Diy garage roof repair, garage roofing material
In the role of the roof of the garage most often serves a flat or low-sloping lean-to roof structure, which often suffers from leaks, water stasis and breaks in the waterproofing coating by gusts of wind. Therefore, it needs regular maintenance and periodic restoration. To an inexperienced master it seems that this task is only possible for a professional, however, using modern roofing materials, it is quite possible to repair the roof of the garage with your own hands. In this article we will tell you how inexpensively to restore the roof tightness using roofing material, mastic or corrugated flooring.
Types of damage
Garage roofing has special properties due to the small slope of the slopes, because of which it is more prone to leakage and damage than steep-angled dual-pitch structures. Standard materials for the construction of outbuildings - roofing material, corrugated board, slate, that is, products that are inexpensive, but has a long service life. Repair of the roof of the garage is necessary if the following defects are detected on its surface:
- Cracks. Roofing material, mastic and membrane roof after several repetitions of cycles of freezing and thawing are covered with cracks through which moisture and cold air can leak.
- Breakdowns of the roofing sheet. As a result of a strong wind load, roofing materials can be torn off the roof lathing, exposing the truss system of the structure, as a result of which the insulation and the wooden elements of the frame get wet.
- Mechanical damage. The blows of branches, stones, debris, the impact of snow load lead to a violation of the integrity of the roof of the garage. This entails leakage and deformation of the structure.


Important! The roof structure serves as the first protective barrier between a person’s dwelling and the external environment, which sometimes behaves aggressively. Roofing material, corrugated board, slate and bitumen mastic are reliable, but not eternal materials, so the roof of the garage is repaired once every 2-3 seasons.
Types of repair
If the roof structure is leaky, you need to repair the roof of the garage with your own hands. Usually this operation is performed 1 time per season after regular autumn inspection of the condition of skates. After a detailed audit of the roof, you can assess the condition of the waterproofing materials, and choose what type of restoration is required:
- Accurate. If the surface of the garage roof revealed small cracks, pockets of rust and other single damage, then it needs a spot repair. Roofing material can be patched with patches, cracks cover up with mastic.
- Partial. If the damage is more extensive, then the roof is repaired with partial repairs. The damaged upper layers of the roofing pie are removed, in their place are placed new waterproofing materials - roofing material, roofing membranes, decking or ondulin.
- Complete In the event that the garage roof is in a deplorable state, then only a complete reconstruction can restore its tightness. To do this, complete dismantling of the roofing and the overlapping of the frame with a new roofing cake.
Many inexperienced craftsmen wonder how to repair the roof of the garage on their own with the minimum of costs. However, experienced roofers claim that it is advisable to carry out point and partial repairs if the damage area does not exceed 15-25% of the roof area.


Repair sequence
Modern roofing materials with light weight and high waterproofing ability allow repairing the garage roof without dismantling the old coating. But for the restoration of the waterproofing layer, it is important that the roof truss retain its integrity and high bearing capacity. In order for the results of the garage roof repair to be satisfactory and have a lasting effect, the reconstruction of the roof structure is carried out in the following sequence:
- It is necessary to check the condition of the truss frame. On wooden elements of construction there should be no mold, rot. If defects are found, they must be eliminated: replace the broken rafters, strengthen the deformed areas. It will not be superfluous to treat the frame with an antiseptic composition.
- Then you should remove the roof covering partially or completely. If roofing material was used to overlap the garage roof, then only the upper layers can be removed. If there are no blisters and bubbles on the roof surface, then the old coating can be left as a lining, and a new waterproofing material should be laid on it.
- The roof surface must be cleaned of debris, dust and dirt. To improve the adhesion between the old and the new coating, you need to degrease the roofing.
- After all manipulations, the roof must be thoroughly dried. It takes 24-18 hours to do this, you can speed up the procedure with an industrial hair dryer.
Note! Careful preparation of the surface for work is the key to the effectiveness and sustainability of the results of the repair. We remind that it is possible to carry out the reconstruction of the roof, using a ruberoid or roofing membrane, without dismantling the old coating, if there is no swelling, bubbles or other severe damage on it.
Materials
Deciding the better to cover the roof of the garage, experienced craftsmen pay attention to inexpensive but proven waterproofing materials that have a long service life. Roofing material, corrugated board, slate, various roofing membranes are great for garage roofing. The lighter and stronger the coating, the longer it will retain its performance. Most often used for repairs:
- Ruberoid Rolled waterproofing coating based on roofing paperboard impregnated with bitumen or synthetic rubber. It is laid overlapped in several layers with a small overlap. After fusing, the roofing material forms an almost monolithic, airtight layer. The weak point of this material is low mechanical strength.
- Decking. Profiled flooring is called galvanized roofing steel with a trapezoidal or rectangular profile. The material is cut into rectangular sheets, and then stacked with an overlap of 1-2 waves. The disadvantage of this material is considered a tendency to corrosion.
- Ondulin. Ondulin is a wavy roofing material based on cellulose fiber impregnated with synthetic rubber or bitumen. It is lightweight, so it can be mounted without first removing the old coating.
Note that the choice of roofing depends on the angle of slope of the roof slopes, the number of slopes, as well as the climatic conditions in the construction area. Shed and flat roofs overlapped with roofing material or roofing membranes, shed with ondulin, gabled - with a professional flooring or metal tile.