Flat Roofs

Flat Roofs

Excessive water and puddling on flat roofs indicate structural problems. To fix these problems there are roofing solutions that should be employed. There should always be a slight pitch for quick drainage of water and when sunken areas appear from time to time it is important to determine the problem and find out the structural problems. After determining the structural problems there are professional fixes for flat roofs, and what you use will be determined by budgets, structural damage, and time.

 

Flat Roof Fixes

You can raise sunken areas on flat roofs with a range of liquid and sold roofing materials. You can also use roof putty, felt or asphalt mixes.

• Liquid patching materials on in a variety of types and strengths. You can use roof patch putty and apply, using a trowel, to fill low areas. Use universal epoxy concrete packing and spread mastic on the top using a trowel. An elastic sealant or mastic adheres to almost any substance. You can also use flexible mastic applied with a trowel on its own to fill and resurface an entire roof. Do review the manufacture guidelines for the best application rates.
• Fixing low spots with sheet fillers is essential re-roofing the trouble spot. Older style flat roofs were often planned with pieces of asphalt felt between tar layers. In these types of felt roofs it is possible to fill low spots with more felt and apply with tar. Use the type of felt most compatible with your roof. You can also use asphalt or gravel cap sheet and sheet roofing materials on top of the felt. Newer flat roofs are made of rubber and these same rubber materials can be used to patch low spots and leaky roofs.
• Asphaltic fillers can also fix low spots on roofs. These fillers are mixtures of sand or other lightweight aggregates combined with asphalt material. Use these fills with gooey asphalt roof coating that waterproofs and protects the roof. This form of application is idea for flat roof made of concrete, metal or asphalt. Cover all application with gravel or tar to mix in with the exiting roof composition.

Always consult a roofing expert before fixing a roof. Mike's Construction, LLC is one of the Best Roofing Companies in Missouri.

Overview

As a summary, make sure when repairing low spots or dips in flat roofs you determine the cause of the problem. Weakened sheathing, sagging simulation and rotting joists are some causes of low spots on flat roofs. If you have structural damage it may be best to tear apart the offending section and complete rebuilt it then apply the roofing materials and fixes. Make sure the appearance of puddles on the roof is not caused by drainage problems. Ensure drainage outlets are cleared and drainage systems are functional. After cleaning and fixing, then re-roof. Roof and roofing materials should never include tile for sloping roofs or flat roofs. This type of roofing material will not fix low spots adequately.

Heavy Roofing Materials

Buildings keep cool through air condition, open windows, but most of all the roof. On a hot day the roof should release not store and absorb the sun’s rays. Traditional roofing materials hold and transfer heat and can transport the heat it downward into your home, but there are other types of roofing materials that will actually reflect light and heat upward which keeps air conditioning costs down. There many roofing options to keep your home cool and safe; research the best for your situation.

4 Roofing Materials that Keep you Cool, but are Heavy

1. When you use a hat or an umbrella to keep the sun of this is similiar to what roofing can do for a building. Cool-roof coatings and roofing materials have advanced in the past few years. Elastomeric sealants that include sprays, ceramic-based pain and recycled cooking oil tratments have been used and actually do help keep buildings cook when applied to roofs. Another method is installing under-the-roof materials that involve installing reflective material in an attic between the interior and the roof. These barriers reflect heat away from the home.
2. Roofing with tiles and particularly slate tiles is a centuries old style that uses durable and natural materials that last forever with very little maintenance. Light colored slates help reduce the heat absorbed by building because of natural reflective properties. As time goes on, slate wears to a beautiful finish which adds high value to your home. Slate tile roofs, however are extremely heavy and very expensive. Slate is beautiful but is hard to transport and breaks easily when being installed.
3. Terra cotta and clay roofing materials have been used in Mexico, Italy, America Southwest and Spain. You will find many subdivisions of homes with red clay roofs that are highly attractive. Basic clay or terra cotta roofing materials are general light in color and do not retain heat. If you install modern clay tiles you will find that there are paint treatments that make tiles look like expensive slate. This painting adds weatherproofing to the tiles. Clay and terra cotta tiles are generally ‘s’ shaped which helps to hold in water and air to further cool buildings and homes. You will find that clay and terra cotta roofs are very heavy and need load bearing foundations. Cold and wet weather will make tiles snap; check for temperature resistance.
4. Concrete tile is an option for weather durability. Concrete, however, is heavy but does take quite a bit of time to heat up which makes it ideal for warm weather roofing. Poured concrete slab roofing is lower cost and provides protection from weather and pests. Often poured concrete roofing is the under-layer in more expensive homes. Tile concrete is heavy but it is easier to install than poured concrete, is fireproof, solid  and can be dyed to almost any color. Using cool colors with concrete tiles will increase the cooling properties and help the concrete tiling reflect the sun’s rays.

If your looking for expert roofing companies in Missouri don't hesitate to contact me directly. Mike Treaster