Oddly enough, today the most used roofing material is shingles, which are popularly called “flexible tiles”. The popularity of this material is due not only to its quality and durability, but also to its fairly simple installation technology, which we will discuss in this article. Together with the site, we will study in detail the question of how flexible tiles are installed, we will study all the intricacies of this process and learn how to do this work with our own hands.

Flexible tiles: do-it-yourself installation

Installation of flexible tiles: base for laying them

The requirements for the base on which a soft roof can be laid are quite strict - the fact is that this material got its name (soft tiles) for a reason. It is really soft, and its plasticity increases as it is heated by the rays of the ubiquitous sun. Imagine what would happen if you put this roofing material on the lathing that is made on the roof for metal tiles?

1. Firstly, it simply will not lie on such a basis.
2. And secondly, if you let it fall down, it will simply take its shape and will not look very beautiful.

It is for this reason that the technology for laying flexible tiles provides for the installation of an even and smooth base. As a rule, OSB or moisture-resistant plywood is laid on top of a standard roof sheathing with a water barrier and other necessary elements of any roof. In principle, installation of shingles is also allowed on a base made up of separate boards, the distance between which should not exceed 0.5 cm, and their difference in level should not exceed 2 mm. Practice shows that even in this case, after a year, all the differences and gaps between the boards begin to be visible on the roof surface.

Do-it-yourself flexible tiles: preparing the base photo

Let's move on and begin to understand the question of what is underlay carpet under flexible tiles? In principle, the lining is an additional protection for the roof from rain and melt water. It is not used on all types of roofs - as a rule, it is used on slopes with a small slope or on large planes. An underlay carpet is laid over OSB or plywood, overlapping each other, starting from the lowest point of the slope. Thus, top band the substrate covers the bottom one and prevents water from flowing under it.

Before laying the substrate, the surface of the base is coated bitumen mastic, after which the laid lining carpet warms up thoroughly gas burner until a complete coating is obtained.

How to lay flexible tiles with your own hands: underlay carpet

How to lay flexible tiles: markings

It is better to lay flexible tiles with your own hands on a previously marked roof. The fact is that the shingles themselves are relatively small in size, and during the installation process, curvature of the rows quite often occurs. On the rooftops small area such a flaw is practically invisible and does not affect the tightness of the entire structure. But on large areas these distortions can lead to unpleasant consequences - it is for this reason that beginners are better off using preliminary markings that will indicate a clear direction for laying.

The marking is performed as follows. Two straight parallel lines are drawn across the slope from top to bottom (or vice versa) with a distance of 500 mm between them. These lines provide a horizontal shift of the elements of flexible tiles relative to each other. In principle, you can draw such lines anywhere on the roof slope - preferably somewhere on the edge where you will start laying.

Do-it-yourself installation of flexible tiles is carried out in rows, and therefore, to two parallel straight lines it is also necessary to add a mass of perpendiculars, relative to which the shingles will be laid. Such perpendiculars are drawn in increments of 250mm.

That's basically all the markup. Having finished with it, you can begin laying flexible tiles.

Technology for laying flexible tiles: marking

How to install flexible tiles with your own hands: subtleties of the installation process

Do-it-yourself installation of flexible tiles should begin from the bottom of the roof slope. The first row of this material must be laid, as they say, upside down - if you don’t like this approach to business, then a special self-adhesive strip is used as the first row, but it costs twice as much. When laying the first row of shingles, you can ignore the markings and orient it relative to the roof slope.

Instructions for installing flexible tiles: sticking a self-adhesive strip

The second row of flexible tiles is laid in accordance with the markings. The lower part of this building material has a self-adhesive base (it must be removed from the protective film only before gluing) - it is simply pressed onto the base. But the upper part of the shingle does not have an adhesive base - for its fastening, special tinned or copper-plated nails with wide heads are used, with which it is nailed. They need to be driven in at the edges of each element and in the middle - four such nails are used for one meter strip of flexible tiles.

Each subsequent row of shingles is laid with an offset of 0.5 m - such a shift is dictated by the material itself and its dimensions. The petals of the row being laid should fall between the petals of the previous row. The fastening of each shingle element, regardless of the row and its position, is carried out according to the same principle.

