Repair of a soft roof yourself. How to properly repair a soft roof

The soft roof is quite easy to install and is available to the vast majority of developers, which is why it remains very popular for many years. Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever, and often breakdowns happen to any objects and mechanisms that surround us, and the roof cladding is no exception. Repair of a soft roof happens quite often, and the owners of the house have to fix it, sometimes even a couple of times a year people eliminate the defects that have appeared. The only good news is that for such work it is not necessary to involve masters, because the entire restoration process can be done by hand.

The renovation plan is usually drawn up after a thorough revision of the roof, which allows you to identify any problems that have arisen. There are two standard ways to repair roofing:

• overhaul of the soft roof;
• ongoing elimination of defects.

Each of these methods is performed according to a separate technology, within which it is recommended to use different materials, and if urgently needed, you can take up work even in winter.

The main reason for the frequent wear and tear of the roofing material lies in the properties of bitumen, which lends itself to exposure to sunlight and begins to melt at high temperatures, hence the defects, which are expressed by swelling and irregularities that affect the further operation of the structure. The thing is that when precipitation falls in the formed depressions, rainwater or melt snow accumulates, seeping through cracks in the bitumen. But in winter, you can face some problems, because during a thaw, the snow melts, and with a sharp drop in temperature, it turns into ice, which expands cracks in the material and tears it.

To determine if the sheathing needs to be repaired, carefully examine the roof surface. If in some places the waterproofing has peeled off, cracks have appeared, bitumen has swollen, or depressions or moss have sprouted, repair of the soft roof is inevitable. If the defects are minor, you can easily get by with a small repair and can easily cope with it yourself.

Ongoing roof repair

Let's make a reservation right away that major repairs can be made not so expensive if a preventive process is performed every three years. As for the current repair, it provides for minimal lining errors, and you will not need to dismantle old roll materials with dried mastic, which, in fact, require repair. This will require updating the existing layer, namely:

• elimination of bubbles;
• replacement of funnels for water drainage;
• replacement of parapet coverings or eaves;
• covering the old layer with primers;
• fusing of new waterproofing.

Experienced craftsmen advise paying special attention to the most problematic places, which are the joints of roofing elements, parapet structures and walls, as well as those areas where gutters are fixed. In some cases, you can limit yourself to patches, but they often do not give a stable result and do not guarantee the continued operation of the roof without leaks.

Soft roof repair technology consists of several stages, namely:

1. Cleaning the surface from debris, dirt and moss;
2. Examination of the surface for the presence of rot, and if found, such segments should be cut off with the capture of intact material (up to 2 cm on each side);
3. Leveling irregularities with special mastic, which will require mortar materials such as a cement composition;
4. Cutting off all bubbles, removing dust, drying the surface and leveling it to firmly fix the patch;
5. A patch is cut out of a new material with a 5 cm allowance;
6. Lubrication of the surface with mastic and gluing of patches.

We draw your attention to the fact that on the reverse side, the patch must be treated with bitumen mastic. Further in the work, you will need a torch, which needs to warm up the patch, after which it is pressed with a press.

Repairs over the old coating

In professional circles, such an expression is known as "old repair", which means that it is not necessary to dismantle old roofing materials, and defects are eliminated on top of them. This method is much cheaper and easier to implement than overhaul of a soft roof. It can be easily done with your own hands, therefore, this method is used most often.

In this case, old roofing materials, on which defects have been identified, will serve as the basis for a new coating. The finishing coating can be applied in one or two layers - it all depends on the scale of the disaster and on the financial capabilities of the owner of the house, but a double carpet, of course, is better and more reliable, since its strength is higher. However, one cannot fail to mention that it is necessary to take into account the capabilities of the rafter system, because here the load on the roof surface increases by 5kg / 1m2 due to the roll cladding, and the mastic on which it is glued gives additional weight. Repair of a soft roll roof according to this principle is suitable for a roof that is not in a completely deplorable state. If the old roll lining is completely bad, the risk will be unjustified, and it is better to immediately set up for a major repair. Also, this method should be abandoned if the previously laid layers of bitumen exceed the permissible rate (maximum 6 - 8 layers), again due to the severity of the materials.

Overhaul of a soft roof

If you carried out an audit and found that a significant area of ​​the roof has suffered, and defects reach 60% of the entire surface, patching and mastic will not work here. In this case, only a complete dismantling of the dilapidated damaged cladding and the laying of soft material in a new way can help to correct the situation. As a rule, major repairs are resorted to in the event of regular and abundant roof leaks, as a result of which the insulation is damaged and loses its properties or the sheathing freezes.

The minimum set of work on the overhaul of the roof can be attributed to the dismantling of bitumen and its replacement with new material lubricated with mastic, replacement of funnels and cornices, drying of the insulation using special devices, replacement of the parapet structure. If the condition of the roof is more than deplorable, and the defects have touched the rafter system, it will be necessary to update not only the cladding, but also the frame with vapor barrier and insulation, and the procedure for performing the work will look like this:

1. We dismantle old materials;
2. We eliminate screed defects;
3. We carry out the entire roofing process in a new way.

It is better to do overhaul of a soft roof with your own hands with assistants, because here you will have to tinker with not only bitumen and mastic, but you will also need to install some roof elements that are difficult to lift alone, let alone fix.

