How to Repair a Roof

Roof Repair Repair of the roof of the house is a complex of roofing works designed to eliminate defects in the roof without changing the design and performance characteristics of the roof. In other words, if you eliminate leakage in the roof of the roof, change the old rotten beams and rafters to new ones, this is the repair of the roof. If you decide to change the roofing covering, for example, metal roofing instead of roof shingle, and at the same time to insulate the attic, it is already called not repairing the roof, but replacing the roofing with the insulation of the attic space. The installation of additional equipment on the roof, such as: downspouts and gutters, snow compressors and lightning protection, etc., is irrelevant to roof repair.

Indications for repair of the roof may be a whole group of symptoms. First, the penetration of sediments into the building through the leaky roof. Secondly, the violation of the thermal insulation of the roof and, therefore, heat loss or coolness. Thirdly, the natural aging of roof structures. Negative conditions that require both partial and capital repairs of the roof of the building mass, ranging from discomfort, ending with aesthetic appearance and security considerations.

Types of roof repair at home
Types of roof repair can be considered based on several considerations. The degree of roof repair is capital or partial; type of roof – gable metal (tile, metal, soft coating), flat roof with soft roofing, and others. Repair of the roof of the building according to the degree of repair can be conditionally divided into roof overhaul, partial roof repair, roof repair, repair of drainage (and other) roofing systems.

Major overhaul of the roof of the building is required in the event of an emergency condition of the roof supporting structures, such as beams, rafters, crates, cement substrates, or (and) if necessary to replace most of the roofing. When overhauling the roof of a building, you often have to disassemble the entire structure of the roof. First, the roof covering (tin, tile, roofing material) is removed, then the crate, together with heat and vapor insulation, in fact, beams and rafters, cement substrates are dismantled. Major overhaul of the roof of the building implies the replacement of old construction elements with new ones. The roof is assembled in the reverse order of disassembly. When overhauling the roof, additional measures are required to improve the performance of the roof. This impregnation of wooden structures with fireproof materials, the device of vapor barrier and the sealing of the roof.

Making a partial roof repair, often satisfied with the replacement of small parts of the roofing, sometimes partially affect the crate. Roof work on partial roof repairs is performed in order to eliminate roof leaks, patching holes, replacing divergent folds – that is, to seal the roofing. In the manufacture of roofing works for the purpose of cosmetic repair, neither the roofing covering nor the supporting structures are changed. The main purpose of such works is to give the roof of the building aesthetic appearance. When cosmetic repair, the roof is first cleaned, then it eliminates small defects, after it is painted or covered with a protective coating with different properties.

How to Repair a RoofFeatures of roof repair of buildings of various designs
When repairing gable roofs, special attention should be paid to the condition of the rafters, and when replacing the roofing covering with another, it is important to take into account the angle of the roof slope and the degree of tightness of the roofing. When repairing rebated roofs, it is important to check the tightness of the metal sheet joints. Repair of metal roofs reduces to replacing sheets of metal, revealing loosened roofing screws and sealing the joints of the roofing. Roofers repairing the roof of natural tiles should pay attention to the correct placement of individual elements of the tile, as well as the presence of cracks that cause a breach of integrity and the destruction of the roofing. When replacing roofing slate sheets and similar elements, it is important to properly join the elements.

Repair of flat roofs, overwhelmingly covered with soft roof, is different from repairing pitched roofs. First remove the old layers of roofing, then check the condition of the substrate. If necessary, the substrate is reconstructed, small stingrays are set up against the stormwater. Then, when repairing the soft roof, several insulation layers are arranged, usually two. These layers are melted together by means of gas burners, forming a single waterproofing roofing. In a similar way, the mastic roofs are repaired: first the roofers dismantle the old roofing covering, then reinforce (if necessary), then different mastic compositions are applied. Complex places here are corners, pipes, various irregularities on the roof surface. Such places in the repair of the roof should be given increased attention, since this is where a leak may occur in the future.

Repair of the roof of the house requires certain conditions.
First of all, these are temperature limits and no precipitation. Repair of the roof is contraindicated during intense rainfall, whether it is snow or rain. Moisture impregnated with a heater or a roof liner will disrupt thermal conductivity, causing damaging destructive processes.

Of course, repairing the roof of the building is a task that requires a preliminary accurate calculation, taking into account the features of the roof and the location of the building, the proper qualifications of the roofers. Thus, roof repairs should be trusted only by professionals.

Image credit: alluregraphicdesign,  Reisefreiheit_eu