Polyglass

Polyglass is a manufacturer of modified-bitumen roofing membranes, self-adhered underlayments, roof coatings and waterproofing. The company began in Italy, where its first plant was built in 1972 at Ponte di Piave, north of Venice. The Italian adhesives and building-chemicals group Mapei acquired Polyglass in 2008. Its US subsidiary, Polyglass U.S.A., has been headquartered in Deerfield Beach, Florida since 2010.

Parent company

Mapei was founded in Milan in 1937 by Rodolfo Squinzi and is controlled by the Squinzi family. It makes adhesives, sealants and chemical products for construction, and Polyglass's US range also includes Mapei-branded products such as Mapeplan and Mapethene.

US manufacturing

Polyglass U.S.A. lists six US manufacturing facilities: two in Fernley, Nevada, and one each in Hazleton, Pennsylvania; Winter Haven, Florida; Waco, Texas; and Phoenix, Arizona.

Products

• Modified-bitumen membranes: APP (atactic polypropylene) and SBS (styrene-butadiene-styrene) sheets, including self-adhered and fire-resistant versions, base sheets and felts.
• Underlayments: the Polystick line of self-adhered underlayments for steep-slope roofs.
• Single-ply PVC membranes and adhesives.
• Coatings: elastomeric and asphaltic roof coatings and PMMA liquid systems.
• Waterproofing, air and vapour barriers, insulation, cover boards, edge metal, fasteners and sealants.

The company serves both low-slope commercial and steep-slope residential markets, a combination common among modified-bitumen manufacturers because self-adhered bitumen underlayments share technology with commercial membranes.

APP and SBS

APP-modified membranes are usually torch-applied or heat-welded and are relatively stiff, while SBS-modified membranes stay flexible at low temperatures and can be set in hot asphalt, cold adhesive or supplied as self-adhered sheets.