Installation instructions for flexible tiles: subtleties and nuances

The main subtleties of the technology for laying flexible tiles lie in their installation on valleys. Moreover, on the ridge of the roof there are the least of them - everything is simple here, the ridge is decorated either with a special metal element, or purchased, made from the same shingles, or these elements are cut independently from individual elements of flexible tiles. Installing the ridge is simple - a fragment of the shingle is bent over the ridge and secured with the same copper-plated nails.

Flexible tiles: do-it-yourself installation photo

Things are a little different with valleys - according to statistics, this is a place that is prone to leakage, so even before you start working with flexible tiles, valleys need to be properly glued with a backing. This must be done even if your roof has a large slope and you do not use underlayment. By the way, in the same way it will be necessary to glue the roof ridge and all the joints between or plywood. In glued valleys, the flexible tiles are not bent, but are cut according to the direction of this element.

Laying flexible tiles with your own hands

To enhance the reliability of such a joint, the valley needs to be additionally glued with another layer of shingles - this process is somewhat reminiscent of gluing a ridge. Individual fragments are cut out from strips of flexible tiles and, using bitumen mastic, glued with an overlap onto two adjacent slopes on top of the existing layer of flexible tiles.

That's all science is. As you can see, installing flexible tiles with your own hands is not complex process. The main thing to remember is that the roof is a protection against water, and all work must be done with maximum tightness.

In order for the roofing covering to last as long as possible, the installation of soft tiles must be carried out in accordance with the installation rules developed for this material. Each manufacturer has their own installation instructions, but in general, the basic rules for installation are the same.

Installation conditions

The instructions for installing bitumen tiles regulate temperature regime working with the material. It is recommended to install at air temperatures above +5 °C. Shingles - the elements that make up a flexible tiled roof, are connected to the base surface not only with the help of metal fasteners, but also thanks to a special self-adhesive layer on the underside. High adhesion and tightness of the installed coating is ensured by heating from the sun's rays - the shingles are reliably soldered to the base and to each other.

If the installation of flexible tiles is carried out in cool weather, the adhesion of the sheets may not be strong enough. To heat the adhesive layer of shingles, you can use a hot-air burner (hair dryer). It is also practiced to lay the material on bitumen mastic. But difficulties may arise with the installation of the ridge covering, since the material needs to be bent. In cold weather, asphalt shingles become stiffer and more brittle, and in the process of hardening the shingles the desired shape Microcracks may appear in the material.

If roofing has to be carried out in cool weather, packages with tiles should be kept in a warm, closed room for about a day.

If it is necessary to lay roofing sheets made of bitumen piece material in cold weather, a small enclosed space is set up on the roof of the structure - a slatted frame covered with plastic film. To create the required temperature inside a limited volume, heat guns are used.

Base for roofing

Under the base for installation of bitumen piece roofing implied rafter system with continuous sheathing. To provide correct functioning roofing pie, with inside a vapor barrier membrane is installed on the rafter legs. WITH outside insulation is laid and a diffusion membrane is attached, which removes moisture from the heat-insulating layer and does not let it inside. Counter battens are placed along the rafters on top of the membrane.

Laying soft tiles requires a flat, continuous base made of edged or tongue-and-groove boards or sheet materials – OSB boards, moisture-resistant plywood. The moisture content of the lathing material should not exceed 20%.

Sheet material is stacked long side parallel to the cornice. The boards must overlap at least two purlins and be attached to each rafter leg. The joining of sheathing elements is carried out on a support, while the joints of adjacent rows of sheathing should be located on different supports.

It's important to leave expansion joint between the sheathing elements - wood materials change their linear dimensions under the influence of temperature and moisture.

The roofing pie, which includes bitumen shingles, must be well ventilated. This will significantly reduce the formation of ice on the surface in winter period, since the transfer of heat from the premises of the house to the roofing will be reduced. In summer, the ventilation gap, the height of which should be at least 5 cm, reduces the temperature inside the roofing pie, resulting in less overheating attic room. To ensure sufficient air circulation to remove moisture from inside the roof, special holes are left in the lower part of the roof (in the eaves lining), and an exhaust duct is installed in the ridge.