This video shows in detail the entire process of installing the roof. After viewing, you will be able to do all the work yourself.

Correctly assembled soft roof will serve for 15 years. However, her ideal condition must be constantly taken care of. After a certain period of operation, a soft coating may need emergency or current repair, and a little later - and major. To understand whether it is time to restore the roof, it will turn out only after a thorough visual inspection.

Roofing carpet diagnostics

To clearly comprehend how much work is foreseen, going to the roof and assessing the damage to the coating will help. When examining a soft roof, it is necessary to investigate the appearance of such problems as:

• material detachment in the area of ​​panel alignment;

  You can make sure that the soft coating is peeling off at the joints of the panels by carefully lifting the material

• the formation of pits that are filled with water;
• swelling of the coating in some places due to penetration of water;

  Bubbles or creases on the soft surface indicate that the material has not been able to press firmly against the substrate during installation

• decay of the material, accompanied by the appearance of mold and mildew, which always become the result of prolonged exposure to moisture;
• mechanical damage to the coating (cracks, abrasions, holes).

  Cracks in soft roofing are often caused by weathering

After a critical examination of the soft roof, a decision can be made regarding the type of repair - emergency, current or major.

For emergency restoration of a soft roof, they are taken when they see that from 5 to 20% of the coverage area needs an ambulance to normalize operational characteristics. To restore the carpet to perfect condition, patches are put in places where leaks are found or may soon appear.

The patches will help to restore the soft roof if it has deteriorated by a maximum of 40%

Maintenance is necessary if 10–40% of the coverage has been damaged. It is expressed in partial replacement of roofing carpet or patching.

The overhaul of the soft pavement is a last resort. They resort to it, being sure that more than 40% of the roofing carpet is badly damaged.

Patches will not help a significantly damaged roof. With a significant destruction of the bitumen layer, deterioration of the properties of waterproofing and vapor barrier, they are struggling with a complete or at least extensive replacement of the material.

A roof with serious damage needs major repairs

Repair tools and materials

The set of tools for repairing a soft roof includes:

Technoelast, bireplast and fiberglass are well suited for restoring the bottom layer of a soft coating. These materials are elastic and act as an additional barrier against cold.

When repairing a soft roof, it is better to create the top layer of coating from uniflex, isoplast, isoelast or linocrome. With any of the listed materials, the roofing carpet will gain special strength and will last more than 10 years.

Different materials are used as the first and second layers of soft roofing

It is better to process the finishing layer of the roof covering with hot bitumen-polymer mastic.

Hot mastic is prepared in a cauldron. Bitumen is used as the main ingredient. As soon as it heats up to 200 degrees, filler is slowly poured into it. The main thing is that when mixing the components, the temperature of the composition does not drop below 160 degrees, otherwise the mastic will turn out to be low-grade. The heated bitumen is poured into gasoline, after which it is thoroughly mixed with a wooden stick and immediately used.

Cold mastic is used to repair the inner layers of the roof.

A cold composition is prepared by mixing one part of the filler with two parts of bitumen, heated to 180 degrees, and gasoline in the same volume. The components are connected to each other, waiting for all the water to come out of the bitumen in the form of steam. The finished mass is not used until it cools down.

To process the finishing layers of a soft roof, bituminous mastic is used, which can be bought ready-made or made on your own.

Emergency and routine repair of a soft roof

In order to qualitatively eliminate defects on a soft roofing carpet, you need to act strictly according to the instructions.

How to patch holes and cracks

When the roofing carpet is torn, proceed as follows:

Video: what to do with holes in a soft roof

How to re-glue the split joints

Between two pieces of soft flooring, a good joint can be made again if the following measures are taken:

How to fix a bump on your roof

It is preferable to deal with swelling on a soft roof like this:

How to remove a rotten coating

When the soft roof decays, perform the following work:

What to do if the material is peeling

If the soft coating lags behind the base, which usually occurs due to insufficient heating of the lower layer of the roof or laying the material on a dirty surface, then proceed as follows:

Overhaul

Roofing carpet overhaul measures are determined by the type of material to be used.

Overhaul with laying roofing material

Using the complete restoration of the soft roof with roofing material, do the following:

The author of the article strongly recommends laying roofing material in four hands. One person should be charged with the responsibility to operate the burner on the inside of the material, and the other should be obliged to roll and press the panels to the base. Alone, it is bad to do two complex actions at the same time. In this situation, there is a great risk of moving off the straight line.

Video: overhaul of a soft roof with roofing felt

Overhaul using bikrost

If it is necessary to completely replace the soft roofing with bikrost, they act in the same way as when laying roofing material. The only difference: no mastic is used during work - due to the special composition, the bikrost, heated by a gas burner, sticks on its own.

Bikrost is glued to the base of the roof without the use of mastic

To properly cover the roof with bikrost, you need to know the following:

• the material is laid on the roof from the bottom up;
• the roll is rolled out, carefully heating and paying special attention to the corners and edges of the panel;
• strips of material are glued to the base quickly, while making overlaps of 7–8 cm;
• a soft roof from bikrost is created in 2 layers.

