Types and how to stack? Review & Tips + Video

Which roofing were the most popular until recently?

These are the familiar slate, galvanized steel and roof tiles. To carry out the roofing work, a whole working team was required, since all the necessary measures took a significant amount of time and effort. The emergence of modern materials of a new generation has greatly simplified these procedures.

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Advantages of a soft roof

Soft roofing surpasses many other materials in its technical and working qualities. It is one of the most popular roof coatings for different configurations.

What properties does this material have?

• Light weight reduces the load on the building in general and on the roof structure in particular.
• Excellent soundproof properties make even the sounds of hail or rain inaudible for the inhabitants of the building.
• Tightness guarantees excellent protection of the foundation of the house, walls and under-roof space from winds and moisture.
• Great looks . Such a coating looks elegant and quite status-like, in no way inferior in appearance to natural tiles.

• Significant terms of use . This coating has been in operation for an average of about thirty years. Naturally, it needs current repair and preventive maintenance.
• Simplicity and ease of installation , as well as subsequent maintenance. Even one person can cope with the work, who will only need a few days to work.

What is this wonderful soft roof?

• This practical material is a fiberglass base with double-sided rubber-bitumen impregnation. It is this composition that provides the roofing with high tightness and moisture resistance.
• Its increased wear resistance is guaranteed by a special dressing, it does not allow individual plates to be stored and transported wrinkle and stick together.

DIY roofing

As noted above, one person can handle the installation of soft tiles.

What materials and tools will he need?

• Directly roofing material.
• Trowel and glue paste.
• High-quality sealant for the treatment of coating areas adjacent to walls and pipes, as well as for finishing joints.
• Sharp knife.

• Roofing nails and hammer.
• Pencil and plumb bob.
• Planks for a neat design of ends and cornices.
• Gloves.
• Waterproofing membrane .

Preparation for laying soft roofs

What is the main difference between soft tiles and other roofing materials?

1. The fact is that this type of roofing should creep on a solid solid base.
   Suppose metal tile is successfully mounted on wooden lathing made of timber, and the gaps between the individual beams do not in the least worsen the quality of the coating.
2. But bituminous shingles do not have a fixed rigid structure, like metal or like slate .
   It has to be mounted on special boards (oriented strand board), on a grooved or edged board, on thick moisture-resistant plywood.
3. In the event that a board is preferred as a basis for soft tiles, then it is better to buy it in winter and put it into business in summer.

   So experts advise.
   She will benefit from "resting" in the stack for a certain time, during which she will acquire the necessary level of moisture. Ideally, it should be 20 percent. It is better to choose boards about 10 cm wide, it is more convenient to use material of approximately the same size.

Features of the structure of a soft roof

Before proceeding with the flooring and strengthening of the roofing material, it is required to perform a number of mandatory measures to strengthen individual sections ...

Roofing carpet device

This is a kind of non-woven cloth impregnated with a bituminous mixture and processed with special dressing.

It is located on valleys, roof ends and overhang eaves. It usually comes in the same color as the main roofing material.

1. The canvas is carefully glued with an overlap of 15 cm horizontally and 10 cm vertically, from bottom to top.
2. All joints of the product are well coated with mastic. The skates should have 25 cm of under-roof carpet, 50 from the sides of the valley.

3. Eaves overhangs and ends are finished with them 40 cm wide.
4. The carpet is fixed with large roofing nails at a distance of 20 cm one from another.
5. Steel cornice strips must be installed on the eaves overhangs.
6. Special pediment strips are mounted and fixed at the ends of the roof.

Soft roof in winter.

Prerequisites for installation

What else is important when laying a roof in winter?

• It is desirable that all necessary work is carried out exclusively in relatively warm weather. Temperature readings should not fall below 5 degrees Celsius.

• In that in the case when there is an urgent need to carry out work in the winter, you should use a special warm-air heating pad . In addition, the roofing material stored for work must be kept for several hours in a room with a positive temperature (close to room temperature).

• Freshly laid bituminous roofing needs warmth.
  Why would she want it? The fact is that on the inside, each shingle (a sheet of three to four separate tiled petals) is equipped with a self-adhesive bitumen lining. And although it (shingle) is fastened with nails to the base of the roof structure, its individual components are glued together under the influence of solar heat.
  They are also firmly soldered to the roof base.
  In cold weather this is not possible, therefore, the reliability and tightness of the roofing will noticeably suffer.

