Many problems can occur over time with torch on flat roofs that will allow water to penetrate the boards below, and eventually into your property. Whether splitting as occured through puddling of water, warm weather heating and expanding the bitchumen felt or through debris impacting the roof, if caught early enough, we may be able to carry out some maintenance that will help prolong the lifespan of the roof.
This can be done by sealing any cracks with bitchumen before they get any worse or by using torched on felt patches to repair any areas that are already causing internal water damage. We would then advise coating your whole roof area with solar reflective paint. This acts as a barrier from all types of weather conditions, from direct sunlight to snow and ice, and as a rule, your flat roof should be recoated annually with this paint if you want the maximum life out of your roof.
If your flat roof is in need of a complete renewal or repair we always install a 3 layer flat roofing system. Firstly, we need to strip the entire roof area, felt, boards etc and expose the roof timbers below, checking for any sustantial water damage and replacing with new where needed. We then need to check you have the correct fall on the construction of the roof to allow rainwater to be taken from the roof and into the guttering, alleviating any problems your roof may be currently be suffering from, ie puddling of rainwater.
Once this is complete we then install new osb3 boarding to the roof and prime with bitchumen primer to give the boards a bond for the felt to adhere to. We then torch on the first undercoat layer of felt, 2mm debotec bitchumen backed. Once this is complete we then torch on the 2nd thicker topcoat layer, 4mm debotec bitchumen backed felt. We then finish off all 4 sides of your roof using 4mm green mineral felt and installing code 4 lead flashings to any brick abuttments adjoining your flat roof. We then coat the entire roof area with a layer of solar reflective paint to protect and prolong your whole roof.
All flat roofs of this nature should be annually checked and maintained, and if done could easily last as long as 15 years without the need for repairs.
We carry out flat roofing work in Manchester, roofers in Stockport, roofing work in Cheshire as well as roof repairs throughout the North West.