Overhaul with corrugated board

The restoration of the roof with profiled sheets is carried out in stages:

Features of repairing a soft roof in winter

Trying to do anything with a soft roof during the cold season is almost a crime. You should not refuse to repair the roofing carpet in winter only if there are serious reasons for this.

For emergency repairs of a soft roof, regardless of the air temperature, they undertake when the roof began to leak heavily, being damaged by a heavy object falling on it. The reason for the urgent restoration of the roofing carpet can also be the deflection of the coating as a result of the pressure of a large layer of snow or the formation of leaks due to thaw.

When repairing a soft roof in winter, you must be guided by the following rules:

Video: repair of a soft roof in winter

Preventive measures and features of operation

To insure a soft roof against deformation and other damage, the following measures must be taken:

Caring for a soft roof in winter is very specific, since it involves performing tasks such as:

• removing snow until a 5 cm layer remains on the surface of the coating, which will serve as additional protection against the negative effects of weather;
• using only a wooden or plastic shovel for cleaning, which is incapable of scratching soft material, unlike a metal tool.

In the summer, the requirements for the operation of a soft roof are greatly simplified. In order to preserve the original appearance of the coating, it is enough to do only two things:

• periodically remove debris using a brush or a brush with soft bristles, otherwise cracks will appear on the material;
• wash the roof once every 2 months and wipe it dry with a rag.

If you do not be late for repairs and adhere to the requirements of operation, the soft roof will last no less than the manufacturer indicated. In this matter, it is important to take it as a rule that the roll coating should be inspected as often as possible.

Due to its low cost and ease of installation, soft roofing remains quite popular today. However, it has to be repaired more often than others. Let's figure out how the repair takes place and what materials are used in this case.

When repairs are needed

The most obvious and undeniable evidence that the time has come to repair the roof is the appearance of water on the walls and ceiling. But this is already an extreme case, which can be accompanied by a number of unpleasant events, including a short circuit in the power grid. It is clear that it is better not to bring the roof to such a state, and for this it must be inspected twice a year. If this is not possible, you can reduce the frequency of inspections to once a year, but not less often. The following signs should cause concern:

It is extremely important to promptly clean the soft roof from branches, other heavy debris, materials left after construction or repair work. All this, under the influence of its own weight, over time begins to "sink" in the roofing, deforming it and violating its integrity.

Particular attention should be paid to the places where the roof adjoins to skylights, skylights, chimneys and ventilation pipes passing through it.

If the roof has already leaked, you should not immediately take on the repair of the area directly above the leak: the roof must be carefully inspected, since the defect can be located at a distance of up to several meters from the place where water appeared on the ceiling.

Types of soft roof repair

The works on restoration of the roofing "pie" are divided into the following types:

1. Emergency repair. It is carried out unscheduled on an emergency basis, when the defects present can obviously soon lead or have already led to leaks. In the overwhelming majority of cases, it concerns only the top coat, the damaged fragment of which is replaced with a new one or, more often, covered with a patch. Typically, the area of ​​the reconstructed site does not exceed 20% of the entire roof area.
2. Maintenance. Consists in the elimination of potentially dangerous defects identified during a routine inspection. Usually the case is also limited to the manipulation of the top coat, which is either patched or partially replaced. The area to be repaired rarely exceeds 40% of the roof area. Routine repairs are recommended to be carried out annually, since the elimination of defects at an early stage in the case of a soft roof can significantly save money.
3. Major overhaul. It is carried out when the proportion of problem areas on the roof surface exceeds 40%. The work covers the entire roofing "pie" as a whole, including the restoration of the vapor barrier. The top coat is mostly replaced with a new one.

Overhaul is a rather costly undertaking, which may well surpass the cost of installing a new roof (the difference in price is due to dismantling and garbage disposal).

Preparing for the repair of a soft roof

During the repair of the roof, the building becomes vulnerable to precipitation, so it is extremely important to prepare so that the work is completed quickly and, as they say, without a hitch. At this stage, you should attend to the solution of a number of issues.

Budgeting

If you have a detailed estimate during the repair process, you will not have to waste time on additional purchases of something extremely necessary that was overlooked. When compiling this document, you should think about everything very carefully, so that it provides for absolutely all types of work and materials, up to the most insignificant. Along the way, the estimate will allow you to objectively assess the upcoming costs and compare them with real financial capabilities.

If a decision is made to entrust the repair of the roof to a third-party organization, then in order to draw up an estimate, it will need to provide the following information:

• a roof plan with dimensions, which indicates all pipes, shafts, parapets on the roof (thickness and height must be indicated), eaves overhangs (you need to show the abutment zones);
• description or photographic images of defects;
• desired list of works;
• the name of the material that is decided to be used as a roof covering.

Selection and purchase of materials

Nowadays, you can buy any material and in any quantity without any problems. But the master should take into account that in the development of roofing, as in all other spheres of human life, there is a rapid development, and in order to spend money wisely, this issue should be more or less understood. Let's start with the fact that the roofing material familiar to everyone with a cardboard frame has long been recognized as obsolete. It was bypassed by analogs with a foil base - folgoizol and metalloizol.

