DIY flat roof repair

The average service life of a roofing material roof is usually 15 years. And if it is out of order, then you can try to fix it yourself. At the same time, repair of a flat roof does not require large cash costs.

But before your roof needs a major overhaul, it is likely to have minor defects that you can fix yourself. But if you do not want to eliminate small holes, then water will constantly fall on the rafters, and they will begin to rot.

Bituminous mastic will help you to close small cracks in the roofing felt roof. First, it is necessary to remove loose gravel from the damaged surface. To soften the top layer of roofing felt you will probably need a hair dryer.

It can be used to remove dust and dirt. At the time of eliminating the crack, it is necessary to raise the edges of the roofing material. If a bubble has formed on the coating, make a cruciform incision in the center of the bubble to remove it. Then lift up all 4 of the resulting edges. Clean the area under the seam edges of the roofing felt.

Dry the plane under the roofing felt with a construction hairdryer, then apply a layer of bitumen mastic to the exposed areas and press firmly the edges of the crack or cross-cut with a roller. You can also use waterproofing tape if the distance between the edges of the crack is large.

If a leak appears in the roof and it is flooded with water, then you can use special substances for emergency repair of a flat roof. There are also fast-acting agents in aerosol cans that can be used to seal holes in a wet roof, as well as in the waterproofing layer and gutter.

If a lot of cracks and bubbles have formed on the surface of the roof, then you can make it waterproof with bitumen mastic or liquid rubber. All debris must be removed from the roof surface before being treated with chemicals that remove pathogenic fungi and mold.

Before applying bituminous mastic to the roof surface, all holes must be patched.

Then pour out a little mastic from the bucket and spread it with a brush. Some mastics need to be applied in two coats.

A solvent-soaked sponge will help you remove the mastic where you don't need it. All substances based on rubber must be applied in one layer. A layer of liquid rubber will last for a long time, since it does not lose its elasticity over time. After the applied layer is dry, you need to sprinkle it with fine gravel.

The most vulnerable point is the junction of the edge of the roof and the wall of the house. If this connection is damaged, then water will constantly flow through the roof.

To eliminate this problem, an apron is made of lead, which is fixed with a solution between the rows of the wall masonry. And if a crack has formed in it, then it can be repaired with a self-adhesive waterproofing bitumen tape. But remember to clean the damaged surface before sticking the tape on it.

Flat roofs in private housing have become more common, because the owners appreciated the benefits of such a roofing space. Firstly, additional square meters appear, which are never superfluous within the city limits. Secondly, a small slope of the roof requires less materials, installation work, and such a roof retains more heat.Thirdly, the current repair of a flat roof is quite simple and can be carried out by the owner himself, especially since there is no danger of slipping down.

Most often, destruction in the roofing is caused by our not mild climate. In winter, a significant snow cover can form on the surface of a flat roof, which by spring begins to melt, "delighting" the owners with leaks. But this is not the fault of the roof itself, but its poor-quality installation or "outdated" and short-lived waterproofing materials.

Waterproofing in flat roofs can be created from two types of materials: bituminous and synthetic membrane. They also repair the roof in case of leaks. Consider which coating is more durable.

Bituminous materials are more common. They covered the roofs of Soviet-era high-rise buildings. And at least once every five years, construction crews operate on these high-rise buildings, eliminating leaks and repairing the old coating. And all because bituminous materials have a short service life - up to 5 years, and even shorter in our climate. They are afraid of sudden changes in temperature, stagnation of water. As soon as the temperature goes "to minus", the elastic properties of bitumen are lost, the material becomes brittle and cracks. The second disadvantageous property of bitumen is the ability to saturate water, which, during temperature changes, either freezes in the pores of the coating, then thaws. As a result, the material delaminates and tears in places where water accumulates.

In summer, the bituminous coating, due to its dark color, strongly attracts the sun's rays. The heating level of the roof reaches 70˚. And at this temperature, the bitumen melts, becomes fluid and gradually slides to the edge of the roof, where the slope is directed.

If the slope is insufficient, after rain puddles remain on the roof, water penetrates into the lower layers of the coating, when heated it becomes steam, which seeks to escape and tears, divides the bituminous material into layers.

It is easy to check if there is moisture inside the bitumen. It is enough to see grass, weeds, and sometimes trees on the roof. They will not germinate where it is dry.

The second type of waterproofing material is polymer membranes or mastics.

The mastics are based on polyurethane. And the easiest way to repair a flat roof covered with bitumen is to completely coat it with mastic on top. It creates a rubber-like coating, but withstands heat up to 100˚ and harsh winters. If, while cleaning the roof, such a coating is scratched, then it can be easily repaired by smearing the damaged areas with a brush.

Another option is polymer membranes. If you want to forget about roof repairs for 20 years, cover the surface with membrane material. Modern polymers in their composition are not afraid of temperature extremes, ultraviolet radiation, mechanical damage. They can be fixed on the base of the roof, or they can be spread like a carpet, pressing down for strength with ballast.

