Top 5 Flat Roof Types in 2025: Benefits, Drawbacks, Best Uses & Ontario Weather Suitability
Introduction
In 2025, flat roofs will be common choice for houses as well as businesses. They are easy to make than sloped roofs, provide a more modern look, and can even be made as more space (such as a sitting area or roof garden). But not every flat roof looks same.
Because of Ontario’s weather, that includes big snow dams, cycles of freezing and melting, and rainfall, flat roofs are built to last and have necessary water to drain. In Ontario, the following five main types of flat roofs are commonly used:
1. Built-Up Roofing (BUR)
a) Description: It includes a few layers of asphalt (coal tar or concrete), separated with supporting fabrics, and completed using sand or a glossy layer.
b) Advantages: Great lasting power and waterproof.
c) Common Use: Industrial and commercial buildings.
d) Weather Suitability: Several layers allow for good handling of heavy snowfall.
e) Disadvantages: Because BUR usually includes hot tar, which increases labor costs, installation can be difficult and messy. If the roof is not properly well-ventilated moisture can trapped between each layer may cause damage over time.
2. Modified Rubber Roofing
a) Description: This type of roofing is based on bitumen, advanced and made more flexible by adding modifiers like SBS (styrene-butadiene-styrene) or APP (atactic polypropylene).
b) Advantages: Easy to fix, good durability against changes in temperature.
c) Common Use: Residential and commercial buildings.
d) Climate Suitability: Adjusts well to the cycles of snow and ice in Ontario.
e) Disadvantages: If the joints between the sheets are not correctly sealed or organized, they might weaken over time and possibly start to leak.
3. PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) Roofing
a) Description: It made of molded PVC, this single-ply surface is commonly utilized for flat and low-slope commercial roofs.
b) Advantages: Reflective, fireproof, chemically resilient, and strong.
c) Common Use: Roofs of businesses or industries where contact with chemicals can happen.
d) Climate Suitability: Although it does well in Ontario, it could age and harden in colder climates if carelessly maintained.
e) Disadvantages: PVC roofing is higher in price than options like modified asphalt or TPO, PVC roofing is also hard to repair when its time of use is over.
4. TPO Roofing
a) Description: A single-layer reflective material made from ethylene-propylene and polypropylene rubber.
b) Advantages: Reflective and energy-efficient, mildew and puncture-resistant.
c) Common Use: Energy-efficient industrial roofs.
d) Climate Suitability: Good, but need power in freezing and unfreezing conditions, to professionally installed.
e) Disadvantages: As compared to other roofs, its ability to last is less widely known as it is just a relatively new material. As time passes, it might shrink, which might result in leaks or cracks.
5. Metal Roofing (Flat or Low-Slope Systems)
a) Description: Steel or aluminum metal sheets that are flat or low slope are usually covered to stop rust.
b) Advantages: Very strong, resistant to weather and fire, absorbs snow quickly, and runs 40 to 50 years.
c) Common Use: A long-lasting, easy to maintain flat roof is necessary for both residential and commercial buildings.
d) Climate Suitability: Because metal reflects sunlight, it helps lower costs of cooling in the summer.
e) Disadvantages: Metal roofing are one of the most expensive flat roofing options. If insulation isn’t installed, they may also make noise during hailstorms or rain.
Conclusion
Flat roofs are a top choice for homes and businesses in Ontario in 2025. Each type—BUR, TPO, PVC, Modified Rubber, and Metal—offers different benefits. BUR and Metal roofs are strong and work well in heavy snow. TPO and PVC are energy-efficient and great for all weather. Modified Rubber is flexible, easy to repair, and handles temperature changes. Select the ideal flat roof for what you need and work with a local roofing expert to get the best results.