New Product Installation: Palmex Roofing

Posted on Dec 2, 2010 in Design Election, Featured | 19 comments

For a week and a half

I have been supervising the removal and replacement of a thatched roof in Coronado, Panama, for I house I wrote about in this post (shown below). It’s been fun to see the transformation happen so quickly, and a great learning experience too.

In case you were wondering: A thatched roof is made from palm tree leaves that sit on top of a series of palm wood braces. Thatched roofs give a tropical feel to any structure, and look pleasantly natural from afar…but they also come with problems that can lead to poor roof coverage (including the attraction of bugs and mites, deterioration caused by climate, leaks due to improper installation and expensive maintenance, etc).

Luckily for the property in question, the thatched roof is purely cosmetic.

Beneath the palm leaves (or pencas as they’re called in Spanish), there is a structurally sound Tejalite (a specific brand of shingle roof) that is waterproof. This means that once the pencas started to show signs of wear and tear, there was no consequence to the gorgeous white leather and ivory terrazzo interior (thank heavens).

The shingle roof underneath is still in great condition, but looks “drab” without the thatched palm treatment. Don’t you love how the palm leaves add a tropical flavour to this modern structure? The fringe overhang really accentuated the glorious A-frame. Without the palms, this is “just another house” on the block.

Since the exposed shingle roof doesn’t create the island oasis ambiance that everyone knows and loves, the solution was simple. The pencas had to be replaced… and thanks to our new friends over at Palmex Panama, construction on the synthetic thatched palm roof had begun.

Palmex is a self-proclaimed Exotic Roofing Producer that was started by some French guys who lived in Tahiti at the time (where thatched roofs are mandated by law). Strangely enough, they moved to Quebec to set up shop near the plastic supplier at the time, and spent their time developing this awesome product in Canada. This product is pretty revolutionary and it’s manufactured in Quebec. Despite the fact that the product is expensive to purchase and difficult to install, it’s pros far out weight its cons.

And here’s why:

• The product will last an incredibly long time. No really, a very long time. As in, 20 – 30 years (but the company has only been producing for 10 years so final durability is still yet to be determined).

• The everlasting palms come with a 20 year guarantee and warranty. They will discolour and lighten in the sun at a rate of 1% per year (which is very minimal) thanks to UV-protection technology.

• The leaves themselves are made from polyethylene – which means all the endangered Pala Palas, Pandanus and Palma Cana trees from which natural leaves are harvested will get to live another day! Also, since the synthetic product will last so much longer than the natural leaves, one will save on resources involved in the removal and replacement process. An eco-considerate notion!

• The palms are 100% recyclable once they are removed from a structure.

The Palmex installation process took a little bit longer than it usually does because it was discovered that the product could not be stapled into the roof. The original shingles were too dry and fragile – any stapling would cause cracking, which leads to leaks. NOT GOOD.

The alternative installation method included a tedious amount of manual labour involving small screws. The screws were added to the long, flat portion of the product, which eventually gets covered by another palm sheet so that only the palm fringe remains visible. In any other case, installation of these palms is simple and quick – it was only a tedious process for this particularly fragile shingle.

Here are some photos of the installation process:

The workers were very respectful of the house and the landscaping during the installation process. It was a pleasure to work with such a hard-working crew who never complained about the sweltering heat or tediousness of the labour.

The entire roof was covered and “completed” after approximately 5 or 6 full days of work (this would have been less time if the workers could’ve used power drills).  The photo below shows the A-frame in it’s final stage – all that’s missing is a touch up of the overhanging fringe which still looks very synthetic because the flat pieces of plastic are visible (not to mention the giant nail head at the roof’s apex).

Now that the roof has been replaced without any harm to the nearby swimming pool, garden, roof tiles and windows, I can finally relax (in the pool!).

The house needs a new coat of paint (which is typical now that rainy season is coming to a close) and soon enough it will be good as new. You can see from the side by side photos below the BEFORE and AFTER comparison. I’m very pleased with how natural the Palmex looks…the only indication that it’s synthetic is that it really doesn’t blow in the wind like the “real stuff” does. But at least it looks great and will last a lifetime!

Design Election:

So…What do you think? Was this a worthwhile investment? Does the end product look convincing?

Please leave your thoughts in the comment section below. Do you love it or hate it?

If you want more information on how you can outfit your house, bohio, shack or beach shelter in Palmex, check out the official Palmex International website by clicking HERE, otherwise, check out the Palmex Panama website by clicking HERE.