Folgoizol is a multilayer material

But even these materials are far from ideal: bitumen in its pure form does not tolerate frost and temperature extremes, it is not “friendly” with ultraviolet radiation. The mastics used for gluing bitumen roll materials are also short-lived: the sun's rays quickly make them brittle. As a result, the only advantage of such coatings - low cost - is completely negated by the cost of major repairs, which have to be carried out every 5-7 years.

Those wishing to have a roof with a longer service life should pay attention to modern materials.

Bitumen-polymer roll coatings

Thanks to polymer additives, the volume fraction of which varies up to 12%, bitumen becomes more plastic and does not crack much longer: its service life is 15–20 years. Fiberglass, fiberglass or polyester film is used as a frame. This group of materials includes:

Materials with additives of thermoplastics, thermoplastic elastomers, crumb rubber and elastomers, which are considered to be very promising, should be distinguished into a separate subgroup. These include:

• dnepromast;
• filisole;
• thermoflex;
• dneproflex;
• lover;
• elabite;
• glass mat T;
• atacton;
• mastoplast;
• isoplast;
• bikroelast;
• bikroplast, etc.

Bitumen-polymer materials, due to their durability, reduce the cost of maintaining a soft roof by 2 times. At the same time, they inherited some disadvantages from bituminous materials:

• the coating must be laid in several layers (3-5);
• protective powder from stone chips is required;
• in hot weather, the coating softens greatly and with a roof slope of more than 25 degrees, it can slip.

Roll materials from petroleum resin or rubber

The most progressive version has the following advantages:

• laying is done in one layer (the second name is single-layer membranes);
• it does not soften in the heat, therefore it can fit on roofs with any slope;
• the roll width can be up to 15 m, so that the coating has very few seams;
• can be installed in winter;
• the material is elastic and very durable;
• resistant to frost and ultraviolet radiation, does not oxidize;
• has been serving for over 25 years.

The material can be glued with a special glue or bitumen (some brands are produced in a self-adhesive version), fixed with threaded fasteners, or simply sprinkled with a layer of rubble.

For the manufacture of the roofing membrane, ethylene-propylene rubber and polypropylene are used (approximately 30% of the total composition)

Due to single-layer installation and a significant service life of the membrane, the cost of installing and maintaining the roof is reduced by 4 times in comparison with bitumen.

Rubber and polymer membranes are successfully produced in Russia. As an example, we can cite the materials Kromel (JSC Kirovskiy Kombinat Artificial Leather) and Rukril (JSC Chemical Plant in Rezha near Yekaterinburg), as well as the products of JSC Nizhnekamskneftekhim.

Liquid materials (mastics)

In this case, we are not talking about adhesive mastics, but about bitumen-polymer and polymer compositions, with the help of which bulk roofs are made. In everyday life, they are often called "liquid rubber". The base material is mixed with a hardener and applied as such onto a flat surface. After a while, the liquid turns into a durable, elastic, rubber-like coating that does not have a single seam.

The ultimate elongation of the material is 1000%, so it retains its integrity even when the roof is deformed.

Liquid rubber is based on bitumen, and the material can be applied with a brush, which makes it convenient to use

Mastics are resistant to weather factors, including low temperatures and UV radiation, and their service life depends on the composition:

• bituminous rubber - 15 years (for example, "Venta-U", "Gekopren", "Elamast");
• bitumen-latex - 20 years ("Blam-20", etc.);
• butyl rubber and chlorosulfopolyethylene - 25 years ("Polikrov-L", "Polikrov M-120", "Polikrov M-140", etc.)

Liquid roofing materials tolerate deformation, temperature changes and ultraviolet radiation well

An important advantage of self-leveling roofing coatings is their low weight - from 2 to 10 kg / m 2.

If the installation is carried out on a roof with a steep slope and at temperatures above +25 0 С, cement or another thickener must be added to the mastic.

Mastics are safe for health, as they do not emit harmful volatile substances. For application, the method of cold spraying is used, which excludes the possibility of fire.

Instrument preparation

The soft roof cannot be repaired with bare hands, so you need to arm yourself with the following tools:

You must wear protective goggles when working with a gas burner.

Soft roof repair technology

The method of roof restoration depends on which defects have been identified.

Bonding a peeled panel

The operation is carried out in stages:

1. The detached fragment is lifted. The base or roll material underneath is cleaned of debris and thoroughly dried with a construction hairdryer.
2. The base is coated with bituminous mastic and the exfoliated panel is glued.
3. From above, the repaired seam is also coated with mastic.

You can make bituminous mastic yourself. It is used in two forms:

• cold: for repairing inner layers;
• hot: as a top coat.

To prepare cold mastic, you will need the following ingredients in a 1: 2: 2 ratio, respectively:

• pulverized filler (lime, gypsum, ash);
• bitumen;
• petrol.

First of all, you need to heat up the bitumen to 180 º С and keep it there until all the water it contains has evaporated. After that, the components are mixed, the mastic is cooled and used for its intended purpose.

A small amount of bitumen mastic can be prepared by yourself

Gasoline cannot be poured into heated bitumen, just the opposite - bitumen into gasoline.