Lining layer

Installation of flexible tiles requires the use of special lining material. Piece bitumen coating is used on pitched roofs with a slope angle of at least 12°. If the slope of the slopes is 12-30°, over the entire surface continuous sheathing a waterproofing lining is attached. A slope angle of more than 30° requires the installation of waterproofing material in the valleys, along the eaves, above the chimney pipes and ventilation slopes, in the places where the roof meets the walls, and around the attic windows. This allows you to reliably protect places where there is a high probability of snow and ice accumulation.

The principle of installation of the lining layer depends on its characteristics. The composite material made of polymer film and bitumen filler is self-adhesive: it is carefully laid on the sheathing and rolled with a roller to ensure tight adhesion and remove possible bubbles. Polyester waterproofing material is laid using bitumen mastic and additionally secured in the top and side parts at 20 cm intervals with nails with wide flat heads, which are then treated with mastic. The lining layer is formed from strips of rolled material laid parallel to the cornice. The longitudinal overlap should be 100 mm, the transverse overlap should be 200 mm.

The technology for laying soft tiles provides for certain principles for installing the lining in areas of probable leaks. The width of the waterproofing layer is:

• for valleys - 500 mm from its axis in each direction;
• for the ridge - 250 mm;
• for end and cornice overhangs – 400 mm.

To ensure the tightness of the overlaps, they are coated with bitumen mastic.

Installation of planks

To protect the sheathing from rain moisture, gable and cornice strips are installed. Installation of cornice strips (drippers) is carried out on top of the lining layer. The instructions require installation of elements with an overlap of at least 200 mm. Fastening elements should be arranged in a zigzag (in a checkerboard pattern) in 10 cm increments. Pediment strips are designed for the ends of roof slopes. Fastening is also carried out using roofing nails installed in 10 cm increments.

The valley waterproofing carpet is laid after installing the planks on the slopes. The color of the carpet is selected taking into account the color of the bitumen shingles. The material is fixed with nails in 10 cm increments. If available vertical structures on the roof slopes, a waterproofing coating is also laid around them.

If the arrangement of the chimney passage through the roof is planned to be carried out after installation finishing coating, when planning the roof, you should note the place where it will be located.

You can learn how to properly prepare a roofing system for the installation of soft tiles from the thematic video.

Installation of roofing material

First of all, installation is carried out cornice tiles– a special element of a soft piece roof. Not all manufacturers offer special shingles for eaves. In this case, you need to use a strip of material that is cut out from ordinary shingles - the petals are cut off from it. Stepping back 2 cm from the eaves overhang, the resulting elements are glued.

Before installation, markings must be applied to the roof. Chalk lines indicating the location of rows of material make it possible to lay shingles exactly parallel to the eaves. The vertical line marks the middle of the slope. To make the roof look aesthetically pleasing, the covering is installed from bitumen tiles taken randomly from several packs. This allows you to level out differences in shades of the material.

Laying of flexible tiles begins from the middle of the eaves overhang - the shingles are installed to the right and left of the first. The protective film from the roofing elements is removed immediately before installation. The shingles are pressed tightly to the base, and then additionally secured with roofing nails driven in above the groove: 4 pieces for each shingle.

If the roof slope angle exceeds 45°, it is recommended to use 6 nails for fastening shaped bitumen tiles.

The first row of shingles is positioned so that their lower edge is 10-15 mm higher than the lower edge of the eaves tiles. Laying is carried out with the expectation that the petals of the bitumen elements cover the joints of the eaves shingles. The ends of the petals of subsequent rows should be above the cutouts of the previous layer or at their level. In the places where the shingles join the gable strips, the material is cut off along the edge of the roof, the edges are glued using bitumen mastic, and they need to be coated by 10 cm.

To avoid damaging the bottom layer of tiles, when cutting off excess material, you should place a small board or piece of plywood under its edge.

