You want to build strong, durable buildings. Because the longer they last, the less is your worries, the maintenance fees, or plans to reconstruct and what not. You need a good roof for that because the roof guards your building. Building your roof with synthetic thatch might be one of the best decisions you might take on that front. Synthetic thatch made by Palmex makes for a durable material that can beat every element on the planet. Each element and hazards provide a different set of challenges. Let’s see how synthetic thatch deals with that.

Fire

Palmex synthetic thatch roof is made from a material called High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) which is resistant to high temperatures. Natural thatch roof needs a chemical fire retardant every couple of years. This significantly increases, your maintenance costs, because fire retardant price increases due to inflation. To thatch a 700 square meter roof, you will spend  $2500. Consider inflation, reconstruction, and fire retardant costs it will cost you much more in the long run. Oh, and did I mention the costs for pesticides, maintenance costs for cleaning? Because natural thatch attracts pests, moss which requires the use of pesticides, brushing down to keep it in good condition. This drives up your budget.

But let’s get back to fire. Even with a fire retardant, natural thatch might still catch fire, causing you more headaches and safety issues. Some insurance companies don’t provide insurance against natural thatch now because of the fire threat. 

Palmex synthetic thatch doesn’t spread fire when a solitary leaf gets burned allowing you to douse it quickly. So you can safely use it to cover a barbeque or your outdoor kitchen. 

Because we are an international company and care for your safety, we follow all the regulations in the market. We have received A/M1 certification as per the strict rules regarding roof safety.

Wind

There are a lot of thatched-roof buildings in tourist attractions near the sea. The wind is a powerful natural element and buildings near the sea and other areas which might face, cyclones and hurricanes. Hurricanes have a severe social, economic, and physical impact on coastal towns. A tropical storm may cause a great deal of harm. How do you secure your infrastructure from future storms when it’s time to rebuild?

 Because we care for your wellbeing, the Palmex team has done a lot of research in R & D to ready our synthetic thatch roof to face any challenges thrown by the wind. Engineers from Air-Ins Inc and Pri-Group, a laboratory that specializes in performance evaluation of building envelope components, examined Palmex thatch for its resilience to strong winds. Our synthetic thatch has now been approved to withstand winds of up to 260 km/h (160 mph).

You can check here how Palmex thatches have withstood hurricanes in the Caribbean a couple of years back. 

Water

With the rate of climate change increasing, rains have become more unpredictable and frequent. The natural thatch is not waterproof. Typically, it requires a waterproof membrane below to ensure it does not leak water. Plus buying and fixing a waterproof membrane drives up your costs. Remember, natural thatch attracts moss, algae? They are attracted because of the moisture levels on the roof. So again you need to do regular maintenance and a lot of money for that. 

HDPE, the material used in Palmex thatch is a thermoplastic polymer. This does not attract and retain water. Being synthetic thatch, it’s not bothered by pests, algae. 

Keep the roof adequately sloped, and the water will not penetrate the roof, and it will naturally flow away. Palmex thatch roofs are prepared for heavy rains.

Sun

We are taking a trip back to the coastal areas. Even though you go to the beaches for sunbathing, for the buildings to survive there long, that’s a huge amount of sun they are facing. And some of the materials will find it too hot to handle. Heavy exposure to the sun also means heavy exposure to UV rays. This degrades the color and material of the roof. 

Natural thatch roofs might be found wanting, as the lack of UV protection, makes the roof lose its brightness and thickness. Natural thatch becomes brittle quickly in that scenario. 

During its extrusion process, Palmex thatch roofs are made UV protected. It does not lose color or become brittle. We guarantee you a 20-year warranty that covers UV protection and color losing.

Snow

Now we come to the final element. When the deep snows fall and the chilly wind blows you need a strong roof to beat the cold. HDPE is a versatile and durable material. It can withstand the snow. So don’t worry about our synthetic thatch roof in extreme winters in Canada or the Tundra of Siberia. You just have a hot cup of coffee and maybe play with your kids with snowballs.