Unlike bituminous materials, when installing membranes, the human factor is excluded, when a good material is laid by unprofessional hands. The membranes are rolled out and laid by welding machines, connecting the joints with hot air. The option when the membranes are fixed only around the perimeter, without binding to the entire surface of the roof, is very convenient: when the house shrinks, the roof will not crack.

In houses of old buildings, flat roofs were covered with several layers of roofing material, which were spread over a wooden base. The lower layer was fastened to the tree with nails, and the rest were tied either with bituminous mixtures or with cold mastic.

If you find that in some places the layers are swollen, it means that a stratification has gone inside the roofing material, which must be urgently eliminated, otherwise wait for leaks.

Look closely at the swollen area. If it is dry, then it is enough to stick a patch on top.If the place of the bulge is wet, then you need to look for the point at which the water penetrated, and then change the entire area that has become damp.

1. Clear gravel (or other material that has been sprinkled to keep the roofing material out of the sun) from the swollen area.
2. Cut the swollen place in the shape of a cross so that the center is exactly on the swollen part.
3. Lift the cut roofing material and look inside. If the inner layers are wet, cut deeper so that the knife reaches the wooden base.
4. Leave the cut roofing felt to dry in the sun, placing some blocks between the layers so that the heat penetrates into each layer. The drying process goes much faster with the help of a building hair dryer.
5. After making sure that the roofing material is dried to the base, apply a cold mastic with a spatula from the inside along the edges of the incision and press the roofing material into the wooden base. The next layer is smeared and pressed against the previous one. On the last, outer layer of roofing material, plaster nails are nailed on top to securely fix the incised corners.
6. A patch is cut out of a fresh roofing material, the size of which should overlap the cut part of the coating.
7. Lubricate the back of the patch with mastic and put it on the place to be repaired.
8. The edges of the patch are fixed with plaster nails (pitch - 15 mm).
9. Coat each nail head and patch outline with mastic.

If you find that a significant section of roofing material is blown up, then the repair is carried out as follows:

If the service life of the coating has expired, then patching up the blisters will do nothing. Patches break the integrity of the coating, although they slightly restrain destruction. In this case, a thorough repair will be required. It is difficult to conduct it yourself without professional skills. And often poor-quality installation "negates" the advantages of the waterproofing material.

In this case, it is worth involving specialists in the repair, having determined in advance what type of overhaul your roof needs. Consider what a major overhaul of a flat roll roof can be:

Such a repair begins with the dismantling of all the components of the roof and layers:

• ebb tides, aerators, pressure aprons, etc are removed;
• all layers of bituminous or roofing material are completely cleaned off;
• a layer of concrete leveling screed will be removed;
• insulation is removed.

The new roof is laid in the following order:

• beacons are set, necessary to create a new leveling concrete layer;
• a layer of insulation is spread;
• a reinforced mesh is laid out on top of it;
• a new leveling screed is poured (from 4 cm thick);
• the roofing is spreading in several layers with the subsequent arrangement of abutments;
• other elements of the roof are attached: parapets, belts, etc.
• Renovation of the roof covering with the installation of an additional heat-insulating layer.

As a rule, such repairs are needed for houses, the roof of which was laid according to old technologies. In them, the level of heat retention is insufficient and does not correspond to today's concept of thermal insulation.

An additional thermal insulation layer can be laid under or on top of the new roof.

With roof insulation, old layers of waterproofing are removed and slabs are laid, which have a wedge-shaped profile. This profile helps to create the desired slope towards the drainage gutter and avoid puddles on the roof. Modern waterproofing membrane coatings are laid on top of the insulation.

If you choose repair with insulation on a new roof, then the work goes the other way around: first, waterproofing is laid, and on top of it - waterproof polyurethane foam or other material of a similar structure. To prevent the insulation from being blown away by gusts of wind, a thick gravel cushion is laid on top. The gravel will not only serve as a load, but will also protect the insulation from the effects of ultraviolet radiation.

This type of repair involves the renewal of the damaged roofing, the construction of the truss structure and the laying of profiled sheets on it. The result is a pitched roof with a slight slope. It creates a waterproof shell for the old coating, but maintains sufficient ventilation so that the roofing material can dry out. Often, such repairs are combined with additional insulation.

This is the most difficult type of repair, which involves not only a complete renovation of the roof, but also an increase in its waterproofing properties and strength characteristics. An additional bulk soil layer, plant weight, etc. require professional calculations of the following points: how much to strengthen the roofing area, how many layers of waterproofing to lay, how to create a drainage system, etc. After all, it is not enough to plant live plants: they need to provide good conditions for their existence. And at the same time do not create a danger for the collapse of the structure! Therefore, all repair work must be carried out by professional craftsmen.

In order to face the repair of a flat roof less, it is better initially, during the construction of a house, to spend money on modern materials, entrust the installation to specialists, and in winter not to break through the ice with a crowbar and not to scrape off the snow with shovels with a metal edge.

Arrangement and repair of a flat roof is done in two types of materials: soft or bulk... They provide excellent sealing of the layers of roofing, protection of the house from damaging environmental influences and a long service life. There are typical damage to soft roofing materials that occur periodically regardless of the quality of the materials used.

