Repairing Built Up Roof
Make sure the substrate is in good condition before making any repairs.
Repairing built up roof. Apply a coat of asphalt cement over the area. If your roof assembly is a single ply membrane such as epdm or tpo the application. If your ceiling has a plastic vapor barrier between the drywall and the attic insulation push the insulation aside and look for flow stains on the plastic often water runs to openings in the vapor barrier such as at ceiling light fixtures. Cracks on the asphalt surface should be an easy fix.
Although built up roofs are durable leaks can develop. If you live in an arid region or an older urban area you may have a large flat roof. Thankfully built up roofs can be maintained to maximize their lifespan as long as leaks are repaired as they occur. First you look for the leak point of entry.
The older built up roofs get the more likely they are to start cracking around the perimeter particularly around flashings and the outer field of the roof. Wally for the project kick off segment of the roofing it right miniseries on installing a commercial roof from start to finish. Repairing a split in a built up roof a k a. Some flat roofs have hot tar built up roofing which may have a gravel surface.
Some roof leaks are tough to locate. Sometimes the water shows up at a ceiling spot distant from the leak. Expert advice on how to repair built up and tar and gravel roofs including diy tips on patching torn roofing and repairing blisters on a flat roof. With the right materials tools and knowledge asphalt built up roof.
The roof is on a nursing home in a very small town and i had to buy the. Whether you re an experienced commercial roofer a steep slope roofer thinking of adding low slope services or just like to learn from the best you ll want to join gaf senior commercial training specialists dave scott and wally brown dave amp. I flew in to the closest airport about 4 hours away to look at this roof. An important step in completing an effective repair to your low sloped built up roof system is to confirm that your roof system is in fact an asphalt based roof system.
The following method of repair is only applicable to roof systems that are asphalt based. Start by cleaning the area of any gravel and debris. It may be covered with a granular roll roofing epdm which is smooth surfaced or modified bitumen which may be smooth or mineral surfaced. These are most often found where flashing is located such as at connections between the roof and the chimney the eaves or another roof plane.
A flat roof is usually slightly sloped. The repair methods for built up roofs vary in adhesives used but the procedures are basically the same. Repair built up roofing undulations by simply adding layers on top of the area to level it.