The history of ondulin began back in 1944. Then the Frenchman Gaston Gromier created a company for the production of bitumen sheets. But then no one could have imagined that this building material would become so popular.
Ondulin, of course, is a more modern type of bitumen sheets. It is manufactured using advanced technologies. Cellulose fibers under the influence of high temperature are saturated with bitumen, rubber and mineral pigments. When cutting plates, you can use the usual hacksaw for wood, which also favorably distinguishes ondulin. Its installation is very simple.
The sheets have a wavy shape, similar to the one that distinguishes slate. However, when comparing ondulin with slate, the fact that it is much easier speaks in favor of the first. A standard sheet measuring 2 by 0.96 m has a weight of only 6.5 kilograms. When installing a roof, this is of great importance.
Ondulin, the installation instruction of which is usually attached to the kit, is a material that, as mentioned earlier, is quite simple to install. However, like any other
roofing material, it requires the implementation of some simple rules in the production of installation works.
Basic installation requirements:
- Due care must be taken when working with any roofing materials, ondulin is no exception. Installation is preferably carried out in soft shoes. When moving along the roof, step only on the crest of the wave of sheets. You cannot step into the deflection.
- Work can be carried out at an air temperature of at least +5 and no more than +30 degrees.
- At least 20 nails must be used to secure one sheet. Otherwise, they may be disrupted by gusts of wind.
Ondulin, the installation of which can also be done on old roofing material, also requires careful alignment vertically and horizontally. The crate should be made in this regard very high quality. To align the bars and maintain their parallelism, it is best to use a simple wooden bar of a certain length.
Installation of a roof from ondulin is also possible with a continuous crate. When cutting, sheets are best marked with a simple pencil and ruler. You can use a piece of plate of a certain length.
How to stack sheets in a quality manner
Begin installation from below, from the cornice. The sheets are overlapped. Between the rows it should be at least 30 centimeters. To determine the width of the overlap between the two plates will help the wavy shape that distinguishes ondulin. Installation is made so that one plate goes into the second on two waves. Fastening is done with nails or screws.
In addition to the sheets themselves, a ridge element is supplied. The plates are fixed to the ridge by driving nails into each wave. The ridge element is superimposed on top and also nailed. The pipe aprons, which are also included in the package, must be carefully secured and the joints sealed.
Lightness, durability, attractive, stylish appearance and other remarkable qualities of ondulin made this product one of the most popular roofing materials on the market.