How Many Walk Pads On Your Commercial Roof Are Enough?

(UPDATED) Walk pads are placed on top of the roof membrane to protect it from punctures caused by people walking or working on your roof when they service equipment (like HVAC units) and for other reasons. The pads are made of the same materials as the roof or something highly compatible and they also come in rolls. They do a good job of protecting the roof and can be removed if needed. Some are also recyclable.

However, there’s such a thing as too much of a good thing.

Sometimes our clients think they need more walk pads than they really do. Walk pads are expensive and can inhibit the flow of water off of the roof somewhat. And, more often than not, equipment technicians don’t use them. Instead, they ignore the pads and make a bee-line for the piece of equipment they need to service.

At Sentry, we believe the concept of adding walk pads to your roof is a sound one, especially for single-ply roofs. However, we recommend you only install them in two areas: where they are needed for access and around equipment that will be serviced. We also recommend you install them in a straight line that’s the shortest path from A to B because that’s the path technicians are going to take anyway. It’s OK if the walk pad pattern you end up with isn’t gorgeous from a bird’s eye view — your roof will be protected and that’s what counts.

If you’re concerned about rooftop traffic on your building because you have a lot of HVAC units or other equipment technicians will need to service over time, there is a good option to adding a lot of walk pads. We’ve added high-density cover board over the roof insulation for clients who are in this situation. The cover board prevents punctures underneath the roof membrane and is a lot less expensive per square foot than covering the roof with walk pads.

If the goal is to protect your roof from technicians’ foot traffic — and all of the tools and sharp objects they bring along with them — by all means add walk pads. But do it in a way that protects your roof AND your budget.