Protecting the Aisles: Inside a Major Commercial Reroof Transformation in Forest City, NC
For commercial properties and major retailers like Food Lion, a secure, energy-efficient roof is the first line of defense for protecting daily operations and inventory inside of this grocery store. Recently, the team at WNC Roofing engineered a reroofing project for the Food Lion facility located at 668 S Broadway St in Forest City, North Carolina.
This project needed a complete restoration designed to address aging substrate layers, and upgrading this facility to modern commercial roof standards. Let’s look at how this flat roof system is being transformed into an energy-saving, watertight shield.
Project Overview: The Quick Facts
Client: Food Lion (Forest City, NC)
Contractor: WNC Roofing, LLC
Primary Material: Carlisle White 60 Mil TPO Membrane
Insulation Design: Two layers of 1.5″ Polyiso insulation with staggered joints
Warranty Coverage: 20-Year Carlisle Material and Workmanship NDL Warranty
Engineering a Better Roof: Step-by-Step
Commercial flat roofs must withstand severe weather, punishing UV rays, and structural movement. For the Forest City facility, WNC Roofing engineered a multi-layered solution tailored to address existing core conditions.
1. Code-Compliant Demolition and Substrate Diagnostics
Before building a new system, the team performed on-site core diagnostics to evaluate the roof’s internal layers. Our samples revealed that portions of the existing insulation on the main roof and lower east roof were moist or completely saturated. Core mapping showed the building had two to three existing roof layers. Because State Building Code explicitly stipulates that a commercial roof structure cannot hold more than two layers, a partial cover-up was out of the question. The crew committed to a complete teardown, removing the old systems entirely down to the bare metal decking to provide a clean, legally compliant foundation.
2. Eliminating Structural Voids
Over time, commercial HVAC needs change, leaving behind unutilized hardware. WNC Roofing identified five abandoned equipment curbs across the roof surface. The crew removed and disposed of these unnecessary units, permanently filling the remaining structural voids with heavy-duty, factory-specified metal “B” decking to restore the roof deck’s integrity.
3. Smart Insulation Layout
Thermal efficiency and moisture control are critical components of a modern flat roof system. The foundation features two layers of 1.5″ Polyiso insulation. To optimize performance, the insulation boards are mechanically fastened using staggered joints. This layout breaks up the continuous linear seams where small board gaps naturally form, directly reducing building heat loss. It also minimizes internal air movement, preventing warm interior air from migrating upward and condensing on the cold underside of the roofing membrane.
4. High-Reflectivity TPO with APeel Protective Film
For the main reflective shield, WNC Roofing specified a premium Carlisle white 60 Mil TPO membrane. White TPO is a popular choice for commercial properties due to its highly reflective, energy-saving properties. However, removing old asphalt-based commercial roofing is an incredibly dirty process that creates heavy airborne debris. To prevent the pristine white TPO from becoming instantly discolored or scuffed during construction, the team utilized APeel Protective Film.
This temporary protective film shields the TPO membrane throughout the entire execution of the job. Once the installation is complete, the film is peeled away, exposing a flawless, max-reflectivity surface from day one.
5. Advanced Edge and Perimeter Engineering
To ensure total building envelope protection, the roof corners and perimeter walls received heavy-duty upgrades:
Tapered Edge Boards: The team installed new 1/2″ x 6″ tapered edge boards along the perimeters to actively direct water flow away from the roof edges.
Wall Encapsulation: On the front parapet walls, the old membrane and metal edges were stripped. The new TPO membrane runs entirely up the walls, over the top, and 2″ down the exterior face to fully encapsulate and protect the brick structure.
Snap Edge Fascia: The walls and edges are capped with factory-fabricated Snap Edge metal fascia featuring a durable Kynar finish. This specialized system is strictly engineered to meet ANSI/SPRI ES-1 standards for vertical and horizontal wind uplift pressures. It features heavy-duty 22-gauge continuous cleats and color-matched concealed splice plates that naturally adapt to building thermal expansion and contraction without snapping seals.
Built to Last: The 20-Year Promise
A commercial roof is a major asset that demands long-term operational security. Because WNC Roofing is a certified Carlisle installer adhering to strict manufacturer specifications, this configuration includes a 20-Year Carlisle Material and Workmanship Warranty.
Crucially, this is a No Dollar Limit (NDL), Non-Prorated warranty. Unlike standard commercial warranties that depreciate over time, this commercial guarantee covers all Carlisle materials and associated repair labor at a full 100% value for the next two decades.
The installation process follows WNC Roofing’s transparent quality sequence, moving from a rigorous pre-construction staging alignment to comprehensive weekly quality inspections. The build concludes with a full-site deep clean and a final walkthrough alongside both a building representative and the City Building Inspector to ensure total code compliance.