To prepare hot mastic, bitumen is heated in a boiler to 200 º C and boiled, gradually adding filler. Stirring can be done with a stick. It is important that the temperature of the bitumen during mixing does not fall below 160 º C, otherwise the quality of the material will be extremely low.

The mastic must be applied immediately after preparation, it cannot be stored.

The patch is installed in the following order:

1. The damaged area is cut with an ax. If the defect looks like a bubble, it must be cut crosswise and dried by bending the resulting "petals". After drying, they are returned to their place, gluing with bitumen or nailing.
2. Further, all debris is removed from the coating area adjacent to the defect, after which it is cleaned of dirt and dust.
3. The defect, together with the area adjacent to it, is filled with bituminous mastic or sealant.
4. A piece of rolled material is glued on top, which should cover the damaged area with a good margin.
5. The patch is filled with bituminous mastic or sealant, which must be rolled over it with a roller. Distribution is performed so that the fill has the greatest thickness at the edges of the patch.

The sequence of operations when installing a patch on euroruberoid

Roof patching is not the most reliable repair method, as it does not cover hidden defects. Experienced craftsmen try to use a method, albeit more expensive, but one hundred percent effective - "repair as before".

Video: minor roof repair

"Old repair"

The worn-out roof is completely covered with a new coating without dismantling the old one. Before that, it must be put in order - cleaned of debris and dirt, sweep away the dust.

Before such repairs, it is necessary to assess whether the structures will be able to withstand the weight of the old and new coating. In any case, the number of layers on the roof should not exceed eight.

Video: roof repair "as before"

Overhaul

In case of significant damage to the roof, even the "old repair" becomes impossible. In such a situation, you should resort to overhaul repairs. In the most neglected case, it will consist of the following stages:

1. Removing old roofing.
2. Knocking down the screed.
3. Dismantling of insulation.
4. Restoration or replacement of the vapor barrier.
5. Internal drainage system repair.
6. Insulation laying.
7. Giving the surface the required slope using a sand bed.
8. Installation of funnels for the internal drainage system.
9. Laying cement-sand screed. To prevent water from evaporating from the solution, it can be covered with bitumen after laying.
10. Installation of roofing (the screed is treated with a primer before this).

The rolls are rolled parallel to the lower edge of the roof, starting from the bottom. Each subsequent strip overlaps the previous one with an overlap of 10 cm. With significant slopes, the amount of overlap must be increased. The edges of the strips are treated with bitumen mastic.

The next layer is laid with the dressing of the seams, that is, so that the new stripes cover the edges of the strips of the underlying layer.

Before laying the last, top layer, it is recommended to fill the roof with water and see if there are any puddles left somewhere. If there are any, they are marked with chalk, after which the water is driven off, and the roof is dried. Further, the marked areas are filled with hot mastic or an additional piece of rolled material with a thickness of not more than 1 mm is placed on them.

The work is completed by applying a reflective or fire retardant coating. Traditional materials - roofing felt, glassine or roofing felt - need to be covered with hot bitumen mastic on top, and then sprinkled with stone chips. It is pressed into the bitumen with a roller. New materials usually already have a protective powder.

It is clear that if some elements or layers of the roof are in a satisfactory condition, the work associated with them may not be performed. In a good scenario, overhaul may be limited to replacing the roofing with a small local repair of the base and minor repairs of some elements.

If a third-party organization was involved in the repair of the roof, then another stage is added to the list - checking the quality of work. Here are some things a homeowner should look out for:

1. The correct laying of panels. They should lie flat, with a uniform over their entire length and not too much overlap.
2. Tightness of adhesion of the edges of the coating to the base. A strong wind blows up the roof just behind the edges, so it is extremely important that they are very carefully and securely glued or melted.
3. Leaks in the rain. Initially, the ceilings on the top floor should be carefully inspected for water leaks after each rainfall. Conscientious firms and roof repair teams usually give a guarantee for their work, so if a leak is found, the customer has every right to demand the correction of imperfections.

Before contacting a third-party organization, it will be useful to study the regulations governing the installation of soft roofs. First of all - SNiP II-26–76 "Roofs" (section "Roofs from roll and mastic materials"). Of course, in some little things they lag behind life, in particular, they do not take into account the appearance of the newest materials on the market, but the main part of the recommendations outlined is quite relevant.

Video: overhaul

Emergency repairs in winter

Most of the materials used for installing a soft roof are not designed for installation at low temperatures. But an emergency situation may well occur in winter: the roof can be damaged by a large amount of snow, a strong blizzard or ice movement. The following recommendations will help to carry out emergency repairs:

1. First of all, the roof must be freed from snow, but so as not to damage it even more. It is best to use a rubber scraper for this purpose.
2. For temporary patching of gaps, materials that do not brittle in the cold should be used. Of these, the most affordable are corrugated board and metal tiles. If a decision is made to make a patch of bituminous material, it must be kept in a heated room until the last moment. When frozen, it will crack when unrolled.
3. There are different types of sealants designed for use at low temperatures - and they should be used.
4. We must not forget that it gets dark early in winter, so you should take care of lighting the place of work.
5. Equipment should provide for the possibility of a sharp deterioration in the weather, it is also advisable to get an assistant.

