How To Install Waterproofing for Roof?

How To Install Waterproofing for Roof? At present, you will find lots of materials for waterproofing a roof. In the past, liquid applied membranes used to be an economical, feasible, and eco-friendly solution.

However, roofing contractors realized that not every roof coatings are created in the same manner. There are several general liquid applied membrane categories for roofing. Every single category includes an extensive variety of products to select from.

A lot of professionals make a distinctive difference between liquid-applied roof systems and maintenance coatings. The most typical fluid products present in both categories are polyurethane, elastomeric, urethane, silicone, and PMMA.

At present, roof coatings offer the advantages of reflexive white color. It helps to redirect the UV rays sway and also minimize the temperature of the roof when exposed to sunlight. We refer to this particular characteristic as a Cool Roof.

In the following paragraphs, we have mentioned some essential waterproofing steps that will come of use to you.

Steps for waterproofing a roof

You require 5 steps for the application of a liquid known as roof membrane on the roof. It is important to treat the installation with utmost importance while abiding by the instructions from the product manufacturer.

These steps will be cleaning, priming, treatment, application of the main coating, as well as inspection.

1. Cleaning

The initial step of waterproofing will be to clean the substrate. Every single successful application of liquid applied membrane will need superior adhesion. Due to this reason, it is essential to perform the cleaning properly just like applying the liquid material correctly.

Typically, the most common process of cleaning the substrate will be pressure washing. This procedure helps to eliminate the bond breakers. Moreover, it will also reveal the details which need treatment that one might not be able to identify initially.

2. Priming

After the cleaning process, it is important to design the priming of the surface for enhancing the membrane’s adhesion. Primers likewise help to block bleed the bituminous oils from the surface of the roof by means of the liquid membrane.

Prior to applying primers, the contractor should make sure that the surface is quite dry. The contractors usually make use of torches or air blowers for minimizing the drying time.

3. Treatment of details

The next step will be the treatment of details. It is important for the contractors to treat every single detail extremely carefully. After completing this step, they should continue to apply the liquid membrane.

Details like exterior and interior corners along with floor to wall type corners are usually pre-treated using reinforcing fabric. The same applies to metal flashing penetrations and terminations like pipes, drains, vents, and so on.

It is quite easy to overlook these essential points on the roof. Because of this, they need special consideration. Prior to applying the final coating, one should provide sufficient curing time which the materials need.

4. Liquid membrane application

Following these above-mentioned steps, we have to apply the liquid membrane on the roof. You’ll come across 2 types of liquid applied membrane applications. While some need the impregnation of supporting mat during the installation process, others do not.

It does not matter whether the fabric mat is compulsory or not. The majority of the manufacturers need to perform the application of the coating in several successive layers.

The coating product’s consumption rate will be mentioned in the technical specifications of the manufacturer. External factors such as the application process, temperature, substrate porosity, and waste can influence the consumption rate specified.

5. Inspection

The manufacturer requires inspection in all stages of the application for the majority of the projects. This might include the primer’s coverage and visual inspection of the treatments of the details.

One also has to inspect the pull-out mock-up test as well as the applied coating’s millage. It is important to respect the thickness of the wet film during application.

An excessive amount of liquid product applied at any given time will lead to uncured material beneath the membrane surface. Insufficient material for satisfying the required millage will result in premature malfunctioning of the membrane.

One has to note all these errors and correct them while inspecting.

How To Install Waterproofing for Roof? – Conclusion

Waterproofing your roof will be beneficial to you in various ways. These include extending the life of the roof and also enhancing its performance. Moreover, it will also increase the value of your property in the long run.

Let us hope that these essential steps mentioned above will allow you to install waterproofing for your roof effectively.