Arrangement of the valley

Installation of tiles requires a special approach to creating a reliable and durable valley structure. Before laying ordinary tiles, a waterproofing lining is installed under the valley, to which the flexible tiles are fused using a hot air gun or fixed using bitumen-polymer mastic.

Work on arranging the valley should begin with a slope with a flatter angle of inclination or a slope with a shorter length.

On the slope opposite to the selected one, parallel to the valley axis, at a distance of 30 cm from it, a line should be drawn. The shingles reaching this line from the first slope (with an overlap of the valley axis) are cut along the line and secured with mastic or fused with a hot air gun. This method is used to install all shingles that come from a gentle (or short) slope. Then a line is drawn on this slope, parallel to the axis of the valley and spaced 10 cm from it. The shingles reaching the line from the opposite slope are cut exactly along the line, and their upper corners should be trimmed by approximately 60°.

Roofing nails can be used at a distance of at least 30 cm from the valley axis. Therefore, when arranging it, the material should be glued or fused.

Ridge covering

The ridge covering is laid after the installation of ordinary tiles is completed. Cornice elements can be used for these purposes. In other cases, the material is cut from ordinary shingles:

• if the shingle petals are rectangular in shape, they are cut off, and the remaining wide strip is mounted on the ridge;
• The shingles, which form a pattern of hexagons when laid, are cut into hexagonal fragments, from which the ridge covering is made.

To simplify and secure work on the roof ridge, scaffolding should be installed.

Straight strips are heated with a hot air gun, bent along the axis and laid on the ridge with an overlap of 50 mm. Each strip is fixed with 4 nails.

A reliable, but at the same time inexpensive roof is the dream of, perhaps, every home owner. Bituminous shingles have these characteristics. So that in the end you succeed high-quality coating, we invite you to familiarize yourself with the technology of its installation. By installing flexible tiles yourself, you will significantly save costs. High-quality styling– the key to the durability of the coating.

Installation actions consist of several stages. These include installing a base under the roof, then laying backing layer, cornices, valleys and end parts are installed, connections are made. At the final stage, flexible tiles are installed on the ridge. All these points will be described in more detail in this article.

Bituminous shingles are relatively lightweight and affordable. Thanks to the lightness of the tiles, you will have the opportunity to make a lightweight version of the foundation. The result will be a not very massive house, and this in turn will allow you to save on building materials and payment for work.

Among the main advantages of this roofing material, the following are also worth noting:

• High levels of heat resistance, frost resistance and resistance to strong winds.
• High tolerance to sudden temperature changes.
• Resistance to precipitation.
• The color does not change over time.

Before laying the tiles, you should prepare a base for them. It is placed on top of the frame, which can be solid or lattice. As a rule, the basis under bitumen shingles made of wood. The lattice frame is best made from planed pine boards 20–25 mm thick. To make a solid base it will do moisture-resistant chipboard or plywood, tongue and groove boards. They are attached to the rafters with screws/nails.

A few millimeters should be left between individual elements during the laying of the sheathing. This is due to the fact that when drying wood it will be necessary to compensate for its expansion. This point can only be missed if the material has been previously subjected to technical drying.

To increase the service life of all wood elements, they must be impregnated with an antiseptic before installation. To install the roof as accurately as possible, you must first calculate the installation distance of the rafters and the thickness of the board used for the frame. For example, if the installation interval is 60 cm, then you need to take a board with a thickness of 20 mm. Accordingly, if it is 90 cm, then the thickness increases by 3 mm, etc.

Ventilation of a soft-tiled roof is usually arranged using a ridge. It is laid on a ribbed profile. If the throughput of the ridge is not enough, then ventilation elements should be installed on the roof surface. This is a kind of profile with ribs that are located at a distance of 2 cm from each other. The ventilation elements are secured with nails to the roof base after the tiles are secured.

Waterproofing is designed to protect the house when tiles leak. If the slope of the slope is 18º or more, the insulating material should be located parallel to the eaves and ends of the roof. Why? The fact is that in these places there is a high risk of leakage. In view of this, it is important to lay waterproofing at least 40 cm from the edge. In addition, the ridge should be waterproofed. Installation of insulating material should be carried out 25 cm on each side of the ridge.

