The construction of any house always includes the erection of a roof and the installation of a roofing that provides reliable and long-term protection at any time of the year. Continuous technological progress provides consumers with a wide range of roofing materials.
Many of them successfully combine practical and aesthetically beautiful solutions created centuries ago with the latest scientific developments. This is most clearly demonstrated by soft tiles, installation technology and the wide possibilities of which are a consequence of the achievements of modern developers, and the unique appearance is a merit of the builders of medieval Europe.
Soft roofing or shingles is a modern material that is used to cover the roof and consists of fiberglass, bitumen and stone granules.
History, Varieties and Composition
Despite the fact that the first bituminous tile appeared at the beginning of the last century, it received mass distribution only in the middle of the century in America. First of all, due to the shape with three petals, as a result of which almost every second house was covered with such a roof.
An interesting fact is related to the name. The installation technology is almost the same in all countries, but in America the word “shingles” is used more, by analogy with wooden boards for roofing, and in Europe, as before, “shingles”.
Modern production technology, which includes the use of tear-resistant fiberglass fabric modified with additives from bitumen polymers and basalt coating, has led to the creation of a universal roofing material.
Advantages, disadvantages and scale of production
The use of any roofing has its pros and cons. Soft tiles are no exception. Installation technology, high performance and a wide color gamut distinguish it among other coatings.
Among the main advantages are:
lack of moisture absorption, which automatically eliminates destructive processes and provides reliable waterproofing;
resistance to any temperature;
non-exposure to ultraviolet radiation, in particular the lack of melting at high temperatures;
good tolerance of almost all mechanical influences;
lightness and flexibility.
One, but significant drawback is the total cost of the work. When soft tiles are used for coating, installation technology includes a mandatory continuous base, which is usually made of plywood or OSB boards. Even if a board is used, very stringent requirements are imposed on it for thickness and location on the surface. Growth rings must be directed downward.
Today, production is carried out in many countries of the world, mainly in America and Russia. Of the domestic manufacturers, Shinglas (TechnoNIKOL), Ruflex, Dock and Tegola (together with Italy), which occupy more than 80% of the market, stand out.
Terminology and materials
The technology for installing soft tiles for each manufacturer has its own nuances. But the main stages are the same for everyone. For a better understanding of the technical information contained in all instructions, it is necessary to understand the terms used and the main materials used.
Any element of the tile consists of several conventional parts:
visible surface;
places of overlap;
cutaway;
adhesive strips;
petal.
Roofing usually includes:
pediment and eaves overhangs;
valley or internal angles at the junction of two slopes;
ribs and fractures, which are the joints of two different surfaces.
Laying of the coating is done after preparation of the roof structure, including hydro- and vapor barrier, insulation, if necessary, as well as the mandatory space for ventilation.
The technology for installing soft tiles involves the use of several required materials:
the tiles are ordinary and universal starting, used for cornices and skates;
lining base (carpet), which can be of several types;
lining base for valley;
metal strips for overhangs and valleys, as well as for adjoining, for example, to a pipe;
ventilation elements;
mastic based on bitumen and polymer additives, allowing you to work without pre-heating;
roofing nails.
Roof foundation preparation and ventilation
When soft tiles are used for roofing, do-it-yourself installation technology requires the strict implementation of all the steps contained in the instructions for use.
The first step is always to prepare the roof surface for laying the tiles. To do this, you can use plywood, OSB boards or edged boards, which are best fixed with self-tapping screws. The thickness of the base is determined by the distance between the rafters of the roof structure and is calculated according to the table below.
| The distance between the rafters, mm | OSB, mm | Plywood, mm | Board mm |
| 300 | 9 | 9 | - |
| 600 | 12 | 12 | 20 |
| 900 | 18 | 18 | 23 |
| 1200 | 21 | 21 | thirty |
| 1500 | 27 | 27 | 37 |
A clearance of up to 5 mm is left for the board. In cold weather, a gap of at least 3 mm is necessary for possible expansion under the influence of temperature in the summer. The resulting surface should be smooth, rigid and continuous.
Properly made ventilation has an air flow, space above the heater and exhaust ducts. At the same time, the area of the outlet should exceed the incoming by 15%. Often cornices are sewn up with finishing material, without openings for inflow, which is a gross violation.
Installation of cornice strips and lining base
To demonstrate the main stages of installation, for example, Shinglas soft tile installation technology is used, which occupies more than 40% of the Russian market.
On a prepared basis around the entire perimeter are fixed special metal cornices, often called droppers. They are installed with an overlap of up to 50 mm and are fixed in increments of up to 150 mm in a zigzag pattern. At the joints, the pitch is reduced to 30 mm.
After that, the installation of the lining base begins, which has slight differences for slopes with different angles.
For valleys and curtain rods, roll material is used, coated on one side with adhesive, which is attached to the roof surface and must be installed along the entire perimeter of the curtain rods, not reaching the 30 mm bar.
