Torch down and modified bitumen roofing in Los Angeles
The torch down roofing Los Angeles homes and small buildings have relied on for forty years, installed and repaired by a crew that's done it for three generations. What it is, what it's good at, where it fails, and when to replace it with more of the same.
License #1131531. Bonded and insured. 1 year guarantee on our work.
Get a free torch down estimate
A crew lead walks the roof, tells you whether it's a repair or a replacement, and prices it in writing. We call you back within one business hour.
What torch down roofing actually is
Torch down is the roofer's name for modified bitumen. Asphalt, modified with rubber or plastic so it stays flexible, made into rolls with a fabric core, and applied to a flat roof by heating the underside with a propane torch until it melts and bonds. A base sheet goes down first, then a cap sheet with mineral granules on top that takes the sun.
Los Angeles has a lot of it because from the seventies on, nearly every flat roofed addition, garage, duplex and small commercial building got one. If you have a flat roof on an older home in Inglewood or the South Bay and don't know what it is, it's probably torch down.
Also called
Modified bitumen, mod bit, APP or SBS
Made of
Asphalt, polymer and a fabric core
Applied by
Torch, or self adhered for SBS
Typical life
15 to 20 years, longer if maintained
Best on
Flat and low slope roofs, homes and small buildings
Cool roof
Yes, with a rated cap sheet
What it's good at, and where it lets you down
We install torch down and TPO both, so this isn't a sales pitch for either. It's what three generations of it on Los Angeles roofs has taught us.
Tough, walkable, fixable
- Takes foot traffic, HVAC techs and dropped tools better than a single ply membrane
- Repairs are simple. A patch torched over a split bonds to the old roof and lasts
- Matches what the neighborhood has, which matters on an addition that meets the old roof
- Granulated cap sheet resists the sun, and a cool roof version meets Title 24
- Costs less than PVC or metal, and about the same as TPO installed
Seams, ponding and the torch
- Every roll has a seam, and seams are where torch down leaks first
- Ponding shortens its life more than it does a single ply roof. Drainage has to be right
- An open flame on a roof is a fire risk during install. Licensed crews run a fire watch. Unlicensed ones are why the system got a bad name
- A black cap sheet gets hot. Choose the cool roof version and the room below thanks you in August
- Heavier than TPO, which matters on an older deck
Repair it, or replace it?
Torch down roof repair is one of the easiest repairs in roofing when the roof is sound. Torch down roof replacement is the honest answer when it isn't. Here's how we tell them apart.
Splits, seams and blisters in one area
A split cap sheet, an open seam, a blister or a failed flashing. Cut out, patch torched in, granules matched. Done in a visit, guaranteed for a year. See roof repair.
Worn all over, but dry underneath
Chalky, cracked at the surface, seams needing attention, but the layers below are dry. Seams fixed, ponding solved, then a silicone coating for years more. See restoration and coatings.
Failed everywhere, or wet below
Alligatoring across the roof, repeated leaks in new places, wet insulation, or two roofs on the deck already. A new torch down roof, or TPO if the roof ponds, with the drainage fixed this time.
Emergency tarp going on
Leak stopped at the source
Storm damage before repair
Built on family.
Backed by community.
Reviews of a Los Angeles roofing company should be public and unedited. Ours come live from Google.
Torch down or TPO? The question every flat roof owner asks
Both are good flat roofs. They're good at different things, and the modified bitumen roofing Los Angeles homes have had for decades is not automatically the one to put back.
Choose torch down when
- The roof is an addition or a section that meets an existing torch down roof
- It gets foot traffic, or there's equipment on it that gets serviced
- You want a roof any roofer in the neighborhood can patch in twenty years
- The deck can take the weight and the roof drains
Choose TPO when
- The roof ponds and the drainage can't be fully fixed
- You want the cool roof credit without choosing a special cap sheet
- Weight matters, on an older deck or a large span
- It's a commercial roof over a large area, where welded seams and a lighter membrane earn their keep
Weighing the two on your own roof? Read modified bitumen versus TPO, or ask us to price both on the same estimate.
Cool roof cap sheets
Los Angeles requires cool roof rated material on most replacements. For torch down that means a cap sheet with reflective granules or a factory white surface instead of the old black one. Same roof, cooler house. How Title 24 works
What a licensed torch install looks like
A torch is an open flame on a roof. A licensed crew keeps a fire extinguisher at the torch, checks for combustibles under the deck and at the edges, and stays on the roof after the last torch for a fire watch before anyone leaves. That's how we do every one.