If the roof slope is 12–18º, then another lining layer needs to be laid over its entire surface. In this case, work must begin from the bottom up. The layers of roofing tiles are overlapped. The waterproofing is fastened with nails, which should have a head size larger than usual with a galvanized surface. The frequency of driving nails is every 20 cm.

Installation of cornice, end parts and valley

To reinforce the edges of the roof, use metal strips. They are stuffed on top of the lining layer on the cornices and ends. In this case, roofing nails should be used (the interval between nails is 12 cm). Then the self-adhesive tiles are laid. Protective film You need to remove it before gluing it. Then they are glued close to each other along the cornice, and then fixed with nails.

A carpet specially designed for this purpose is laid in the valley. It needs to be secured on both sides. Then you need to coat it along the edge with bitumen mastic.

To install the top layer of bitumen shingles, bitumen-polymer material should be used. With its help, a continuous coating with high elasticity is created. It withstands mechanical and temperature deformations of the roof base. In accordance with the regulations, hot and cold mastics should be used for laying soft roofs.

Cold mastics are used to treat the inner layers of the roof. Their hot analogues are used as external coatings. Cold mastics include bitumen and roofing felt, and hot mastics include roofing felt and tar. The mastic should contain a dust-like mixture. This could be ash, gypsum or lime.

You can make this material yourself or purchase a ready-made analogue. To make mastic you will need bitumen and filler. The percentage of bitumen should be about 80%, and accordingly the filler - 20%. To obtain cold buteprol, you need to take 2 parts bitumen and 1 part diesel fuel. In this case, the bitumen warms up to 180º, while the filler and diesel fuel settle in another place. After the water in the bitumen evaporates, both compositions are connected to each other. These instructions will help you make cold mastic with your own hands.

To prepare hot mastic you will need an electric stove. The bitumen must be brought to a temperature of 200º, slowly adding filler to it. It is important that the composition does not cool down more than 160º.

To check the quality of the mastic, it should be laid at an angle of 45º. To do this, you need to preheat it to 60º. So, if the coating flows, then it Bad quality. If it does not drain, you still need to let it dry. If cracks do not appear, then you have succeeded in making high-quality mastic.

To ensure that the roof does not have different shades, you need to use several packages of tiles at once. The color, of course, will not be the same, but at least it will be uniform. Work begins from the middle of the slope. Tile tiles should be laid in vertical rows. Move from the center to the fronts. It is important to maintain a gap of 2–3 cm between the edge of the tile and the cornice tile. It is important to check this point when laying the first row. To form an attractive pattern, the outermost part of the second row of tiles must be trimmed. This is usually done in the center. If necessary, elements of flexible tiles can be cut off along the edge of the eaves. It is also important that these edges subject to trimming are subsequently treated with bitumen adhesive. Coat a strip about 100 mm wide with glue.

For bituminous tiles, alternative fasteners should be provided. It must be attached to the sheathing with nails. This is done when laying rows adjacent to each other. About five nails are nailed per shingle. This is due to the fact that over time the bitumen tiles will stick to each other and to the sheathing due to the heat of the sun.

The roof usually has connections, for example, to a pipe stove heating. There will be a gap in this place, as a result of which moisture will penetrate into the roof. To avoid this drawback, shingles should be properly attached. First, hammer a batten into the junction of the pipe and the roof. Then slide the tiles onto the battens and partially onto the pipe. Next, starting from the pipe, you need to lay the valley carpet so that it covers the pipe 300 mm higher from the roof surface. Finally, cover the lower part of the pipe with carpet and tiles with painted tin on all sides.

To prevent snow from accumulating behind the pipe during operation, you need to install a groove. So, when melting snow/rainwater hits the slopes of the gutter, it will flow around the pipe, flowing down the roof.

When installing tiles on a ridge, ridge tiles are required. It is made with perforation, dividing each element into 3 conventional parts. It must be laid with an overlap of 5–6 cm. This process must be performed so that the tiles are parallel to the slope line. The short side of the tiles is parallel to the slope lines. It needs to be secured with nails.

