Flat Roof Maintenance: Modified Bitumen & Tar and Gravel.

Flat roofs leak at the edges and the openings — the spots where pipes come through, corners, canales (the drains that let water off the roof), and the metal at the roof-to-wall joint — long before the open middle of the roof gives out.

Get a free estimate Call 505-615-0646

Roofing work by Paramount Roofing in New Mexico

Overview

Flat roofs leak at the edges and openings — the spots where pipes come through, corners, canales (the drains that let water off the roof), and the metal at the roof-to-wall joint — long before the open middle of the roof gives out. Staying ahead of those spots is the cheapest way to add years to a modified-bitumen or tar-and-gravel roof.

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From a real inspection

Catching flat-roof wear before it becomes a leak.

On a flat roof, a maintenance visit is about getting ahead of the spots that fail first. Here, a scupper was quietly wearing down the roof below it.

What we found

A scupper was dumping water straight onto the gravel roof below, and that constant runoff was steadily breaking down the membrane in that area.
Left alone, that’s exactly the kind of spot that turns into a leak down the road.

How we fix it

We clear the gravel back and apply a fibered silicone mastic topcoat over the worn zone, reinforcing the surface where the water lands.
It’s targeted maintenance that protects the roof and buys years, without the cost of a full replacement. Our maintenance work is backed by a 3-year warranty.

Get a free inspection Call 505-615-0646

Flat roof inspection · ABQ metro

An actual Paramount Roofing roof inspection.

What’s included

What every maintenance visit includes.

Clean and prep

We clean and prep the surface before any sealant goes down, so it bonds to a sound, ready base.

Seal all roof openings

We apply roofing cement (or the fibered silicone mastic upgrade — a tougher, longer-lasting sealant) to all the spots where pipes and vents come through, and we fully seal both inside and outside corners.

Canale and roof-drain sealing

The roof drains and canales (the openings that let water run off the roof) are sealed so this high-risk drainage point can't become a leak path.

Wall-joint seam sealing

The seams where the roof meets the wall are sealed and any bare or failed areas fully sealed over, closing the most common flat-roof leak point.

Continuous silicone coating along the wall

A continuous silicone coating over the entire roof-to-wall seal — top edge, face, and the corner where the roof meets the wall — sealing one of the most common leak points on a flat roof.

Gravel reset

Displaced gravel is reset at completion, leaving the roof surface tidy and the roof surface underneath properly protected.

4.9200+ Google reviewsLicensed, bonded & insured · NM GS-21 #400113Owens Corning Preferred Contractor

“Professional and proficient. We have now used Paramount a couple of times. They are quick to schedule the estimation, which comes with photos and a complete explanation of their findings.”

Bee Gorman · Repeat customer

Upgrade options

Fibered silicone mastic

Fibered silicone mastic instead of standard asphalt cement — it won't dry out and crack in the sun the way cement does.

Warranty

3-year workmanship warranty.

FAQ

Common questions.

What makes flat roofs more prone to leaks at the edges than in the middle?

On a modified-bitumen or tar-and-gravel roof, the open middle is one continuous surface. The trouble is at the edges, the spots where pipes come through, canales, corners, and the roof-to-wall joints — the places where different materials meet, move, and eventually pull apart. That's where the sun's heat, monsoon water, and the roof expanding and shrinking do their damage first. The middle can look perfect while every one of those joints is quietly failing.

What is the perimeter wall flashing coating and why does it matter?

It's a single, unbroken silicone coating over the entire roof-to-wall seal — top edge, face, and the corner where the roof meets the wall. That corner between your flat roof and the low wall around it (the parapet) takes more sun and more wind-driven rain than any other spot on the roof, and it's one of the most common places a flat roof leaks in New Mexico. A full silicone coating seals the whole corner instead of just patching one spot at a time.

When does maintenance stop making sense and a TPO replacement become the right call?

When a modified-bitumen or tar-and-gravel roof is past maintaining, we replace it with TPO — a lighter, heat-welded flat-roof surface that beats the old systems in every way. Maintenance visits are how you get the most out of the roof you have until that day comes, and we'll tell you honestly at each visit where yours stands.

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Get a free estimate for your flat (mod-bit / tar & gravel) roof.