• During the installation process bituminous roofing should be used from several different packages at the same time .
  This is required in order for a uniform alternation of shades of materials to occur. Standard packaging may vary slightly in color. Knowing this and specially combining material from different packs, you can get an original drawing. In addition, if repairs are required in the future, it will be easier to pick up pieces of a suitable color scheme.

Ventilation for soft roofs

Installation of soft roofs is a multi-stage process that includes several stages. One of the first is to equip a reliable ventilation system. Professionals are well aware that poorly ventilated (or non-ventilated) roofing often causes rapid rafter damage.

How to avoid this?

Special air vents and ventilation outlets under the cornice, as well as a pre-provided gap between the tiles themselves and the base of the roof, provide excellent air circulation to the under-roof space.

They also do an excellent job with the removal of water vapor.

DIY mastic for soft roofing

This polymer bituminous material is required for the installation of the outer layer of soft tiles.With its help, an elastic homogeneous coating is formed that can withstand mechanical and thermal deformation of the base. According to the technology, when laying a soft roof, hot and cold mastics will be required to fix the roll material on the roof.

Traditionally, cold compositions are used for the inner parts of the coating, while hot ones are used for coating the outer layers.

Bitumen and roofing felt belong to cold types of mastics, roofing and tar to hot. The composition of the substance used, in addition to bitumen, must include a filler of a pulverized type or made of fiber. Ash, lime or gypsum is often used as a pulverized material.

The highest quality mastics contain polymers. You can buy a ready-made composition, and if you wish, it is quite acceptable to make it yourself.

There is nothing complicated about it.

Cold mastic :

1. You will need bitumen and filler for this.
2. You need to take two containers, in one of which you need to place two portions of bitumen, in the other a couple of portions of diesel fuel and one filler.
3. At the same time, both dishes must be heated to a temperature of 180 degrees.
4. When the water finally evaporates from the container with bitumen, the contents of both are mixed.

As a result of such actions, a cold product is obtained.

To make hot mastic:

1. In bitumen heated to 200 degrees, carefully, in small portions, add filler. The process should take place at a temperature of at least 160 degrees, this should be closely monitored.
2. After stirring evenly, the product is ready. You can also check its quality yourself.

3. The composition heated to 60 degrees is applied to the ramp having an angle of 45 degrees.

If a good mixture is obtained, then it will not drain from an inclined surface. After hardening, the product will remain smooth, without defects and cracks.

Soft roofing technology

1. The wooden base of the roof must be treated with a product containing diesel fuel and bitumen.
2. After that, it is thoroughly coated with previously prepared or purchased mastic, and only then roofing material and glassine are laid on this layer.

3. Tile pieces are carefully placed from the very center of the roof slope to the left and right. Rows of material should form from the eaves towards the ridge. In other words, the work is carried out in the following directions: from bottom to top, and from the center to the sides.
4. Carefully remove the film from each piece, which covers the adhesive bitumen backing.
5. This piece of shingles is then attached with 4-6 special nails to the roof base.

In the process of work, simple rules should be observed. In different rows, individual roofing sheets are best positioned so that the joints are aligned. In other words, it is called staggering.Such a flooring procedure significantly improves the moisture-insulating qualities of the coating.

Each new layer should overlap the previous one with a good overlap of at least 8-10 centimeters.

In those places where the coating comes into contact with pipes and other communications, as well as from the edges of the roof, curly trimming of the material is carried out. Roof edges are securely glued with mastic.

Around antennas, chimneys and other communications it is not difficult to lay a roofing carpet if everything is measured and calculated in advance, and the necessary markings are applied. The so-called pass-through elements must be ready, which are necessary for this. The joints of pipes and the roof itself are reinforced with a special under-roofing substrate, mentioned earlier, and then covered with the same mastic.

The tiles are already laid on it, then the passage elements. It's a good idea to seal the joints with a sealant. When the soft roofing is installed before the roof slope, special elements called ridge elements will be required. With their help, the tops of the slopes are covered, they are fixed with mastic and fastened with nails.

From all that has been said, a conclusion can be drawn.

Modern soft roofing is a wear-resistant and easy-to-use material that has a very affordable cost.

Subject to strict adherence to the technology of the flooring, as well as when purchasing high-quality materials, you can be sure that the resulting roof will not only be attractive, but also functional and reliable protection of the home.