In winter, before starting the repair, it is necessary to clean the roof surface from snow.

Video: soft roof repair technology

Due to its low strength, a soft roof has to be repaired quite often, but today the situation can be significantly improved by using the latest materials. The main thing is to follow the safety rules governing work at height. The place where the dismantled materials will be dumped must be fenced and marked with warning signs.

Due to the practicality and ease of installation, renovation, soft roofing is a demanded type of coating. Resistance to aggressive influences complements the list of advantages, and a short service life is a disadvantage, which is why the owners have to repair the soft roof every 2-5 years. We will understand the types of renovation, and also consider the nuances of repairing soft roofs of various designs.

The soft roof covering has a bituminous layer of waterproofing, which becomes thinner and degrades over time. Loss of integrity is the main reason for refurbishment, but the repair technology may differ depending on the amount and severity of damage.

Advice! It is not worth bringing the roof to a state of complete destruction of the outer coating; you will not have to repair, but change the materials. Therefore, it is recommended to inspect the roof for damage every 2-3 years, so that the repair does not cost a pretty penny.

How to determine when it is time to repair the roof:

1. Peeling of panels at overlap / joints;
2. The appearance of depressions on the panels (water accumulates);
3. Moss germination at points of stagnation of water;
4. Bulges on the surface of the sheets, indicating the ingress of moisture inside (under the roof covering);
5. Scratches, breaks of sheets, cracks are visible defects of the coating, which are necessary for repair.

The types of work to renew the soft roof covering depend on the degree of wear of the material and can be:

1. Restorative / preventive. It is carried out in case of minor damage to the coating sheets in the absence of a violation of the general tightness of the roof. A characteristic feature of the repair is local / point renewal of the coating, which can be eliminated without the need for complete dismantling.

Important! Cosmetic renovations are carried out when the total area of ​​defects does not occupy more than 35% of the entire area of ​​the roofing material.

1. Overhaul- a process that includes a complete dismantling of the material, if necessary, renewal of the roof structure and laying of new sheets. In fact, a major overhaul is a new installation of the roof covering in compliance with all technological subtleties.

Important! Overhaul is carried out in the presence of visible and hidden defects, the total area of ​​which is more than 35-40% of the roofing.

What is required

Before starting repair work, you should buy building materials and stock up on tools. Calculation of materials for the roof is not difficult: the roofing sheets have a certain area, you need to calculate the roof area, divide by the area of ​​the sheets, taking into account the overlap, and as a result, you will get the amount of required material. In addition, you will need:

1. Burner, gas cylinder, reducer;
2. Cutter, vacuum cleaner (for cleaning garbage), pipe, spatula, tape measure, rolling stick;
3. Bituminous mastic;
4. For major repairs, sand, water, plasticizer and cement are often needed to renew the screed.

As for the material, the market offers a lot of options:

• the bottom layer can be made from Uniflex, Isoplast;
• top final coat - Uniflex, Isoelast, Linocrom.

The main difference between the sheets for covering the upper layer from the lower one is in the presence of fine-fraction protective spraying, which protects the soft roof from sunlight and precipitation. In terms of thickness, the materials for the upper layer should be up to 5 mm, for the lower one - 3-3.5 mm.

Repair of the roof of the current order

The absence of critical damage allows for small-format (point) renewal of the soft roof. It is enough to restore the defective areas of the roof to make the covering airtight and durable. The need to replace areas near water intakes and eaves will help extend the life of the roof. So, the current repair of a soft roof work technology:

• clean the surface from debris, moss and other foreign fragments;
• check the sheets for rotten areas - they should be removed by cutting out together with small pieces of a durable sheet;
• cut off swollen sections of the roof, also grabbing a little strong sheet;
• clean the areas freed from the coating, prime and fill with cement mortar;
• after the cement has dried, apply patches, pouring abundantly with bitumen mastic, going over the intact edges of nearby sheets;
• to carry out fusion of new roofing material.

Advice! Technologically, such work is inexpensive, but it increases the total weight of the roof. Work should be done after a preliminary calculation of the bearing capacity of the structure, otherwise the roof will simply collapse.

Overhaul

In this case, the soft roof is completely replaced with new sheets. The costly procedure is justified by the absence of additional load on the roof elements, the extension of the service life of the building and the identification of even hidden deficiencies. Overhaul of a soft roof provides the following work algorithm:

1. Complete dismantling of the old coating. The procedure is performed with care, and to reduce complexity, you can use either a machine that cuts the canvas and twists it into rolls, or an ax with a long handle.
2. Cleaning the surface from dust, dirt, cutting and demolishing worn-out pieces of the screed, cleaning the bumps, dents - it may be necessary to update the screed completely or pointwise.
3. Inspection of the hydro-, heat-insulating layer, replacement of sheet pieces. To extend the life of the insulation, it is better to cover the sheets with a thick plastic wrap or vapor barrier membrane.
4. Prime the surface with bituminous mastic.
5. Starting from the bottom edge, lay the rough (bottom) roofing sheets with an overlap of 15-18 cm.

Advice! The greater the angle of the roof slope, the smaller the overlap can be. With an even structure, the entry of one sheet onto another can reach 20 cm so that water trapped on the roof does not seep into the lower layers.

