Felt Roof repair

I've been looking at what looks to me like a good quality felt roof comprising a plywood base, several layers of felt topped by the heavy duty stuff with small white stones all over it. It's quite a large roof and generally seems in good mature condition.

Along just one edge where it gets the sun, it appears to have split in places where it turns over the small upstand and over the edge. The splits are from pinholes to about a foot long and the longer ones can almost be pushed back together, but have curled up slightly at the tears.

It looks as though it should be possible to pour something glutinous to set in these small breaks and form a pretty permanent seal. I'm a bit scared of things like hot tar. Is there some suitable pourable gunge?

Reply to
Bill
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Bitumen comes in 4 forms, any of which could be used.

  1. Just bitumen, heat to melt and apply.
  2. Bitumen in solvent, pour/brush on and let dry
  3. Bitumen emulsion, emulsified in water
  4. Bitumen with fibres & solvent sold for roof repair.

I'd suggest using 2 or 4. 2 is cheap, 4 isn't. You can add fibres to 2 if you like.

NT

Reply to
NT

Bill; our house roof here in a pretty severe Canadian climate has such low slope (not flat) 'tar and gravel' roof. No problems in 40 years except for a bit of a flashing break around chimney. Am about to get it re-tarred and re-gravelled.

The only warning I've heard here is to make sure that whatever is added or used to patch such edges as mentioned, is to make sure that what you use is compatible with the tar or whatever was originally used.

It's very little trouble to heat up a bit of tar, in a tin can and then holding the can by some sort of tool or even oven gloves pour it where needed. We keep some out in the shed for such eventuality.

Good luck.

PS. There are a few tar-n'-gravel roofs here over a 100 years old.

Reply to
terry

In message , harry writes

Bit late now not to buy the house.

We might be back here later asking about other technologies, as I've had some connection with a couple of alternatives to felt that I 'felt' were worse.

Mature is as in myself. Old and thick skinned.

Thanks all, particularly for the other response. I suppose I should have looked up bitumen before posting. I might even have a go with heating something in a small tin. I have a ladle that I used to melt lead in. Now I wonder where I put that?

Reply to
Bill

Not without reason, hot tar if fing hot and sticks like shit to a blanket...

I don't think just pouringa bit of gunge into/over the holes/cracks will be a long term solution. The movement that has caused the damage will just crack the gunge again.

You say this is a fold on an upstand so only gets wet from stuff actually falling on it rather than being part of the draining roof surface. I'd get some felt and cold applied bitumastic sealer/goope. Cut a strip of the felt so that you have 2 to 3" overlap onto good roof from any damage. Liberaly apply the goope along/into the damage and put the felt on top. Rolling it into place to exlude air, pay particular attention to the edges. Try not to stress the felt where it folds or it will fail again, gently warming the felt or doing it on a hot day will help.

Reply to
Dave Liquorice

Rubbish.

MBQ

Reply to
Man at B&Q

Any roof is bad news in that it will fail before bricks and mortar. But there are occasions where they are the only solution. A properly designed one using good materials should have an adequate life.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

OK. I'll have to change my roof terrace into a pitched roof. Although I've a feeling there's a flaw there? And the one on my extended attic. The planners won't object this time round?

Luckily, I don't live in a Pikey area.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

Actually old off cots of felt can come in useful for attractively patching more than roofs. I've covered a plastic drain (leaf catching) cover that people kept knocking into and cracking, with it and mastic 'goope'. The stuff often seems to come in handy.

S
Reply to
Spamlet

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