Materials for soft roofs and roofs - types and features
Recently, there is a clear trend in the construction market: traditional metal, ceramic and asbestos cement roofing materials are becoming a thing of the past, giving way to more durable and practical coatings based on modified bitumen and other moisture-resistant polymers. Modern waterproofing materials have a longer service life, but at the same time they are whimsical to the quality of the base on which the installation is performed, and installation. In this article we will tell you how to compare the most popular materials for soft roofs according to such important criteria as price, service life, moisture protection, as well as determine the most practical option for your roof.
Features of soft roof
Soft roofing is called an extensive group of materials that are used for waterproofing the roof. A common feature of these coverings, which unite them into one category, is a flexible structure that is not able to keep its shape. This quality of soft coatings has a double meaning:
- On the one hand, flexible roofing materials are suitable for different roof configurations, complicated by additional elements. They are easily mounted even on the hip and dome structures, which would be problematic to lay on a hard surface.
- On the other hand, flexible roofing materials should not be laid on a sparse crate. For their installation is constructed a solid base, which should be perfectly flat and smooth. The price of a soft roof, as a rule, is not much different from a high-quality metal tile, however, the total cost of a roof with such a coating becomes higher due to the use of OSB plates, lining carpet and vapor insulating material.
Note! This category includes such different in mounting technology, appearance and characteristics of the coating as a roll, mastic and membrane roofing, as well as shingles.
Roll materials
Roll roofing materials - the most popular type of soft roof, the main advantage of which is low price. This category includes various flexible coatings for roof waterproofing based on roofing paperboard or fiberglass impregnated with bitumen or polymers. They are made in the form of a cloth with a width of 1 meter and a length of 10-15 meters, and then packed in a roll. The advantages of roll materials consider:
- Weather resistance Roll roofing, especially if it is based on fiberglass, perfectly tolerates temperature drops, cold, rain and hail, while maintaining the integrity of the canvas.
- Низкая теплопроводность. Roll materials для крыши обладают низким коэффициентом теплопроводности, поэтому прекрасно сохраняют тепло.
- High noise insulation quality. Roll roof effectively reduces the noise level during rain, which is very valuable for roofs.
- Versatility. Bituminous and polymeric rolled coatings are used for low-angle structures; they are suitable even if the roof slope is 4-5 degrees.
Note that bitumen-based roll coatings are flammable materials. There are cases when the roofing material ignited spontaneously even from heating by the sun. To avoid such consequences, choose more modern analogues of this coating - steklomast, rubemast, stekloizol.
Self-leveling roof
Bulk roofing is a new method of waterproofing, which is used for the construction of a flat roof of multi-storey residential, commercial and industrial buildings. It is a monolithic, seamless coating, which is obtained by casting bitumen mastic. To strengthen the self-leveling roof, it is reinforced with a special mesh or canvas, it can also be further insulated. There are the following types of roofing mastic:
- Hot. Hot is called mastic, which before use must be heated to a temperature of 150-180 degrees. Heating mastic perform in special tanks, stirring continuously. If it boils, the material will be spoiled. Hot mastic is applied using a roller, brush, spray or pouring method, depending on the required layer thickness.
- Cold mastic. Cold mastic based on bitumen, moisture-resistant polymers or even a mixture of them is produced in finished form. A thick, viscous, fluid liquid is poured into metal containers. It is not necessary to heat such mastic before installation, because working with it is much faster and easier. However, the price of a cold self-leveling roof is much higher.
Important! Mastic roofing is mainly used to overlap the flat roofs of multi-storey buildings, as it is not demanding on the slope angle. Its main advantage is the absence of seams through which water can penetrate. At observance of technology of installation the bulk covering will serve more than 20 years.
Membrane materials
Membrane materials для крыши – более современные аналоги рулонной кровли на основе битума, обладающие улучшенными эксплуатационными характеристиками. They are also used to organize flat roofs of houses of any number of floors. Roofing membranes are perfectly adapted for the harsh Russian climate, have a long service life and high wear resistance, as well as vapor permeability. There are the following types of membrane roof:
- PVC Polyvinyl chloride is a widely used thermoplastic polymer, from which weatherproof and durable roofing is obtained. The advantages of this type of membrane is low price, and the disadvantage is low safety for human health.
- Tpo. They are made of polyester and fiberglass, reinforced with a special mesh. The disadvantage of this type of membrane is considered insufficient elasticity.
- EPDM This type of membrane roof is made of synthetic rubber, the cost of which is quite high. It is very flexible, flexible, but at the same time high-quality and durable. Bonding EPDM membranes can only be glued.
Experienced craftsmen argue that the use of roofing membranes can be cost-effective only if the surface area of the roof is large enough. Large investments, which require installation of a membrane roof, pay off, as it has been serving for more than 30 years.
Shingles
Another type of soft roof is shingles, which differs from other materials of this category in that they are made not in the form of a single web, but in the form of small tiles laid overlapping each other. The figured edges of the shingle give an attractive, moisture-resistant coating that resembles a traditional tiled roof in appearance. Fixed to the base shingles complex:
- Fasteners. The top of the tile is attached to the base of the roof with roofing nails made of galvanized steel with wide caps. This composition does not allow fasteners to resist corrosion, and the large-diameter cap obscures the hole in the coating from moisture penetration.
- With the help of self-adhesive layer. The adhesive layer is located at the bottom of the tile, it is protected by a film that prevents premature adhesion. In the process of mounting the film is removed, and then press the shingles to the base of the roof to glue.
Due to the fact that shingles are piece material, rather than rolled, it requires a greater angle of slope. To prevent moisture from knocking between the tiles, and the wind did not tear the roof, the roof slope should be less than 11 degrees.
