Topic: Rubberized Roofing (another home project)

[faux fiddy]

Okay, I did the search. Found one post that mentioned rubberizing and shortly after it became high-sticking and drawing blood and less to do about a construction question that most of us may concern ourselves with as DIY.

Most of the work started  in October, I was busy with what would be more like prep work on an elastomeric project and just getting back to it this week. Prolly even a project thread, here in OT.

Yes the winds came sweeping down the plains, and buckets blew off the roof, but the fence stayed in place.

sorry to hear about your leaks i went through the same thing. the best stuff i found that works is elastomeric patching compound it works wonders. it is around 15.00 a gallon at lowes. you use a paint brush to apply it. and if it works out for you then you can go to the better stuff ames company puts out it's a lot more but we are using at work and it is fricking awsome it has stop some leaks i have been fighting with for ten years at work.

Okay here.. check out the wind pic..,  nice gust.

[rangelov]

I would seriously consider roofing with sheet metal.  Availability of materials and knowledgeable contractors vary, depending on where you live.

If you need more info, contact me.

[faux fiddy]

I would seriously consider roofing with sheet metal.  Availability of materials and knowledgeable contractors vary, depending on where you live.

If you need more info, contact me.

I have used metal on pitched roofs before, but not sure if it would work on this application.  I will PM you later when I have more time.

The job is close to done as far as the flat part and I'm not sure the local codes allow screwing metal on, another thing that I would have to find out.

[rangelov]

The screws have sealing washers integral to the screw underhead.

Screws hold better than nails.  They like using them (and metal roofs) in hurricane prone areas, such as near my in-laws in south Louisiana.

Sun doesn't damage sheetmetal roofs. But it will destroy an asphalt shingle roof.  Sheetmetal resists wind damage better as well, assuming it is properly secured.

On industrial flat roofs, they use sheetmetal decking covered with membrane and asphalt.  I was responsible for the plant roof at a Ford plant.  It was 15 acres under the roof.

I have used metal on pitched roofs before, but not sure if it would work on this application.  I will PM you later when I have more time.

The job is close to done as far as the flat part and I'm not sure the local codes allow screwing metal on, another thing that I would have to find out.

[faux fiddy]

On industrial flat roofs, they use sheetmetal decking covered with membrane and asphalt.  I was responsible for the plant roof at a Ford plant.  It was 15 acres under the roof.

That sounds really ambitious.

My project started out as a flashing that got about 200 lbs of Ice on it.  It was a small  scupper channel leading off the back of the roof that actually caused the problem.  In the middle of the night months ago we heard a big crash. Two sheets of wet sheetrock fell on my dad's bed, along with about a foot of blown insulation.

The leak was about like a steady round the clock stream of pee into the house as far as the amount of water until I could get it located and  under control.


Quite the mess. First I dealt with buttoning up the flashing, cleaning up the huge mess and getting the sheetrock and new insulation back  once I knew the point source of the leak was fixed.

The roof above  it was  spray foam going on about 20 years old.   It had started de-laminating from the old  layer (tar or asphalt). When we were in a dry  weather pattern last fall I cut  one of the places it had bubbled up  to make an  inspection hole.  There was over a quarter inch of standing water under the foam layer even after  a month of  dry weather.

The roof was becoming tree farm since I was last up there, and one spot looked like a releif map of the Himalayas.

[faux fiddy]

From that point it became a matter of cutting back the fabric and cutting a hole for   every loose piece I could find and letting it all dry out as much as possible. Lots of holes, the biggest was the size and shape of a 10' phallus that had been the low spot where water had puddled for years.

[rangelov]

Spray foam roof.  Them's really dirty, nasty words.

The roof at the plant had sections that were spray foam.  That was a major PITA.  It was old and had leaks.  Proper repairs couldn't be done.  And there were plants (trees?) growing through the foam, too.  Never ending aggravation.  Aargh!

I didn't realize the extent of damage that you had.  I hope that is fixed for now.

[faux fiddy]

I've been slow at getting photos up.  It's looking much better and  finally got a good rain to test it. 

And yes, It sure looked a mess up there.

All the places where the foam had come loose, I used gorilla glue to tack it back down, using several buckets of water to keep it tacked down tight. Stuff is supposed to be waterproof, and it sticks like crazy. It expands up to fill voids, too and will fill voids.

Found through experience that using the rubber coat under something that is rubber coated will result in the product not drying. Months can go by, and the only part  that dries is near the edges. For that application I used regular fibered adhesive trowled onto both surfaces and ironed it out, then covered with new fabric and rubber.  Seems like the black would also turn the lights out on the photo-organisms that were there.  I sealed the seams   with  tape on the seams with rubber coat (There are better things than what is at Home Depot and Lowe's.)

Had the dirty side of the old fabric down, so I  had to make sure  to clean the edges where the seams were, scrubbed the rest days after the seams had dried.

Bottom photo is the rate I applied Gorilla Glue  to both  the old roof and the foam.
It stuck down pretty well, definitely want some heavy stuff to hold it down while the glue sets up.

[faux fiddy]

In a hurry to get some kind of product on I bought some of the silver aluminized coating, then heard it was not recommended for foam.

The new materials source recommended special primer for it, I used primer on a fair bit of the fabric just to make sure it would stick to it. So far so good.


Even though I wouldn't consider the project done,  there was a good 2" rain the other night. It stayed dry, no weeping in the places that were of previous concern.