A roof made of flexible tiles can only be laid at above-zero temperatures, when the thermometer shows at least +5ºС. This is due to the characteristics of the shingle (a sheet consisting of three to four tile elements). It is attached to the sheathing with nails or on a special self-adhesive layer. The point is that tightness soft roof provided by solar heat. Under its influence, the sheets are glued to the base and to each other. In cold weather this will hardly be achieved, which means that the insulation will leave the best. The ridge needs to be overlapped, and in cold weather the shingles become especially fragile.

It also happens that flexible tile roofing is forced to be installed in winter. In such cases, the roofing material must be kept in a room at room temperature. If you still have questions on the topic, you can get additional advice from our specialist.

Video

In the provided lesson you will receive information on how to make a soft roof:

IN last years roofing using soft coverings is becoming increasingly popular, since this material has many advantages. In addition to excellent operational and technical qualities, such a roof can be installed by yourself, without the involvement of experienced craftsmen.

Soft tiles are light in weight, have an attractive appearance, a high degree of tightness, a long service life, and a low price. It can be installed on roofs of various configurations. Raindrops do not knock on the surface of such a roof - only a quiet rustling is heard.

Features of soft tiles

The basis of this modern coating for roofs are fiberglass sheets impregnated on both sides with rubber bitumen, characterized by moisture resistance and tightness. Thanks to the above properties, installing a soft tile roof has become so popular.

The presence of a special coating on a flexible roof increases wear resistance and prevents rolled products from sticking together. has proven itself as an ideal coating for structures if their angle of inclination is at least 11 degrees.

Tools for installing flexible roofing

If desired, a home craftsman can carry out the work of arranging a soft roof alone. In this case, the maximum slope of the slopes has no limitation.

Before laying a soft roof you need to prepare:

• hammer;
• trowel for working with mastic;
• durable gloves;
• cornices and end strips;
• ridge-cornice strip;
• roofing nails;
• waterproofing carpet;
• sealant;
• mastic.

Arrangement of the ventilation system

This system is intended to ensure the circulation of air masses, which is required to prevent the formation of condensation at the bottom of the base roofing structure. If you neglect the ventilation system, over time the wooden rafters will begin to rot, and in the cold season, ice and icicles will become a constant occurrence.

Its constituent elements are: a base with a thickness of at least 5 millimeters, air gaps between it and the waterproofing layer, vents and outlets. When creating natural ventilation, special openings are arranged, placing them evenly.

How to lay underlay carpet

Metal is used to make cornice strips. These elements serve to protect the edge of the sheathing. Installation of the eaves strip of soft tiles on the overhangs of the eaves is carried out on the lining. Pediment strips are also made of metal, which are fixed at the ends of the roof.

The valley carpet serves to additionally protect the roof from precipitation. This material is selected taking into account color scheme flexible tiles. In places where leaks most often occur, and these are eaves overhangs, valleys, and end parts of the roof, it is advisable to lay a lining layer.

In this case, the installation is carried out in a certain direction - from bottom to top, and an overlap is observed, equal to 10 centimeters in the transverse direction, and 15 centimeters in the longitudinal direction. The joints between the sheets are usually lubricated with bitumen mastic.

Ridges and valleys should be strengthened by 25 and 50 centimeters, respectively. At the same time, a lining layer is installed on both sides of the valleys, and along the eaves overhangs and ends it is laid to a width of at least 40 centimeters.

The underlayment must be nailed to the base using galvanized roofing nails at intervals of 20 centimeters.

Preparatory stage before installation

It starts with preparation. The base on which the flexible tiles are to be installed should be made solid. Since soft tiles do not have sufficient rigidity, they require durable sheathing. For the base, you can use moisture-resistant plywood with a thickness of 9 millimeters, OSB, edged or tongue-and-groove boards.

Sheathing material should be purchased in winter and used in summer. In this case, the width of the boards should not exceed 100 millimeters. It is better when the base material has the same thickness. The moisture content of lumber should be a maximum of 20%. The planks are laid staggered, maintaining a gap of 10 millimeters.

