KTLA Mount Wilson

When a roof absolutely positively cannot leak, what are you going to use?

Last winter on rainy afternoon, Century Roofing got a frantic call from KTLA about a leaking roof on top of Mount Wilson. The building that housed the electronic equipment next to their broadcasting antenna was leaking. If the equipment inside got wet it could blow out their signal, knocking them off the air. Working into the night, temporary repairs were made.

When it rains a couple of inches in the valleys, Mount Wilson can get up to eight inches of rain or even several feet of snow. The weather up there is very unpredictable and can be very extreme. Something had to be done.

KTLA was familiar with a very durable reinforced roof maintenance system that had been applied on several of their stages. Century Roofing had introduced them to this procedure several years earlier and it worked so well that KTLA had it applied on most of the flat roofs on the studio lot.

Polyester & Rubberized Emulsion for an extra tough roof

It was agreed that a special system designed for harsh conditions would be used on the building on the mountain. The system uses rubberized emulsion, polyester ply sheets and a white acrylic coating applied in two coats.

The roof had an overhead deck covered with an ice shield making it tough to work on the roof.  The workers had to labor in a crouching position to get the job done.  Rock in the valleys of the roof had to be spudded off and primed before the emulsion maintenance system could be installed.

Flashings were primed and two layers of an elastomeric compound and polyester were applied.  The drains on the roof were cut back and a lead sheet that would allow expansion and contraction was installed.   Rubberized elastomeric cement was applied and two layers of soft polyester embedded into the rubbery material around the drains.

Six gallons per 100 square feet of rubberized emulsion was applied to the roof deck followed by one layer of polyester.  This process was repeated for a total of two layers. A final coating of six gallons per 100 square feet of rubberized emulsion completed this phase of the job.

After the rubberized roof cured, Acu-Flex white acrylic coating was applied.  The acrylic coating blocks 100% of the suns UV rays and protects the new system from the high altitude sun.  It will also stretch along with the rubberized material underneath, giving the roof flexibility.