Flexible roofing is a modern coating that includes polymer additives and bituminous resins related to composite materials. Thanks to the polymer component and bitumen mastic with special additives, as well as glass fibers, it was possible to create a new roofing that is structurally different from its predecessors. All materials have water-repellent characteristics; they do not deteriorate and are not destroyed by moisture.
Varieties of soft roofing
Flexible roofing is divided into the main types, among them flexible tiles, bitumen, environmentally friendly roofs and membranes can be distinguished. In the manufacture of the first, special fiberglass is used, which is impregnated with bitumen and supplemented with stone chips. This tile is a layer of cardboard, which is coated with bitumen on both sides. Externally, such material may resemble a roll coating or tile.
Features of a natural roof
Reed is used in the manufacture of soft, environmentally friendly blood, but quite often other natural materials are used in the process. The basis of the membrane roof is a PVC material, which is characterized by high wear-resistant characteristics. It has an excellent appearance, is not afraid of temperature changes and is not exposed to fading, maintaining its original color for a long time.
Technology for laying bituminous tiles: preparatory stage
If you will be equipping a roof from a flexible tile, then it is necessary to carry out preparatory work. For this, calculations are made and the amount of material required for the acquisition is determined. It is necessary to lay it with an overlap, the size of which will depend on the steepness of the roof. The surface is pre-prepared, for this an even base or crate system is formed. To do this, you can use different materials, including wood.
When creating a continuous flooring, you can use a moisture-resistant chipboard or plywood with water-repellent characteristics, edged boards or sheet pile material. When creating such a surface, it is necessary to provide a gap of 3 millimeters between the elements to compensate for the thermal expansion of parts when changing external conditions.
Plywood at the edges is fixed with rugged nails or self-tapping screws. In order to ensure the long life of the wooden components of the frame, they are treated with antiseptics and flame retardants. It should be borne in mind that the statistical and wind load will affect the elements of the roof, even if they are supposed to be made of soft tiles. When designing, you should take into account the height, which is determined depending on the direction and strength of the prevailing winds, as well as the amount of snow falling.
Design Features
Based on this information, it is necessary to use rafters with the correct pitch and the required thickness. If the distance between the rafters is 60 cm, then the plywood thickness should be 1.2 cm, the plate will have the same thickness, but the thickness of the board will be 2 cm. If the distance between the rafters is 150 cm, then the plywood thickness and thickness the plates will be equal to 2.7 cm, and as for the thickness of the board, this figure increases to 3.7 cm.
If the overhangs of the cornice are supposed to be sheathed with siding, then you will need to install a grate for ventilation, it is also called a soffit. With the help of this structural element, air will be supplied to the products.
Lining installation
A flexible bitumen roof can have a slope of more than 18 degrees, and an additional layer of waterproofing will be needed, which is located along the end and cornice edges of the roof, because they are considered to be the places of the most probable moisture penetration. Their width should be about 40 centimeters from the edge.
It is best to bring the material to the surface of the facade.
Specialist advice
According to the recommendations of professionals, the skate should also be covered with insulation, providing 25 centimeters on each side. If the slope is from 12 to 18 degrees, then an additional layer under the tile will need to be laid on the entire surface of the roof slope. This operation starts from the bottom, while it is necessary to form an overlap between the layers. The rolled material is reinforced with special galvanized nails. The size of their hats should be as large as possible, fasteners should be installed every 20 centimeters. The joints must be treated with bitumen mastic to ensure tightness.
Laying shingles
If you will be laying a flexible soft roof, which is called bitumen tile, then you need to mark the ramp to determine the joining of the shingles after the window. This is true when a dormer window is provided. In order for the color of the surface to be uniform, you should use a tile from several packages. It must be mounted in rows, following from the edge of the roof to the top. Work should begin from the bottom of the ramp, advancing towards the central part of the cornice in the direction of the pediments.
Initially, the row is set in such a way as to provide a distance of about 3 centimeters between the beginning of the cornice tile and the lower edges of the tile petals.
The last element, from which the laying of the second row begins, should be positioned so that a pattern is formed. This will block the mechanical fasteners of the previous row. An element should be cut along the edge of the gable cornice, and then treated with bitumen glue to a width of 10 centimeters.
If, considering the types of flexible roofing, you have chosen its bituminous variety, then you should start laying with removal of the protective film from the shingle. After each tile is fixed to the base with 5 nails, the next layer is nailed to the previous one. In the future, the tiles will stick together and stick to the crate under the influence of solar heat.
Tiles for laying bituminous tiles
Soft tiles should dock with the wall at the place where the roof slope is connected to a vertical surface. To do this, in a designated place, it is necessary to strengthen the rail of a triangular shape, on which a soft roof is wound. A strip of a rug carpet is located above, and then glued with bitumen mastic. The strip should go on the wall by 30 centimeters, and in areas with heavy snowfall, the approach should be increased.
On top of the received adjacency, it is necessary to impose a metal apron, and then cover with bitumen mastic. When soft tiles are laid, sealing of the chimney exits is carried out in a similar way. If a brick pipe in cross section has the shape of a square with a side of 0.5 meters, then it is recommended to arrange a groove behind the pipe, which eliminates the accumulation of snow. To pass through the roof of the antenna, as well as pipes, communication and sealing passages, it is necessary to use passage elements created specifically for flexible bituminous tiles. Their fastening is carried out by nails.
Recommendations for laying shingles "Shinglas"
If you have chosen a flexible Shinglas roof to carry out roof works, it is important to consider that each package is designed for 3 square meters of surface. This is true taking into account all the necessary overlaps during installation. Approximately 80 grams of special roofing nails will be spent on 1 square meter. Installation work is accompanied by the use of mastic, an increase in consumption does not lead to improved bonding. The end parts will take about 100 grams per 1 linear meter. On a rug carpet you will need 400 grams per 1 linear meter. With regard to sealing junctions, you will need 750 grams per 1 linear meter.
If you decided to use a large-panel flooring for the foundation, then its installation should be carried out taking into account the spread of the seams, you can fix the material with self-tapping screws or special nails.
When such a roof is laid on a solid wooden flooring, it is important to pay attention to the fact that the annual rings are oriented with the bulges up. Using wet wood is not recommended, but if there is no other option, then the end of edged or grooved boards on each side must be fixed with two self-tapping screws.
Membrane roof installation: ballast method
As mentioned above, a flexible roof can be a membrane, which can be fixed in various ways. One of them is the use of ballast, which facilitates the work. This technology is applicable when the roof slope is less than 15 degrees. The membrane is mounted on the surface, after the material is leveled and fixed around the perimeter using welding or glue. In those places where the membrane will be adjacent to the vertical elements of the roof, it must be carefully fixed.
Such a flexible roof provides for laying ballast, river pebbles, the average fraction of which is from 20 to 40 millimeters, acts as its best form. You can use gravel, as well as rounded gravel. Ballast must have a weight of 50 kilograms per square meter or more. If you have prepared ballast for work in the form of neokatanny gravel or stone fight, then the membrane sheet must be additionally protected from possible damage. To do this, installing a flexible roof is accompanied by laying a non-woven fabric, the density of which is 500 grams per square meter or more.
Sometimes professionals use special mats.
Cost
If a flexible roof is used for work, the price should interest the consumer. Manufacturer "Shinglas" presents for sale bituminous tiles in several series. For example, Finnish tiles are cheaper than other varieties, its price is 219 rubles per square meter. Most will have to pay for the laminated variety, one square meter of which costs 514 rubles. In the average price range is the classic series of this material, the warranty period of which is 15 years. The average cost of such material is about 340 rubles per square meter.