Restore or Replace
Nile West High School’s Field House Wins
by Gail-Marie Schneider

 Safety is a high priority for any school.  For Niles West High School, safety was compromised because the track and field house had a wet floor anytime it rained.  The massive standing-seam, barrel-curved, metal roof leaked in so many places that the school needed to find a quick and final solution to the problem, so they turned to the experts at Hutchinson Design Group, an architectural firm, for their expertise. 

         Tom Varga, senior roof consultant for Hutchinson, believed with the right product and contractor, the roof could be restored during the summer break at a fraction of the cost associated with replacing the roof or covering it with a single-ply membrane.  However, the large size of the roof, the short length of the summer break, and the promise of rain and heat delays would require exacting execution.  A reliable product that could be put down quickly and a contractor capable of such execution had to be researched, confirmed, and used.

         “We had a serious situation on our hands and knew we had to address it quickly and efficiently while being budget conscious,” stated Jerzy Fiemienski, building facility manager for the school district.  “The field house is a newer facility and we didn’t want to compromise the integrity of the structure.”  Fiemienski, who was familiar with the benefits of Eternabond products, recommended Eternabond RoofSeal(TM) tape for use on the roof.

         “Based on the district’s interest in RoofSeal, we did our research and collectively decided Eternabond was the best alternative,” Varga commented.

         Knickerbocker Roofing Co., Inc., was chosen to handle the roof restoration.  As expected, the summer heat was intense, and at one hot stretch the metal roof was so hot that the work had to be delayed.  Yet the heat was not a deterrent in using the RoofSeal, as the tapes are stable from -70°F to over 300°F, and are self-priming, eliminating one timely, costly, and in hot weather, dangerous step.  The “wetting” action of the microsealant allows RoofSeal to fuse to any surface on which it is being installed making a flexible, environmentally stable, watertight seal.  The Niles West roof will experience all weather extremes from intense cold to intense heat, combined with wind, rain, hail, sleet, ice, and snow.

         Knickerbocker devised an efficient “assembly line” type of process for applying the EternaBond tape in a fast, efficient manner.  They started by ordering the RoofSeal in an 8” width, but with the rolls reverse wound microsealant side out, and the release liner slit 3” off one edge.  This allowed the two-man crew to roll out the entire 50’ length of Eternabond tape, fold it in half along the lengthwise split in the release liner and position the fold against the standing seam. 

         Then, with one of the crew at each end holding the length of tape taught, one of the men started to remove the release liner from the half that was facing down, and rubbed the tape to activate the microsealant instant bonding process.  Now with one end securely adhered to the roof, and the second man still pulling the tape taught, the first man was able to remove the rest of the release liner from the side of the Eternabond tape that was facing the roof, rubbing and bonding the rest of the 50’ length to the roof surface.  When they were done, one half of the tape was adhered to the roof and they were free to move to the next seam and repeat the process.  A third mechanic now moved in to finish the installation.

         This mechanic removed the second half of the release liner, carefully folding the Eternabond up and over the standing seam and back down to the roof and smoothed it with his hand to affix it to the surface.  Any bubbles caused by air being trapped under the tape were pierced and folded flat and smooth.

         The final step in the process came when the third mechanic used a hand-held roofing roller to apply pressure to the tape, activating the instant bonding process.  Once the Knickerbocker Roofing team had their system perfected, it took less than 30 minutes to seal 50’ of curved, standing seam roof.  “We can customize the Eternabond tapes for specific applications and conditions to make the installation easier and more efficient,” added Chris Margarites, president of EternaBond, “As a company, we are problem solvers who enjoy challenges.”

         Not only was the application unique, the project was exceptional as over 30,000 linear feet of standing seam was repaired.  “The field house is our largest installation of any EternaBond tape in a single project,” said Mark Moran, Knickerbocker Roofing.

         “We’re so pleased with the results,” commented Fiemienski. “The installation saved the district money by not having to replace the entire roof.” 

         “Utilizing RoofSeal provided roof restoration for a fraction of the cost of a replacement.  EternaBond tapes provide a durable, economical solution to a variety of challenging situations,” confirmed Moran.  “Furthermore, the tape is almost invisible from the ground.”

         The field house restoration was completed shortly after the Niles West student body returned to classes.  And while they may not have been pleased to be hitting the books, they can count on a track and field season that won’t be interrupted by a leaking roof.