between them.
Working before you open
Roof work runs in the morning before service or on a closed day, with nothing over the patio, the door or the sidewalk seating.
The services these buildings use most
Restaurants & Bars roofing — FAQs
Grease. It softens and swells most roofing membranes. The repair needs a grease-resistant membrane such as PVC there. See PVC roofing.
Usually not. Replacing the damaged section around the fans and adding containment is often the better value if the rest of the roof is sound.
Yes. Most work is done before service or on a closed day, and any exhaust fan shutdown is planned with you.