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Elevate is the roofing brand formerly known as Firestone Building Products, now under Holcim ownership, and it still carries decades of EPDM manufacturing history into every roll of membrane we spec from them today. That EPDM heritage matters on the kind of older buildings this region has plenty of.
Firestone's building products division built its reputation on RubberGard EPDM long before the rebrand, and that history is relevant to us mainly because it means decades of field performance data and a mature distributor network rather than a brand-new product line finding its footing. We treat the name change as exactly that - a corporate rebrand - and evaluate the current product line on its own specs and warranty terms.
RubberGard EPDM shows up regularly on our specs for the older mill and manufacturing buildings around Carbondale, Nanticoke, and the mining-borough downtowns where irregular decks and tight reroof budgets favor a field-repairable rubber membrane over a heat-welded single-ply system. The product's core chemistry and installation approach line up with what we described on our black EPDM systems page, and Elevate's version is one of several EPDM brands we compare on a given bid.
The distinction between manufacturers at the EPDM product level often comes down to warranty terms, sheet width options, and seam tape system rather than dramatic chemistry differences, since EPDM as a membrane category is fairly standardized industry-wide.
Sheet width matters more than owners sometimes expect on an irregular downtown roof, since a wider sheet means fewer field seams across the whole roof but more waste cutting around tight penetration clusters. We factor that into which manufacturer's EPDM sheet width fits a specific roof's geometry best, rather than treat sheet width as a minor spec detail.
We keep current spec sheets from Elevate alongside our other EPDM manufacturers specifically for this comparison, since sheet width options change between manufacturers and even between product generations from the same manufacturer over the years.
Elevate's UltraPly TPO line covers the newer single-ply side of their business, spanning multiple gauges the same way other major manufacturers structure their TPO ranges. We spec UltraPly on flex and retail buildings around the Route 6 corridor and business parks like Valley View in Jessup when the bid comparison favors their specific pricing or warranty terms over a competing manufacturer's TPO line.
Like other major manufacturers, Elevate ties extended warranty terms to installer certification status, and we confirm our current standing before naming a specific warranty length on a bid. We don't carry over Firestone-era certification claims into an Elevate quote without verifying current status, since the rebrand and any changes to certification requirements happened on the manufacturer's timeline, not ours.
An owner reviewing an older roof warranty document that still says Firestone should know that's the same underlying manufacturer under its current Elevate name, which matters if a warranty claim needs to be filed on an existing roof.
We don't default to Elevate on every EPDM or TPO bid just because of the brand's manufacturing history. Their current product specs, pricing, and warranty terms get compared against Carlisle SynTec and other manufacturers on a job-by-job basis, since a decades-old reputation doesn't automatically mean the best current-year terms for a specific building.
Where Elevate does have a practical edge is on portfolio work where a property already carries legacy Firestone-branded roofs - matching a new installation to existing warranty documentation and repair materials on the same portfolio can simplify long-term maintenance planning for an owner managing several buildings under one roofing program.
On a standalone single-building job with no legacy Firestone history to consider, the decision comes down to the same factors we'd weigh with any manufacturer: gauge, warranty length, and how the specific pricing lands against competing bids for that roof.
We treat every manufacturer comparison the same way regardless of brand history - current spec sheet against current spec sheet, current warranty terms against current warranty terms - because a strong reputation built decades ago doesn't guarantee the best fit for a roof going in today.
Yes, Elevate is the current brand name for what was Firestone Building Products' roofing division, now under Holcim ownership.
Existing Firestone warranties generally carry forward under the Elevate ownership structure, though we recommend confirming specific terms with documentation from the original installation.
The core rubber membrane chemistry is similar across manufacturers; differences show up more in warranty terms, sheet width, and seam tape system than in fundamental performance.
Yes, their UltraPly line covers TPO single-ply systems alongside the RubberGard EPDM product line.
We identify existing membrane during our roof inspection, checking seam tape, sheet markings, and any available prior installation documentation.
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