Link Centre

In 2001, a group of local citizens formed a non-profit organization and bought the Harrisburg Baptist Church — which included the church proper, as well as support buildings of various ages and styles — and created the Link Centre of Tupelo, MS. Called one of Mississippi’s most creative collaborative efforts, Link Centre serves as a community resource for concerts, screenings, workshops, seminars, businesses, community services, and much more.

The challenges

The buildings that comprise the Link Centre were topped by a wide variety of roofing technologies, all in varying states of disrepair, little sign of ongoing maintenance prior to purchase, and with separate guarantees — some of which had expired. Approximately 60% of the roof was aged PVC, with the remaining a mix of adhered and ballasted EPDM. For a series of roofs this diverse and complex, proper preparation was as vital as ever. RiverLand Roofing — a GAF Commercial GoldElite and CoatingsPro + contractor* — deployed GAF QuickMeasure and thermal imagery to make sure they understood exactly what they were taking on.

At the initial inspection, they found:

• Two PVC roof systems had aged out of both their guarantees and expected performance. The damaged membrane was leaking, and the roofs showed signs of red algae.
• A fully adhered EPDM section required attention at penetrations and scuppers.
• A ballasted EPDM section had no coverboard below, which would have to be addressed before installing solar equipment.
• All of the roof systems also suffered from leaking penetrations and clogged scuppers.

The Link Centre asked for a single roofing membrane with a single, comprehensive system guarantee, that would be robust enough to support future installation of solar photovoltaic equipment.

Finally, Tupelo was entering its rainy season. Any work had to be done quickly and efficiently to protect ongoing access to the Centre’s community resources.

The solution

RiverLand recommended a GAF High Solids Silicone roofing system.

Billy Landes, President and Managing Partner of RiverLand Roofing, explained the decision: “To meet the client’s performance and budgetary goals, we specified a GAF Fluid-Applied Roofing System using GAF High Solids Silicone. This approach allowed for adaptation to the different substrates and conditions while maintaining system integrity and uniformity.”

Creating a singular membrane solution required three different, system-specific roofing approaches:

1. Aged PVC Roofs
The RiverLand crew cleaned the entire surface with GAF Cleaning Concentrate, addressed damaged areas of the membrane, and rebuilt the wall scuppers to enhance drainage. To inhibit plasticizer migration from the PVC, they applied GAF Multipurpose Primer. They finished with GAF High Solids Silicone using spray rigs and backrolling create a seamless, watertight membrane
2. Fully Adhered EPDM Roof
After cleaning and activating the EPDM surface with GAF EPDM Activator Cleaner and Primer, the team focused on sealing penetrations and repairing/rebuilding scupper areas. As with the PVC section, they then applied GAF High Solids Silicone for full coverage and waterproofing.
3. Ballasted (gravel overburden) EPDM Roof
After removing the gravel with a vacuum truck, the team cleaned the walls and made relief cuts in the EPDM membrane. To help create a durable surface to support future installation of solar equipment, they installed mechanically fastened DensDeck roof board as a new substrate. This section required a hybrid waterproofing system comprised of a base coat of GAF Premium Acrylic Hydrostop Base Coat, embedded with 40 inch-wide GAF Premium Fabric. The full fabric allowed them to bridge their seams and create layers of adhesion and protection. They covered this with a layer of GAF Acrylic Base Coat, finished with GAF High Solids Silicone.

In addition to the seamless silicone restoration, RiverLand Roofing upgraded a number of components, including replacing Mechanical Unit Sleepers with new 4x4s wrapped in TPO to serve as protective slip sheets, and enhancing gas line supports with PVC risers to elevate the piping and prevent contact with the roofing surface. Click here to download the full project profile and explore in detail the three system-specific approaches behind the singular membrane solution.

The whole job was done in just three weeks, despite the rainy weather. “We managed day to day based on avoiding disruption,” said Billy Landes. “The silicone worked out really well despite the rainy season because of its fast cure, and the acrylic (used on the previously ballasted EPDM section) held with a day of curing into rain.”

RiverLand included two years of free maintenance, and the GAF Silicone Roof System is renewable, which will help the Link Centre extend its warranty and potentially protect its budgets.

The outcome

“This comprehensive solution effectively tied together multiple disparate roof types into a cohesive, warrantable, high-performance system,” said Landes. “The GAF High Solids Silicone application ensures long-term durability, UV resistance, and the capability to support ballasted solar installations across the entire roof deck.”

And Link Centre Executive Director Melanie Deas was pleased with how choosing the GAF High Solids Silicone Fluid-Applied System helped the Centre honor its responsibility to protect the building complex while staying on budget.