I have  5 or six more five gallon buckets to apply along with enough fabric to do two layers or more, so  It should be pretty durable when I gett'er done.  It is importand to get enough material on and to get the fabric laid out 'flat' on the surface with no stretching away from the low spots, and as few wrinkles as possible. The thicker commercial elastomeric seem to  keep the voids to a minimum, The thinner snow-roof, and other Lowes brands don't do as well at this because it's just not as thick.  If you read their products'  (Lowe's) lables you can usually find "this  product not reccommended for areas where ponding occurs."  I found other  stuff from a company in Tuscon that claims it can be used where standing water can occur, and I can tell  it is better than the thinner marketed elastomerics.


I sure am liking the look of it better than when I started. I'll take and post  few more pics as I finish.

Pics: Alumicoat, Rolling fabric, Primer applied, Small patches to reinforce low spots

[faux fiddy]

This is about the best I have used,  found it on the internet and happened to be going through Tucson with a van so I was able to swing it for their reasonable sale price and no added shipping. 





Product No. 6000 Dura-Coat Roof Coating (Standing Water Roofs) is an ultra white acrylic roof coating that forms a thick rubber-like shield which expands and contracts over 300% to prevent roof damage. It resists cracking, peeling and mildew, while offering unbeatable weatherproof protection due to its maximum resistance to ponded water conditions and high reflectivity. (15 Year) $89.99/ 5 Gal.
GUARANTEED to have superior results in the following:
• Adhesion and cohesion  • Elongation and Tensile strength
• Reflectivity  • Durability • Resistance to:
»Standing Water  »Blistering  »Staining  »Dirt pick-up  »Damage due to UV

This type (36" wide)  fabric is not available at Home Depot or Lowe's, there was the stuff I did the seams with, which is about as wide as tiolet paper on a roll ($10).  The  300'  of yard wide is a comparative bargain at $100.  You can always cut it to other narrower sizes and use it like you would the other product.

[Retro Rocket]

Do yourself a favour and put it on with a roller, heaps easier and takes way less time... Iron roofs are extremely strong, we have some of the biggest storms {cyclones} on the planet and all our roofs have to built to cyclone standards, tin is better than tiles {the other common roofing type here}.........

[faux fiddy]

Do yourself a favour and put it on with a roller, heaps easier and takes way less time... Iron roofs are extremely strong, we have some of the biggest storms {cyclones} on the planet and all our roofs have to built to cyclone standards, tin is better than tiles {the other common roofing type here}.........

Oh, the brush I was just using for those little patches about a foot square, and touch up/load up.  I have been using the the roller with  nice 1" merino sheepskin naps. Picks a bunch of material, puts it on well, too.

The $2 naps just don't do it as well as the good wool ones.  They say you can spray it, but I don't see how, it is just too thick and thinning is not reccommended, but you really have to add a  bit of water.

I have been looking in to screwing metal on,  as well as other materials, clay tile, etc. Someone bought the lot of slate I was looking at, it was a steal price and would have looked great, but I think the structural part might have needed beefing up for the added weight.

[faux fiddy]

Oh, here's  where things are looking much better, finished a couple months ago.  I have a few gallons left that  might as well roll out  in a couple places rather than let it set up in the can , but pretty much looking done, glued down , coated and dry. No leaks, nothing comming loose or bubbling up.

I found there was a problem  with assuming all the water went through the scuppers, buy when it's pouring buckets it's all under water and spilling over most all of the flashed edges.  There were places where the flashing had a small split from the coating from differing rates of expansion; and water would spill over, in and under as it was spilling over, capilary action. Fabric over it now, and halfway down the flashing no problems showing.

Had about 4" of rain test last week.

Much better than the before pics.

[jamesb]

i  did 6 roofs 2 years ago that where sprayed with foam about 14 yrs ago. foam roofs suck they need recoating with the right stuff about every 2 yrs the company says every 5-7 years. i did a lot of researching and found that ames company makes some real good stuff it is a 3 part coating system it works very well.the first coat is the base it fills in the cracks and holes (small ones),the second is a sealer type base that works with the first one and the third is a uv protectant base.all of this is a rubberized liquid. some of the roofs i have been fighting for about 10 years now,and can never get them to stop leaking i used the ames material and it was heaven sent.your roof looks like some of the ones i did. the ames coating is rubberized.i've used it on gutters cement block walls this stuff is amazing. we rolled it on.

[faux fiddy]

i  did 6 roofs 2 years ago that where sprayed with foam about 14 yrs ago. foam roofs suck they need recoating with the right stuff about every 2 yrs the company says every 5-7 years. i did a lot of researching and found that ames company makes some real good stuff it is a 3 part coating system it works very well.the first coat is the base it fills in the cracks and holes (small ones),the second is a sealer type base that works with the first one and the third is a uv protectant base.all of this is a rubberized liquid. some of the roofs i have been fighting for about 10 years now,and can never get them to stop leaking i used the ames material and it was heaven sent.your roof looks like some of the ones i did. the ames coating is rubberized.i've used it on gutters cement block walls this stuff is amazing. we rolled it on.

This stuff I found from Tucson had a primer, and the rubber part was thick. They have several products for different applications.  Their top of the line claims a 15 year life and resistant to 'ponding.'  If you read the fine print on most the home depot or lowes product lines it says not recommended for 'ponding.'  The Tucson also recommends a pretty thick two coats so it got at least that.  I'm hoping  this stuff is superior and will last the 15.  Definitely look into the ames stuff, but for now it's pretty tight I think.

Just a few gallons left that I might smear around since I've got it.