The roofing pie must be made with the following layers:

• waterproofing laid on the rafters;
• thermal insulation from mineral wool, if you plan to install an attic;
• roofing waterproofing carpet, mounted on the outside of the base with an overlap.

The nuances of installing flexible tiles

There is a certain technique for how to properly lay a soft roof if the work is done independently:

1. First of all, this requires dry weather, in which the ambient temperature does not drop below plus 5 degrees. If installation is still carried out in winter, the tiles are kept indoors at room temperature before installation begins. You can also use a hot air burner.
2. A shingle, a sheet of soft roofing made from several tiles, is attached to the surface with nails or using a self-adhesive layer on the back of the tiles. Under the influence of sunlight, the sheets begin to be soldered both to the base and to one another. If on the street subzero temperature, this process does not occur and, accordingly, the insulation does not turn out to be of high quality.
3. Tiles should be used from 5-6 packages at once, choosing one shingle at a time in order to avoid significant differences in shades if it becomes necessary to restore the roof with products from a different product batch.

Selection of bitumen-polymer composition

Before going to bed soft roof, select a mastic that will create a continuous elastic surface that can withstand different types impacts on the base. According to flexible laying technology roof surface To install rolled material on the roof, you need to use hot and cold mastics.

Cold bitumen-polymer compositions are used for arranging the internal layers of the roofing structure, and hot ones are used as the outer covering. Cold mastics include bitumen and roofing felt, and hot mastics include roofing felt and tar.

The process of preparing bitumen mastic

Mastic can be purchased at the store, ready for use, or you can make it yourself. This will require bitumen, which makes up approximately 80% of the composition, and filler. Take 2 parts bitumen and 1 part filler, resulting in a cold mixture. The bitumen is heated to 180 degrees and diesel fuel and filler are simultaneously prepared. The contents of the two boilers are mixed after the water in the bitumen has evaporated.

To prepare hot mastic, bitumen is first heated in a boiler to 200 degrees, and then filler is slowly added to it. During the process, the temperature of the mixture should not be less than 160 degrees.

Soft roof technology

When a soft roof is laid - step-by-step instruction from the manufacturer will tell the home craftsman how to do it:

1. Before installation begins, the wooden surface is treated with a mixture of bitumen and diesel fuel.
2. Next, the base is slowly covered with mastic, glassine and roofing felt are laid. The work is carried out starting from the middle of the cornice and moving towards the ends. Before installing soft tiles, the film protecting the adhesive side of the roofing material is removed from the shingles.
3. After applying a layer of cold mastic, wait 12 hours and cover the base with another layer. When hot mastic is used, the layers can be built one after another. Each tile is nailed with 4 to 6 nails.
4. When laying rolls, an overlap of 7–10 centimeters wide must be observed. Each subsequent top row is positioned so that the installation joints of the previous one are covered. In this case, the new layer being laid is displaced.
5. Excess material is cut off along the edges of the slopes.

How to properly lay tiles around ventilation pipes

Joints near pipes or antennas require insulation and careful fastening of coating materials. Installation can be done easily, but only with the use of pass-through elements. Without these components, the coating will not be sealed. Before laying flexible roof, you should mark the places where ventilation and pipes are planned to be placed.

Then you need to create holes, and then glue the edges of the lining material around them using mastic. The upper surface of the carpet, in accordance with the contour of the elements, is smeared with the mixture, glued and fixed with nails. Tiles are placed on top of the mastic. Experts recommend treating the junction of the upper part of the passage element with flexible tiles with special sealants.

When the process is brought to the ridge line, installation of a soft roof involves the use ridge elements, which need to be bent over it, fixed with mastic and secured with nails.

Soft roof repair

How often the need for repair work on the roof will arise depends on the condition of the base on which the tiles are installed. Cement strainer, elements made of wooden lumber react differently to the roofing - the nature of the damage depends on this.

First of all, determine the need for roof repairs. To do this, assess the extent of damage. If available in roll covering holes, they need to be filled with mastic. Repair work on this type of roof is carried out in a cleaned area.

