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Do-it-yourself soft roof repair

This WordPress post provides helpful insight on how to effectively repair a soft roof. By following the included step-by-step instructions, anyone can repair a soft roof without the need to hire an expensive professional. The post also offers tips on how to prepare and purchase the necessary materials, as well as providing guidance on a range of topics, such as sealing, fastening, and waterproofing the repaired surface. Whether you are looking to repair a minor tear or an extensive damage, this post will help you do the job safely and cost-effectively.

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The durability of rolled soft roofing is largely due to its high maintainability. There is no problem in eliminating minor defects and even replacing entire sections of the coating, but this must be done correctly and carefully, preventing the development of damage in the future..

Do-it-yourself soft roof repair

Season and weather selection

As well as installation, repair of rolled roofing should be carried out under the accompanying weather conditions. There are three negative factors that can complicate the process or negate the quality of the final result..

The most significant obstacle for repairs is atmospheric moisture. Roll roofing consists of several layers of material, tightly bonded to each other and tightly glued to the base. This requires good adhesion of all surfaces, which is impossible if there are accumulations of rain or melt water on the roof, and even more so if it rains during the repair. It should be understood that repair of a soft roof can take several days, during this time there should be no precipitation.

Do-it-yourself soft roof repair

Another important indicator is air temperature. The elimination of defects in roll roofing is carried out mainly by the method of fusion, in which the materials are heated to very high temperatures. A sharp temperature drop during cooling contributes to the weakening of adhesion, also because of this, materials can lose elasticity, as a result of which they will be susceptible to cracking, which means that the overhaul period will be greatly reduced. For these reasons, it is not customary to repair a rolled roof in winter and in the off-season, the weather on a hot sunny summer day is considered optimal conditions.

Do-it-yourself soft roof repair

The third negative factor is wind. When using cold mastics, its effect is insignificant, however, in the process of fusion, gusts can knock down the flame of the burner, which will not allow uniformly and thoroughly heating the surfaces of the materials to be glued. Repair work can be carried out with moderate wind strength up to 3-4 m / s, but in the presence of turbulence and gusts, it is better to postpone the event until more suitable weather conditions.

Repair kit materials and tools

Different repair techniques can be used depending on the extent of the damage. Of the main materials for planned repairs, a protective coating of the same type as used on the roof, base waterproofing to restore the intermediate layer, as well as bitumen and solvents for it, or cold application mastic will be required.

Do-it-yourself soft roof repair

Initially, it is extremely important to inspect the roof, during which all existing defects and damage will be identified, the damage is assessed and the required amount of materials for the formation of a repair kit is calculated. To do this, you need to know what defects are characteristic of a soft roof, how they appear externally and how much materials are required for repair in each individual case. As we have already said, weather conditions during repairs are of decisive importance, and therefore a delay in the search and purchase of additional materials can result in very dire consequences, for example, more serious damage to the coating due to the past rain..

Do-it-yourself soft roof repair

So, the most common defects can be called a violation of the integrity of the upper protective and decorative layer, that is, simply mechanical damage to the roof. Traditionally, they are removed by patches, applying an additional layer over the existing coating with an upper surface protected by stone powder or modified plastic compound. When calculating the material for patches, it should be borne in mind that it should be laid with an overlap on โ€œhealthyโ€ areas of the order of 30-40 cm on each side.

Another type of damage arises from the first and is associated with the penetration of moisture into the interior of the multilayer coating. In such situations, swelling and delamination of the roof is observed, often over rather large areas. Such defects require the removal of a part of the protective coating and the repair of waterproofing in the exposed areas, followed by the restoration of the outer layer. As in the case of patches, roofing material with a protective surface must be chosen with a margin, while providing for the laying of several layers of waterproofing.

Do-it-yourself soft roof repair

In the most advanced cases, biological damage to the roof develops, sometimes to the full depth down to the base. This type of defects often requires a complete replacement of the roofing coating with the concomitant exposure of the base base, antiseptic treatment, stripping of the remains of the bitumen substrate and, in fact, the device of a soft roll roof from scratch at a local site. Such damage is often found at the edges of the slopes and in the places of their convergence, the most obvious reasons: improper adhesion of the upper layer to the protective linings, errors in the slope, due to which places of constant accumulation of water were formed. If a moss or mold infestation affects more than a quarter of the surface of a single strip, the most reasonable solution would be to completely strip off the coating along this line and restore it entirely..

Do-it-yourself soft roof repair

To complete the repair, a rather modest list of tools is required. The most difficult thing is to get a gas torch burner, which a gasoline blowtorch will not replace, because if you spill fuel on a bituminous roof, the material will only have to be torn off and re-laid. You will also need a high-quality sharp knife for cutting roll materials and cutting damaged areas. Of the additional devices, containers for melting bitumen, spatulas, a metal brush, a broom and a synthetic brush for cleaning debris, a brush for applying molten mastic and a heavy iron roller for rolling the edges of patches are useful.