1. Coat all seams with bituminous mastic, generously, not sparing the composition.
2. Lay the top sheets, making the installation in such a way that the joints of the final coating do not fall on the seam point of the rough one.
3. Roofing material, roofing felt, are also covered with protective bitumen mastic in order to avoid violation of waterproofing, and on top of the mastic it is good to pour fine-grained granite and tamp it properly.

Important! If new generation soft-core materials are used, granite dressing is not needed. Another advantage of this coating is the adhesive layer at the joints / overlaps. This frees from the use of bitumen mastic - the adhesive composition adheres perfectly and holds the sheets well, preventing moisture from entering.

And to make sure of the strength of the coating, take the trouble to visually inspect the roof after the first rain: identifying the most vulnerable places where water accumulates, there is moisture seepage, it will require abundant watering with mastic, which will extend the life of the roof and the entire structure as a whole.

Note! At one time, the method of additional fusion of roofing material over the old coating was popular. For this, the old layer was removed from the roof only in places of defects, the area was cleaned and heated with a burner, followed by coating with bitumen. After that, a new layer of material was deposited, sprinkled with crumbs and compacted. The method is very good and inexpensive, but the load on the floors should be calculated to ensure the endurance of the entire structure.

Features of the repair of a flat, pitched roof made of different materials

In private houses and buildings where soft roofing is used, two types of roof structures are most often used: flat and pitched. With all the similarities, the technology for repairing a soft roof has some differences. As for similar works, they are as follows:

1. Cleaning the area from debris;
2. Cutting out the defective coating;
3. Renewal of the screed.

Flat roofs are easy to repair, the process is described above, pitched roofs will require a little more attention. If the soft roof (shingles) is leaky and cracks, swellings appear, they are eliminated as follows:

1. The top tile (soft tile) is lifted or removed or a piece of roofing material is cut;
2. Apply adhesive to the new tile, smear the overlap with mastic;
3. Place a piece of material in place, press down and secure with a rail if necessary.

Advice! In the case of a complete replacement of the roof covering on a pitched roof, the overlaps are made small, since the water, thanks to the steep angle of the slope, leaves well on its own.

The membrane roof is also being repaired. It is done like this:

• For roofs with a slope of at least 10 degrees, the installation of new sheets is carried out using fastening equipment;
• For roofs with an angle of inclination less than 10 °, the ballast option is used, in which the membrane roof is sprinkled with any ballast material;
• The adhesive option is used for buildings in windy areas.

Repair of seams is carried out either by welding or by a chemical option. The first method requires special equipment, while the second allows you to repair the roof at any time of the year.

To renovate a bikrost roof, you need:

1. Carefully remove the old covering, taking care not to damage the base of the roof;
2. Carefully process protruding structures and auditory / ventilation openings with roll pieces;
3. Lay new sheets of roll material on a pre-treated area, carefully coated with mastic and covered with a rough bottom layer of soft roofing material.

Repair of a roof of a soft roof - work, the advantage of which is the possibility of independent implementation. The preparatory stage includes a visual inspection for the extent of defects, calculation of the material used and cleaning of the roof area. It is better to carry out repairs in warm windy weather, but in order for the coating to last as long as possible, experts advise not to clean off the snow layer to the ground, leaving about 5-7 cm of the coating. This will protect the roofing materials from accidental mechanical stress.

Our article describes the repair of a soft roof technology + video. We have touched upon the most frequently encountered questions on this topic. Described the types of repairs and how they are performed.

There are several answers to the question of how to repair a soft roof. Everything will depend on the amount of damage and their complexity.

Usually, repairs are divided into two types:

1. Current - damage to the roof covering is less than 40% of the total roof area.
2. Major - damage is more than 40% of the roof area.

As strange as it may sound, the main reason for the leakage of roofs made of soft roll materials is the destruction of the bitumen layer, which provides the waterproofing properties of this material.

It is not difficult to repair the soft roof of a garage with your own hands, since this structure is small in size. But on other buildings, these works will not take much time and effort, especially when it comes to current repairs.

In general, roll roofs are considered the easiest to install. No special equipment or skill is required for their installation.

As mentioned above, before starting work, you should determine the extent of damage. How it's done? We must go up to the roof and examine the cover. What to search?

• Visible delamination may occur at the overlap and joint of the panels;
• There may be visible depressions and pits on the roof surface that can retain water;
• In places where water is stagnant, it should be examined for material decay, the appearance of moss or fungus;
• Swellings on the surface of the roofing indicate that moisture has penetrated in this place;
• The presence of visible mechanical damage, abrasions, cracks, breaks.

After inspecting the roof, you can draw conclusions about the type of repair you need. Based on this, an estimate is made for a soft roof. What does it include?

Advice! To draw up an estimate, it is not necessary to call a specialist, you can do it yourself. But if you are not confident in your abilities, then of course you should contact the appropriate firms.

If a team of specialists will carry out the repair work, then first of all they will indicate a list of works, namely:

• Complete or partial removal of the old roof.
• Surface preparation for the subsequent installation of roofing.
• Installation of the top layer of the roof and coating the seams.
• Waterproofing top layer.
• Combustible materials for the burner.
• Consumables and their delivery.

