Fort Worth has a lot of commercial roofs that were specified with Firestone TPO or EPDM. If you own or manage one of those buildings, today’s bids and documents will say Elevate instead, and sometimes Holcim or Amrize. It’s the same family of membranes. The warranty rules, though, are specific, and they matter most when hail hits.
I’m Blake Snow. I’ve been roofing for 30 years, including commercial work across DFW. We install single-ply systems to manufacturer specs, using certified installers. Everything below comes from Elevate’s own documents.
Firestone to Elevate to Amrize: the short version
From Elevate’s About page, its 2022 brand announcement and its April 2024 customer letter:
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1980 | Firestone introduced RubberGard EPDM |
| 1999 | Firestone introduced UltraPly TPO |
| April 1, 2021 | Holcim completed its purchase of Firestone Building Products from Bridgestone |
| June 21, 2022 | The Firestone roofing brand became Elevate. RubberGard EPDM and UltraPly TPO stayed on the market |
| April 1, 2024 | Elevate said it had “fully discontinued use of the Firestone brand.” Products are made in the same U.S. plants with the same materials and formulations |
| June 23, 2025 | Elevate became part of Amrize Building Envelope after Holcim’s North American spin-off |
So a 2015 roof labeled Firestone UltraPly and a 2026 bid for Elevate UltraPly are talking about the same product line.
UltraPly TPO: thickness drives the warranty term
Elevate’s UltraPly TPO Design Guide (dated November 12, 2026) lists the maximum Red Shield term by membrane and attachment. Here are some common combinations:
| UltraPly TPO system | Attachment | Max. Red Shield term |
|---|---|---|
| 45 or 60 mil | Adhered | 20 years |
| 60 mil (8’ or 10’ sheets) | Adhered | 25 years |
| 80 mil UltraPly Platinum | Adhered | 30 years |
| 45 mil | Induction bonded | 15 years |
| 60 mil | Induction bonded | 25 years |
| TPO XR 100 / 115 / 135 (45 / 60 / 80 mil) | Adhered | 20 / 25 / 30 years |
| 60 mil UltraPly TPO SA (self-adhered) | Self-adhered | 20 years |
The UltraPly TPO Platinum data sheet (TIS 209, Oct. 14, 2026) describes an 80-mil, polyester-scrim-reinforced, heat-welded membrane in white, tan and gray. White has an initial solar reflectance of 0.79 (0.69 after 3 years), which helps on a Fort Worth summer roof.
RubberGard EPDM
Elevate’s RubberGard EPDM Design Guide lists, for fully adhered systems:
- 45 mil RubberGard EPDM: up to 15 years
- 60 mil RubberGard EPDM: up to 25 years
- 90 mil Platinum EPDM: up to 30 years
- 60 mil RubberGard EPDM SA (self-adhered): up to 20 years
The RubberGard EPDM SA page describes a black, non-reinforced 60-mil membrane with factory-applied Secure Bond adhesive, QuickSeam splice-tape seams and zero VOCs. That’s useful when an occupied building can’t have solvent adhesive odors.
Red Shield warranties: what an owner should know
From Elevate’s Red Shield warranty page and the design guides:
- What it covers: labor and materials to repair warranted leaks, non-prorated, with no dollar limit (NDL). Coverage runs “edge to edge” on Elevate-branded products and is transferable from owner to owner.
- Terms: 5 to 25 years on Red Shield and 30 years on Red Shield Platinum, depending on the system.
- Who can get it: Elevate requires a Pre-Installation Notice 14 days before the job starts, installation by a current licensed Elevate applicator, and an inspection by an Elevate technical representative before it issues the warranty. Non-Elevate products in the system can block the warranty.
- After it’s issued: changes to the roof (new rooftop units, penetrations, repairs) have to be reported through Elevate’s Post-Warranty Alteration process, submitted by an Elevate-licensed contractor. Otherwise you risk the warranty.
If your lender or spec calls for a Red Shield warranty, ask every bidder for proof of a current Elevate license. If what you need is an NDL warranty, we also quote equivalent TPO and EPDM systems from Carlisle, Johns Manville and Mule-Hide. We’re certified with all three, and 10- and 20-year NDL warranties are available on qualifying systems. See our NDL warranty guide.
Hail coverage is designed in, not added later
Fort Worth gets real hail, so this section matters most. Per Elevate’s TPO guide and its hail warranty bulletin:
- Up to 2-inch hail: at least 60-mil adhered UltraPly TPO over an approved, adhered high-density cover board.
- Up to 3-inch hail: 80-mil UltraPly TPO XR 135 over adhered DensDeck StormX Prime, on a Red Shield of up to 20 years.
- Not eligible: InvisiWeld applications. The guide also says mechanically attached UltraPly TPO systems don’t qualify. For EPDM, it requires at least 60-mil adhered RubberGard over an approved board and excludes mechanically attached systems.
- FM ratings aren’t warranty coverage. Elevate says an FM Severe Hail or Very Severe Hail rating “does not imply Red Shield Hail warranty coverage.”
- Hail coverage is an extra-cost option priced per square foot.
Bottom line: if you want hail coverage, the membrane thickness, attachment and cover board all have to be specified before the bid. See our commercial hail claims page.
TPO or EPDM on a Fort Worth building?
- TPO: white and reflective, with heat-welded seams. It’s common on warehouses, strip centers and offices. More on our TPO roofing page.
- EPDM: black rubber with a long service record. It’s simple to repair and handles ponding-prone, irregular roofs well. More on our EPDM page.
- Either way, the deck, insulation, drainage and rooftop equipment matter as much as the membrane brand.
What we do on a Fort Worth commercial roof
- Core cuts and moisture checks to decide between tear-off and recover
- Membrane, attachment and cover board specified for the wind, hail and warranty you need
- Repairs and maintenance on existing Firestone and Elevate roofs. If yours still has an active Red Shield warranty, call Elevate first so you don’t put the coverage at risk
- A digital photo report, plus commercial 10- and 20-year NDL warranties available on qualifying systems
After a storm
Get the roof inspected and documented before anyone patches it. In Texas you generally have 1 year from the date of loss to file a claim, but check your policy. Our storm damage page explains the process.
Talk to us about your Fort Worth roof
We roof warehouses, retail centers, offices, churches and apartments in Fort Worth, Haltom City, North Richland Hills, Saginaw and White Settlement. See our Fort Worth commercial roofing page. We’re certified with GAF, CertainTeed, Owens Corning, Atlas, Johns Manville, Carlisle, Tropical Roofing Products, Mule-Hide and Enviroshake, and many other roof manufacturers. We’re BBB A+ rated, with 5.0 stars on Google at all three offices: Bridgeport, Decatur and Rhome. Request a free inspection or call (817) 733-9228.
