This article will provide a step by step guide to rubber roof installation for those who wish to perform this task themselves rather than employ the services of a professional roofer.

What You Will Need

The list of items required for rubber roof installation is a fairly short one. Apart from the roofing material itself, all you will need is a utility knife or scissors, bonding adhesive, a paint roller to apply the adhesive and a poom to sweep away any depis. In addition, it is advisable to wear gloves to protect your hands and some form of eye protection. If you are installing a rubber roof over top of an existing roof, you will also need some kind of plywood base board to lay underneath the rubber. In order to bond properly with the rubber mempane, the base board should be sanded, thoroughly cleaned and completely dry. If you plan to attach the rubber to vertical surfaces such as walls, you may need some metal strips to affix the rubber properly. You can buy inexpensive aluminum termination bars especially for this purpose.

Rubber Roof Installation Step By Step

If you are installing black rubber roofing, it is best to do so on a cool, dry day with a fair amount of cloud cover. Not too cool, though, since latex bonding adhesive requires an ambient air temperature of at least 50 degrees Fahrenheit, or 10 degrees Celsius, for a period of 48 hours after application. One needs to get the temperature just right, because on a pight, sunny day, the rubber roofing mempane can become hot very quickly due to the black rubber absorbing the heat from the sun’s rays. Also, since the rubber is very heavy, it is advisable to have at least one other person to help you with it.

The good news is that rubber roofing material comes in rolls of anything up to 50 feet wide and 100 feet long, so the amount of cutting and shaping that you will need to do is fairly minimal, especially when compared to tile roofing. It should be possible to cover most roofs seamlessly.

You are now ready to begin the installation of your rubber roof. Start by sweeping the roof thoroughly to remove any dirt or depis. Once the roof is clean, you can begin applying the latex bonding adhesive with the paint roller. Make sure that the adhesive is applied evenly, to prevent air bubbles in the rubber, and be careful not to paint yourself into a corner. Lay down the rubber roofing and then sweep it again with the poom to make sure that it lies flat against the surface and that there are no wrinkles. Wait half an hour for the adhesive to bond, and then repeat the sweeping, from the center outwards. Use the scissors or utility knife to trim any unwanted rubber from above the termination bars, if applicable, and apply latex tape over any seams that may exist. Your rubber roof installation should now be complete for a typical flat roof. A more complicated roof, for example one that is an odd shape or has pipes and other fixtures that you need to work around, may require more specialist advice. Home improvement stores should be able to advise you of any special equipment you may need, or whatever else you need to take into consideration when dealing with the hard cases in rubber roof installation.

When merely patching up your rubber roof with sealant or tape is not enough, it may become necessary to apply a new coating to your rubber roof. Rubber roof coatings come in two varieties, a liquid rubber that you apply like a coat of paint, and rubber sheeting that is bonded to your original rubber roof installation with a special adhesive. In this article, we will look at the advantages and disadvantages of each type of rubber roof coating.

Liquid Rubber Roof Coatings

Liquid coatings for your rubber roof come in a range of colors, most commonly black, white and grey, in order to match the original color of the roof. They are applied with a push or roller, just like paint, and you can apply up to six coats, depending on how thick the replacement rubber needs to be. This makes it a more versatile solution than sheeting. No primer or top coat is needed; the liquid rubber is applied straight to the surface. Manufacturers claim that liquid rubber roof coatings can extend the life of a rubber roof by up to 20 years if applied correctly.

When applying liquid rubber roof coatings, you must be sure to take care that the surface is even. If you have ever seen a rushed paint job, you will know how ugly uneven paint can be. Now imagine that applied to the surface of a flat roof. If your supposedly flat roof resembles a topographic map of the Himalayas, it would not only look bad (which doesn’t really matter that much, since few people will see your roof), but could also cause surface water to gather in the ridges after a rainstorm, a process known as ponding. This makes it more difficult for the water to evaporate once the rain clouds part, and can shorten the lifespan of the coating. However, you have to bear in mind that rubber roof coatings are extremely durable, and so will not bubble and crack like other roofing materials, so this shortened lifespan is only relative. But naturally, most people will want to prolong the life of their roof as much as they can anyway, and taking that little extra care provides a way to do this.

The Use of Sheeting for Coating Rubber Roofs

Rubber roof coatings also come in sheet form. Some manufacturers will provide them custom made for the shape of your roof, in sheets of up to 10,000 square feet. If you are looking for a less expensive solution, you can buy them off the shelf. Sheets should be applied in a grid-like fashion, with the edges slightly overlapping. Make sure that the joins are airtight, otherwise water could seep in between them. The advantage of this type of rubber roof coating is that it is easier to apply than liquid coating, though it does require a primer and the use of special adhesive to make sure that it bonds to the original surface correctly. One must be careful to lay it absolutely flush with the original surface, otherwise air bubbles could appear underneath the rubber sheet.