When no torch is the right call
On some roofs, over wood, near vents, or where a flame is the wrong idea, SBS modified bitumen goes down self adhered or cold applied. Same material, no fire. We'll tell you which your roof needs.
How a torch down job runs
Four steps, whether it's a patch or the whole roof.
Walk the roof
A crew lead checks the seams, the drains, every flashing and the cap sheet, looks for ponding marks, and photographs it all.
Repair, coat or replace, in writing
The honest option first, with the others priced beside it, and TPO beside torch down if both fit.
The work, with a fire watch
Base sheet, cap sheet, every seam rolled and checked, flashings torched in, and the fire watch before we leave.
Handover and guarantee
Photos, the cap sheet's cool roof documentation for the permit, and the 1 year guarantee on the work.
What torch down roofing costs in Los Angeles
The torch down roofing Los Angeles homeowners price with us is three different jobs with three different numbers. Here's what moves each one.
- Repair. How many seams and splits, and whether the layers below are wet. One patch is a small job. A roof full of them is a conversation about coating or replacing.
- Coating. Roof size and how much seam and ponding work comes first. A fraction of a new roof.
- Replacement. Size, whether the old roof comes off or a new one goes over it, the cap sheet you choose, and the drains and tapered fill needed so the new roof doesn't pond like the old one.
- Penetrations. Every vent, pipe and HVAC unit is flashed and torched in. More of them, more time.
- Access and fire watch. Height, parapets, and the extra care a torch needs near wood or vents.
Every estimate is free, in writing, with photos, and shows torch down and TPO side by side when both fit the roof. Read flat roof options for Los Angeles for the full comparison.
Torch down roofing near you
Our office is on La Brea Avenue in Inglewood, where many of the flat roofs in the city are torch down and a lot of them are due. From there we cover the South Bay, the Westside and most of Los Angeles, and the torch down roofing Los Angeles homeowners book with us is usually a short drive for the crew. If you searched torch down roofing near me from Hawthorne, Gardena or Culver City, we're the local one.
- Inglewood, our home base
- Culver City
- Gardena
Torch down questions we get asked most
What is torch down roofing?
Torch down is modified bitumen roofing. Asphalt made flexible with rubber or plastic, rolled out on a flat roof and bonded by heating it with a propane torch, in a base sheet and a granulated cap sheet. It's the flat roof on most older Los Angeles additions, garages, duplexes and small buildings, and it lasts 15 to 20 years when it's looked after.
How long does a torch down roof last?
15 to 20 years in Los Angeles, and longer if the drains are kept clear and the seams get resealed when they need it. A roof that ponds or gets walked on without care can be done in ten.
Is torch down safe? It's an open flame on my roof.
In licensed hands, yes. A fire extinguisher stays at the torch, the crew checks for anything combustible under the deck and at the edges, and someone stays on the roof for a fire watch after the last torch. Where a flame is the wrong idea, the same material goes down self adhered. The fires you've heard about are what happens without those steps.
Can a torch down roof be repaired?
Yes, and it's one of the easiest roofs to repair well. A patch torched over a split or an open seam bonds to the old roof and lasts. The question is only whether the roof around the repair is sound, which the inspection answers.
Torch down or TPO?
Torch down if the roof drains, gets walked on, or meets an existing torch down section. TPO if it ponds, if weight matters, or if it's a large commercial roof. We price both when both fit. Read modified bitumen versus TPO.
Does torch down count as a cool roof for Title 24?
With a rated cap sheet, yes. Reflective granules or a factory white surface instead of the traditional black. It's the version we install on replacements in Los Angeles because the code asks for it, and because the house is cooler.
Can I coat my torch down roof instead of replacing it?
If the layers below are dry and the cap sheet is worn but not failed, yes. Seams and ponding fixed first, then silicone or elastomeric over the whole roof. See restoration and coatings.
How much does a torch down roof cost?
It depends on whether it's a repair, a coating or a replacement, then on size, penetrations, drainage work and the cap sheet. Every estimate is free, in writing, with the options side by side.
The flat roof your neighborhood was built with, done properly
Get a free torch down estimate. A crew lead walks the roof, tells you whether it's a patch, a coating or a new roof, and prices TPO beside it if that's the better call.