You can find out if there is a need for roof reconstruction by carefully examining its surface. You can detect defects in the roof of a house if you just walk on it. Damaged areas can crunch, buckle and swell.

Types of flat roof damage:

• layering of the "pie": full or partial;
• swelling of the coating;
• the appearance of bubbles;
• the appearance of cracks;
• the formation of depressions and funnels filled with rainwater;
• peeling of the coating around the chimney;
• germination within the layers of the cover of all kinds of vegetation.

If you periodically conduct a preventive inspection of the roof of the house for defects, then a small current repair of the surface can be done with your own hands.... But if this is not done in time, the defects will gradually progress, and the roof may begin to leak. In this case, it may be necessary not only to overhaul the roof of the house, but also to restore the interior decoration of the premises.

Roofing defect

Consequences of untimely roof repair:

• overgrowth of moss and other vegetation;
• the appearance of mold;
• deformation of wooden walls and floors of the house;
• violation of interior decoration;
• the occurrence of leaks;
• icing of house walls and ceilings in winter;
• the appearance of multiple cracks,
• peeling of finishing materials, their accelerated destruction due to decay.

Deformed coverage area

It is recommended to carry out preventive measures in each of the seasons:

• in early autumn, so that there are no problems with a leaking roof;
• in spring, after the snow has melted - to eliminate damage after winter;
• in summer it is necessary to remove leaves and clean the roof of moss;
• in winter, you need to clean off the snow in time.

This will help reduce the cost of ongoing home renovations.

Depending on the size and nature of surface defects, two types of repair can be noted.:

There are two effective methods to repair a flat roof.:

• gluing on mastic;
• deposition by means of high-temperature exposure.

PVC membranes are a soft material for roof repairs, with the help of which repairs can be carried out quickly and easily.... A big plus of such coatings is that laying is possible in one layer directly on the previous roofing material. The only requirement is that the surface must be clean (no stones, debris, old greasy spots, puddles of water).

Membrane roof structure

To carry out the work you will need:

• rolls of PVC membranes;
• welding machine;
• scissors;
• roller;
• dowel-nails.

The material is laid in one layer

Rolls are rolled out on the roof surface and the necessary pieces of canvases are cut off. The canvases are laid with an overlap of 12 cm. The edges of the canvases are fixed with dowel-nails every 40 cm. The edges are connected with heated air from a welding machine. In this case, a stream of hot air is directed under the canvas and immediately rolled with a roller. This method is justified when repairing large areas..

This repair technology is much more economical, but the surface must be perfectly cleaned.... The material is laid in two layers. The first is the main one, and the second is decorating. Thanks to a special powder, the decorative roofing material is not afraid of the sun, frost, does not crack or dry out, is chemical resistant and has a long service life (about 30 years). The material is produced in rolls.

Materials and tools for work:

1. Two types of euroruberoid;
2. Gas-burner;
3. Special scissors;
4. Hook.

Strips of the desired length are measured and rolled again for convenience into rolls. Each canvas is heated with a gas burner and rolled out, holding it so as not to burn yourself, with an iron hook... In this case, the material is firmly attached to the surface. A decorative layer is placed on top of the bottom layer according to the same algorithm. The two layers are then melted at the same time, ensuring a secure bond and a durable coating.

Small repairs to the soft roof of the house can be done using ordinary roofing material. It certainly does not have all the advantages of modern counterparts, but with small defects in the roof, you can use pieces of roofing material, laying them on molten bitumen. The material can even be laid on top of iron or slate surfaces.

Elimination of small defects

For small cracks in the slate plane, flaps of fabric in oil paint will help - they can be used to repair minor damage.

Large fragments of damage must be replaced or completely covered with new material.

The technology of carrying out minor current repairs does not require such preparations; it can be carried out spontaneously without any preliminary preparation.

When planning a roof overhaul, it would be quite reasonable to make a preliminary calculation of the cost of repairing a roof from roll materials.

You must first calculate the material consumption

Procedure for planning a repair:

1. Measurement of the territory within which it is planned to replace the coating.

2. Drawing up a list of all required materials, taking into account the nature of the defects.

3. Adding to the list of materials for the manufacture of cement-sand mortars, if it is planned to update such roof sections.

4. Add 10-20% of overruns to the result.

5. Consider the offers of various building materials stores, take note of the promotions and delivery conditions of materials.

Overhaul of the roof requires large expenses and time-consuming, but the procedure itself can be done by hand, provided that you have some skills.

Complete replacement of the old coating

Event technology:

1. Disassemble the roofing cake and check the condition of all insulating layers.
2. If damaged coatings are found, replace them over the entire area.
3. Make a cement-sand screed, following the instructions on the package of the mixture.
4. Pour the solution in a layer of 2-4 cm and wait for the surface to dry.
5. Apply a bitumen emulsion to the primer.
6. Treat the entire roof section with mastic.
7. Lay the preheated parts of the whole sheet on the roof surface, pressing with a stick. The procedure is easier to carry out together.
8. Overlap all strips, maintaining 15-20 cm of overlays.
9. Seal seams, joints and hard-to-reach places.
10. If desired, you can make an additional layer of soft roofing by rolling the roll in a perpendicular direction.