Dismantling of damaged materials

The success of a roof repair largely depends on how well the dilapidated fragments are removed. It is also important to understand that excessive diligence in the dismantling process leads to an overconsumption of materials, so you need to remove the roofing wisely, correctly marking cutting lines and not trying to remove parts of the coating that can be restored by simple remelting..

Do-it-yourself soft roof repair

First you need to make a markup, outlining the contours with chalk along which the destroyed coating will be removed. At the same time, with an indent of 30 cm outward, it is necessary to mark the second contour, along which the amount of the required protective coating on the patches will be calculated. When marking the roof, it is necessary to establish the extent of the damage, evaluating the peel strength of the layers and the ultimate breaking force. Areas where the layers cannot be torn from each other with one hand are considered intact. Moreover, if the edge of the exfoliated material is not frayed and does not lend itself to rupture by hand force, it can be glued back. As a result, the required amount of protective coating, waterproofing and mastic is set according to the area of โ€‹โ€‹the marked areas, the number of layers and the material consumption rate specified by the manufacturer.

Do-it-yourself soft roof repair

Before repairing, fragments of the roof must be cut with a knife so that an even edge is formed without tears. In the corners, trimming should be done with a slight rounding. After the bulk of the material is torn off, you need to bare the lowest layer that has not undergone destruction. The remnants of all materials glued on top should be removed from it, otherwise small irregularities may appear in the repaired area. The surface to which the patch will be glued must be cleaned with a metal brush, dust off and wiped off without using solvents. Remember: if the main dismantling work can be carried out at once in all areas, then cleaning and preparation should be carried out immediately before repair.

Elimination of local damage

Cuts, cracks and tears on a soft roof are the easiest to eliminate, but you should immediately open the โ€œwoundโ€ and accurately establish the absence of damage to the waterproofing. After cleaning the damage, it is thoroughly heated and poured with mastic. It is necessary to make sure that the mixture is distributed over as large a contact area as possible, after which the edges of the gap should be folded back and the surface should be leveled by applying melt to the adjacent surviving areas 10โ€“15 cm in each direction. In this case, the layer of protective powder in these places should be cleaned off as thoroughly as possible, and then the material should be well heated until a shine forms on the surface. The final stage of the repair โ€“ the installation of the patch โ€“ is carried out in the same way as during installation: first, the upper edge is glued, then the contacting surfaces are heated and all edges are rolled until the influx of bitumen appears.

Do-it-yourself soft roof repair

If water gets under the outer coating or deep into the waterproofing during preparation, the exposed area must be dried. All damaged layers of waterproofing are successively restored by fusion. In this case, the material does not need to be glued with an overlap, it is enough to carefully fill all the joints with mastic. After the restoration of the hydro-barrier using the already described technology, a patch is put.

Do-it-yourself soft roof repair

Damage to organics and vegetation usually requires removing the entire cake and exposing the base of the roof. The problem is that, according to the rules, before applying the coating, the surface is treated with a primer, which improves adhesion only once and does not give a repeated effect. If we are talking about a concrete base, it is better to burn out the primer and thoroughly clean the surface with a brush. On wooden substrates, a coarse sanding method is used to expose a layer of fresh material. The restoration then proceeds in the same order as the installation of the roof: primer, bitumen adhesion layer reinforced with fiberglass, waterproofing and patch. It should only be noted that when restoring the reinforcement, a new canvas should be laid with an overlap of 15โ€“20 cm on those areas where the adhesive layer is not affected.

Do-it-yourself soft roof repair

When is a major overhaul required

In conclusion, we will tell you at what degree of damage it makes sense to carry out fragmentary repairs, and in which cases it is easier and even cheaper to perform a complete replacement of the coating. Flat roofs are the least likely to be in need of major repairs, often they are simply warmed up and a new layer of protective material is fused on top, after all cracks and holes have been spilled with bitumen. It makes sense to think about โ€œkapitalkaโ€ only if the face is deeply damaged by organic matter or if the roof is completely saturated with water and the base needs to be dried.

With sloped roofs, things are not so happy. Since the slopes of these roofs are usually visible from the ground, multiple patches will severely damage the aesthetics of the entire building. As a rule, such a roof is patched up as a temporary measure, realizing the inevitability of major repairs over the next 1โ€“2 years. But there is good news: on such a roof, it is enough to simply replace the material with separate strips. The only possible nuisance is incomplete matching of the color of the new and old coating.

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Comments: 2
  1. Harper

    Can you provide step-by-step instructions or recommend any reliable resources for someone attempting a DIY soft roof repair?

    Reply
  2. Daniel Anderson

    Can you provide some tips or guidance for someone attempting a DIY soft roof repair?

    Reply
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