Whether it is a flat or low-slope roof, a rubber roof membrane is a great choice to protect against leaks from rainwater or snow. When water sits on the roof, it is easy to find ways to come into the roof structure. A rubber roof will prevent this leak by making the water go down the roof.
Rubber Roof Installation
A rubber roof installation is quite easy, even though it takes several times. Here are the steps to install a rubber roof.
Thoroughly Clean the Roof
Before doing anything or installing EPDM, spare your time to clean the roof first totally. Clean any dirt, dust, and debris on the roof deck. It can be leaves, branches, pebbles, and anything like that. Fill the gaps in the roof with wood strips. A rubber roof will not hold up to spans of more than 1/4 inch in size.
Roll Out the Rubber Membrane
Starting from one side of the roof, roll out the materials of the EPDM rubber roof. Then, leave it on the roof for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, fold the lower half of the EPDM membrane on top of the upper section and clean it with a broom over the exposed rubber and roof.
Apply Adhesive
The last step of the rubber roof installation guide is applying adhesive. Apply the adhesive to both the materials of the EPDM rubber roof and the roof itself by using a roller. Carefully fold back the EPDM membrane over the section and roll flat.
Repeat this process with the other half of the rubber roof. Continue this process until you have completed installing the whole rubber roof.
Those are the steps to install a rubber roof that you can do by yourself. If you install the rubber roof by yourself, you can suppress the rubber roof installation cost.
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Additional Information
For those considering a fully adhered system, it’s important to ensure that the substrate is completely clean and dry. This method involves adhering the EPDM membrane directly to the roof deck, creating a seamless and durable surface ideal for both residential roofs and commercial buildings.
Alternative Installation Methods
While this article focuses on fully adhered systems, it’s worth noting that EPDM rubber roofs can also be installed using a mechanically fastened method. This involves securing the EPDM membrane to the roof deck with fasteners and is often used in larger or more complex roofing projects.
Choosing a Roofing Contractor
If you’re uncomfortable undertaking this project yourself, hiring a roofing contractor experienced in single-ply rubber and EPDM (Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer) roofing systems is advisable. They can ensure that your ply roofing is installed correctly, whether you opt for a mechanically fastened or fully adhered system.
How to Prevent A Leaking Roof
First, you have to check the roof spots, which are most likely to leak frequently. Those spots are a chimney, skylights, ice dams, missing shingles, plumbing vent flashing, and wall step flashing. It will probably be hard for you to identify the spots without any snow or rain.
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So, please identify the most likely leaking spots during the wet weather.
Once you have identified the most likely leaking spots, you can start applying some temporary repairments. Those temporary repairments may require climbing up the roof with some tools such as a hammer, nails, and so on.
Fixing the leak spot in this way may be enough for a wet night, but more repair work needs to be done if the problem needs to be completely solved. Do not wait until the heavy rain or heavy snow comes.