In the valleys, it is laid 500 mm on each side, along the eaves along the entire width of the overhang and an additional 600 mm inside the roof. Horizontal overlap is done 100 mm, vertical - 150 mm. To increase reliability, the base is fixed around the perimeter with nails in increments of no more than 250 mm.
For the rest of the roof surface, a conventional lining base is used, which is laid from bottom to top parallel to the cornice and secured with nails. The overlap areas are additionally processed with mastic of at least 100 mm.
On the edges, skates and fractures of the slopes, the base is laid on 500 mm on each side, that is, the entire width. For gables and along joints with walls, only half the roll is used, equal to 500 mm.
At the end of this stage, frontal bars are installed that protect against wind and moisture. They are fixed with nails in increments of not more than 150 mm.
Mounting the protection of the valley
Endova is the most vulnerable spot in the entire structure. In addition, during repair, you have to disassemble two roof slopes at the same time. Therefore, during the installation of tiles, special attention is paid to it.
After installing the entire lining layer, it is necessary to separately protect the valley. To do this, a special lining with a width of 1000 mm is applied, which is laid 500 mm on each side on top of an already fixed base with an offset of up to 30 mm.
The edges around the perimeter are smeared with mastic with a width of at least 100 mm. After gluing, the entire perimeter is additionally fixed with nails no further than 30 mm from the edge in increments of 250 mm.
If it is not possible to make the base solid, the overlap width should be at least 300 mm with the obligatory spreading of the entire area with mastic. It must be placed as close to the top as possible.
Preparation for laying and installation of the starting strip
The soft roof has its own subtleties caused by the structure and characteristics of production. For work, several packs are used simultaneously to avoid the concentration of one shade. For the same reason, when using soft shingles, installation technology in the winter requires only a few packs that come from a warm place.
Before installation, it is recommended to shake them and bend them several times. It is categorically not advisable to use packs from different lots.
It is recommended to apply a grid on the lining base with a masking cord, which will facilitate the installation process. The horizontal distance corresponds to the size of 5 rows of tiles, vertically equal to 1000 mm or the dimensions of one shingle. This will allow you to quickly align or simplify the task if there is an additional element in the roof.
Installation begins at the bottom from the center of the ramp. For the starting strip, a special universal element is used or an ordinary ordinary tile without petals. They are installed on the adhesive base on the back side and fixed with 4 nails around the perimeter at a distance of not more than 30 mm. If a trimmed ordinary tile without an adhesive base is used to start, it must be coated with mastic.
Installation of tiles
Installation is made downward with an indent of 10 mm from the starting element. Roof tiles are fixed with nails along the selected area. For slopes with an angle of up to 45 °, 4 nails are used, which are attached 25 mm from the edge and the visible area, which allows 2 elements to be fixed at the same time. For 90 °, the number of nails doubles. Depending on the shape of the petal, various styling options are possible, allowing you to create both a chaotic pattern and an orthogonal one.
In the valleys, the location of the gutter is preliminarily noted, from which 300 mm in each direction departs, the zone where nails do not break through is determined. The tile is trimmed to the required size and must be fixed with nails and mastic. The upper corner closest to the valley is cut off for water rebound.
On the gables, the tile is fixed without reaching 10 mm to the edge with the mandatory cutting of the upper corner, as in the valley. Fixation on the edge is carried out using mastic, which is applied with a layer of at least 100 mm, and nails.
Pipes, ventilation and skates
For fastening to the pipe, a lining base for a valley or metal with anti-corrosion treatment is used. The material is planted on a 300 mm pipe and on a 200 mm ordinary tile with obligatory coating of the entire area with mastic. Then the tile is fixed on it, forming a groove 80 mm wide. The top is closed with metal strips, and then treated with sealant.
Ventilation or other technological elements are mounted using special elements fixed to the roof surface with mastic and nails. Then around them the tile is attached.
The skate is closed with a special profile, which is fixed with nails, then, together with the ribs, it is covered with ridge tiles of the same color. To obtain it, you can cut into three parts the ordinary ordinary. Installation is made from the bottom up with an overlap of up to 50 mm and is fixed with 4 nails.
As you can see, soft tiles, the installation technology in the photo above and below confirms this, it is a practical and convenient material, which is deservedly popular.
Features of tiles from different manufacturers
The installation technology of soft tiles "Tegola" practically does not differ from "Shinglas". The main difference in the form and name of the elements used during installation.
Another manufacturer, Dock, is distinguished by an integrated approach to all materials for roofing, which, in addition to coating, includes insulation, vapor barrier and ventilation ducts. The installation technology of soft tiles "Dock" has all the basic steps inherent in the first two manufacturers, differing in the absence of a special coating for problem areas and individual color solutions.
Whatever tile is chosen, all of them are distinguished by high quality, affordable cost, warranty and detailed instructions that answer all questions during the installation and operation.