Article reprinted from Western Roofing magazine Jan/Feb 2008.

Sportsman’s Outlet

Underlayment Eases Installation of Huge Sportsman’s Outlet Roof in Mesa, Ariz.

by Harry Schmitz, Kellen Communications

The 80,000 square-foot roof on the Bass Pro Shop in Mesa, Ariz., was no small project. Started in 1974, Bass Pro Shops has outlets nationwide and carries just about everything imaginable for the fishing enthusiast. Additionally, they also handle hunting, camping, and marine supplies as well. These are no small stores, and the Mesa store is no exception. In addition to the sheer size of the project, the roof is a steep-slope that rises to five stories at its peak. To help make this project run smoothly, the roofing contractor required materials that helped, rather than hinder the crews in their operation. An underlayment that went down easily and aided foot-traction on steep-slope environments would fit the bill for this project.

One of the first to adopt the new asphalt-saturated polyester underlayment from Tarco is Western Single Ply Arizona. General manager Onnie Diaz, estimator/project manager Jared Smith and project and operations manager Jim Bradigan evaluated several types of new underlayments and concluded that EasyLay (tm) was exactly the right product for use on a Bass Pro Shops retail store, which Western Single Ply had contracted to roof. As the management team of WSP Arizona they were responsible for evaluating the roofing materials. Faced with roofing a very large, steep-sloped commercial building, they sought an underlayment product that would make the work easier on the men. Typically, for steep-slope commercial buildings, they used conventional 30# underlayment but this project was different and so they wanted to try something different.

First of all, this building had a steep slope and so Diaz sought a product with high traction. Secondly, the building was located in Mesa, Arizona, outside of Phoenix, which is noted for the high winds that blow through it, so he sought a product that would be easy to handle in such conditions. “The Bass Pro roof was 50’ above the ground at its highest point and had a slope of 8” to 10” per 12”,” said Diaz. “That’s a really steep slope for this area. Although our men would be tied off, they still needed something that they could get footing on, or they just wouldn’t be able to work effectively.

“The Bass Pro store is situated in the ‘valley of the sun.’ There is a lot of wind down in the valley,” added Diaz. “The wind was an important factor because we needed a product that would be easy to handle in the wind.”

Once he decided to try something different, Diaz first did what any practical-minded roofing contractor would do. He called up local sales representatives who provided him with product samples. The team built several mockups of roofs having the same slope as the planned Bass Pro project. He tested three products from different companies in this manner.

“It was easy to see right away that the EasyLay product offered better traction. We installed the EasyLay asphalt side down and it really grabbed the OSB. It had the right weight and the tackiness grabbed hold firmly, almost like Velcro. The fleece on the other side provided a good surface for walking on,” said Diaz. “On the other hand, the synthetic felts that we tested tended to be slippery and they were difficult to lay down.”

Tarco EasyLay was the runaway favorite for the Bass Pro job based on this initial evaluation. WSP elected to upgrade to EasyLay at its own cost. “We chose to do it at our own expense for the ease of installation and the safety of our roofers. We did it mainly for our men. However, this upgrade also allowed us to give a ten-year warranty to the customer, which we would not have done if the job was done with conventional 30# felt.”

In particular, for the Bass Pro Shops project, Western Single Ply needed a dry-in material strong enough not to tear out underfoot as roofers walked across the surface carrying equipment and materials. Moreover, the underlayment would need to shed water and not seep through. It had to protect the finished tongue-in-groove deck for several weeks, until all the other trades could complete their assignments and move off the deck, at which point the synthetic slate could be installed.

According to Diaz, the fact that EasyLay can be left exposed for extended periods of time made the installation much easier than it otherwise might have been. “We don’t get a lot of rain in Arizona but when it does rain we have heavy downpours. It is not unusual for us to get a half inch or more of rain in one downpour.”

He explained that the Bass Pro roof was 80,000 square feet. His crew tackled the project in increments up to 16,000 square feet, which could end up being exposed for up to a month before a tile roof was fully installed on top of the underlayment.

Working on the steep roof with the EasyLay product, a crew of six to eight men could install about 6,000 to 8,000 square feet per day. Once the underlayment was installed, that portion of the building could be considered dry and the other trades could begin working inside the building. Therefore, the use of EasyLay had some unexpected benefits for the general contractor. It made it much easier to coordinate construction schedules.

According to Diaz, the underlayment could be installed very quickly and then the roofers could spend 30 days or more installing the tiles. Synthetic slate (plastic) tile from DaVinci was used on the Bass Pro Shops store to give it the appearance of a hunting lodge, which is apropos for a retailer of sporting goods.

“We typically expect problems on a large job such as this, but EasyLay made everything go much smoother,” said Diaz. “For example, if one of the roofers forgets to nail the bottom edge, the products would just flop in the wind but not tear or blow off. The conventional felts would have just blown off the roof in that case, but the problem was easily fixable with the EasyLay. It rolls out on steep slopes with ease and is a bit heavier so it stays where you put it. Other products would slide,” he added. “You could lay out the EasyLay product and it grabs yet you can move it if necessary.”

Diaz explained also that the EasyLay product is very easy to nail. “When the nails puncture the EasyLay product, you tend to get a gasket-type hole. It is like driving an ice pick into vinyl. With synthetic felts the holes tend to get bigger when the underlayment moves around but that didn’t seem to happen with EasyLay. With conventional felts, the material tends to tear, but again that does not happen with EasyLay.” The nailability of EasyLay helped WSP meet its dry-in schedule with ease.

According to Diaz, his most important customer is the general contractor and building owners. He explains that if he can get his job done without interfering with the construction on the building as a whole, and with a minimum of repairs needed, then the general contractor and building owners are satisfied and Western Single Ply can develop a reputation as a professional company that can deliver what it promises. For this reason, Diaz is recommending the use of EasyLay to all of WSP’s general managers.

Although Diaz chose EasyLay initially for its ease of use on steep slopes and under windy conditions, he says that he would recommend EasyLay for any steep-sloped roof where the roof will be exposed prior to laying down the tiles; and also he would recommend EasyLay for any job where there is a warranty.” •••