If it is decided to carry out the repair independently, then the estimate will include only the cost of the material used and its delivery.

Those who have not yet decided whether they will do it themselves or hire workers can contact a company that repairs roofs. By providing them with the following information, you can find out how much the repair will cost.

1. Roof plan with all dimensions, for calculating the amount of material.
2. Lengths of eaves, abutments to walls and parapets, thickness and height of the latter.
3. The presence of shafts on the roof, their number and size.
4. The presence of pipes and other elements on the roof, their sizes and quantities.
5. The condition of the roof, it is advisable to take photographs.
6. An approximate list of repair works.
7. What kind of roofing material will be used.

SNiP rules

Work should be carried out in accordance with:

• SNiP soft roof 12-03-2001.
• SNiP 12-01-2004 "Organization of construction";
• SNiP 3.03.01-87 "Bearing and enclosing structures";
• SNiP 3.04.01-87 "Insulation and finishing coatings";
• SNiP 12-03-2001 "Labor safety in construction" part 1. General requirements;
• SNiP 12-04-2002 "Labor safety in construction" part 2. Construction production;
• POT R M-012-2000 "Interindustry rules for labor protection when working at height";
• SNiP repair of soft roofs 11-26-76 (1979).

Although many of those who carry out roofing repairs do not always adhere to them. This is due to the fact that most of the above rules were developed in Soviet times. Much has changed since then, including materials and technology.

For your information: ignorance of these rules does not affect the quality of work in any way. If the workers know their job well, roof repairs will be done quickly and reliably.

Repair and installation of a soft roof should begin with the preparation of the base on which the material will be laid.

If we talk about current repairs, there are several options. Partial replacement (patches) and repairs to the old one can be performed (1-2 layers of new material are laid on the old cover).

If patches are placed, all defects are removed in the places of their laying (cut out or pierced). Then the surface is cleaned of debris and dust, filled with bitumen mastic or sealant.

A piece of roofing material or other roll material is laid on top. In terms of dimensions, it should exceed the dimensions of the surface to be repaired.

The edges are carefully coated with bituminous mastic. But this method usually does not work. Therefore, many people use the following method of current repair - "the old way".

A soft roof for a garage and not only, during current repairs, can be installed without removing the old cover. With this method, it should be borne in mind that fusing two more layers will increase the load on the roof.

So it's worth first finding out how much weight the walls and floor supports can withstand.

For example, the following calculation can be given: on average, modern materials have a mass of 4-5 kg ​​/ m 2, if the roof area is 1000 m 2, the load on the roof will increase by another 5 tons. And instead of the base, the old roofing is used.

It is pre-cleaned of debris and dirt. The installation of a new layer is carried out in the usual way. This method cannot be used if the previous cover is badly damaged, there are already more than 8 layers of old material on the roof.

Usually, in the process of overhaul, a complete replacement of the roofing material, partial repair of the base (screed) and parapets, replacement of eaves overhangs, abutment aprons, fencing, revision and repair of water inlets and gutters is carried out.

But sometimes the roofs are in such neglect that they have to not only be repaired, but practically built from scratch. Naturally, this affects the cost of work.

Overhaul of the soft roof is carried out in the following order:

1. Removing the old cover.
2. Base repair.
3. Laying a waterproofing layer.
4. Installation of insulation (if necessary).
5. A screed is being made.
6. Roofing material is spreading.
7. A protective layer is laid.

To carry out the work, you will need a gas burner, roofing material, a knife for cutting roofing material, a sealant or bitumen mastic, a broom for cleaning the surface, cement for a screed, insulation, and overalls.

Overhaul of the soft roof begins with the removal of the old coating.

For this process, such as, you can use special equipment (the machine removes the coating and immediately rolls it into a roll) or an ax (for convenience, the wooden handle is changed to a metal pipe, its length is selected individually, for the height of the person).

If there are no large dents and cracks in it, but only minor damage, then the screed can not be poured. Sometimes the screed is preceded by a layer of insulation. This can be foam, a layer of gravel, or some other thermal insulator.

In the first hours after laying the cement layer, the surface is primed with bitumen, which covers the screed with a thin film and prevents moisture from evaporating from it.

After the cement has set, you can start laying the roofing material. The composition of the soft roof is different, but it is better to use materials based on fiberglass.

They have a longer service life and higher technical characteristics, in contrast to cardboard based coatings.

Laying starts from the lower edge of the roof, gradually going up. Each subsequent row is overlapped (from 10 cm). The greater the angle of the roof slope, the greater the amount of overlap.

For roofing material, glassine and roofing felts, a protective cover of bituminous is mounted. It is then sprinkled with stone chips and rolled with a roller.

Advice! When using materials of the latest generation, the seams between the rows are not coated and they are already covered with protective dressing on top. Consequently, less material is wasted.

As you can see, the technology for repairing a soft roof is not very complicated. Two people are enough to carry out the work. The choice of materials depends entirely on you.

But I want to remind you, do not forget to audit the roofing at least once every three years. After all, fixing minor flaws is much easier and cheaper than completely blocking the roof.