Since on roll material a special coating has been applied, the surface to be restored should be thoroughly cleaned. Crumbs can be removed using process oil. To clean roofing felts, anthracene oil is used, and for roofing felt, solar oil applied to a rag or brush. As a result, the coating will be removed and the surface will be softened, which is important for further repairs.

Then they move on to the main stage. If available minor defects It will be enough to use a patch and regular mastic. But this method is not suitable when all layers of the coating are pierced.

When simultaneous damage to several layers is detected on the roof, this area is cleaned of old mastic and accumulated dirt, then dried. Next, they begin to prepare the mastic mixture, to which sand or sawdust is added.

The resulting composition is used to putty all places of damage so as to even out their edges. The mastic should extend beyond the repaired area by at least 10 centimeters. Using hard brushes and brushes, the mixture can be applied even to hard-to-reach places.

If renovation work If they are carried out on a small area, then using a regular spatula will be sufficient. If air bubbles appear in the roofing, repairs are carried out in the same way as they were done with a regular hole. The main thing is timely identification of leak locations.

If cracks appear in the roof covering material, it must be cut down to the bottom layer. Then they clean the damaged area from debris and mastic, dry it and fill it with new mastic. When the cracks are small, they can be repaired without cutting them using a patch and mastic.

If small cracks appear on a large area of ​​the roofing surface, it is prepared for repair and covered with heated mastic.

After completing the restoration of the integrity of the soft roof, it is necessary to renew the layer of topping to prevent overheating of the material and, as a consequence, melting of the mastic. To do this, first smooth the surface and cover it with sand. The coating that does not adhere to the roof will be removed on its own over time.

To carry out the installation work yourself without any problems, you need to follow the manufacturer’s instructions, which explain how to properly lay flexible tiles. You should also follow the recommendations regarding the selection and preparation of mastic. Then the soft roof will last a long time, maintaining its tightness.

Flexible tiles today are one of the most popular materials used as roofing for roofs. There are several reasons why she received this widespread in our market.

Firstly, in terms of all possible colors and shapes, it occupies a leading position among all types of coating. Today, each brand of bitumen shingles is represented by at least 40-50 types various options, so even the most picky buyer will always be able to find the option he likes. Secondly, in terms of convenience and speed of installation, this is also the most successful, from a technological point of view, coating option, which does not require the use of special equipment and tools. Due to its low weight, the work of lifting and delivering directly to the work site is simplified. Thirdly, having the properties of elasticity and flexibility, this type coatings can be used on any type and shape of roof, even those with radial curvature. The last advantage characteristic only of this type of coating is that with the advent of bituminous shingles, it became possible to implement projects for some forms of roofing that were previously impossible to carry out technologically. It should be noted that such material is affordable.

Before laying flexible tiles, it is necessary to carry out a number of activities that are related to the arrangement of the “roofing pie”. In this article, I will consider all the stages of work associated with laying bitumen shingles, which must be completed after the installation of the rafter system is completed.

Installation of waterproofing film

The first stage of work involves laying a waterproofing (windproof) film. In this case, you can use a diffusion membrane film, since the flexible tile coating does not contain elements susceptible to corrosion. In this regard, there is no need to apply additional measures to eliminate this type of impact on the material. This class of insulation is quite widely represented on the market, but the most optimal and often used in construction is the waterproof film of the Czech company Juta, called Jutafoll 110-D. When purchasing, pay attention specifically to the “D” marking, since this letter means that the film is waterproofing and not, for example, intended for use in the range negative temperatures, unlike other markings that are intended for indoor use only. The number 110 is not so important, since it indicates the density of the film. If this parameter is higher, then technical specifications this will only reflect on the positive side.

Installation of the membrane is quite simple. The first roll of film is rolled out along the eaves overhang across the rafters and nailed to them with pre-prepared slats. It is convenient to shoot the film with a staple gun before doing this. The slats will act as a counter-lattice and perform the function ventilation gap between waterproofing film and the main sheathing. These measures are taken to organize circulation air flow, and thereby eliminates the collection of moisture in hard-to-reach places. Also, given the fact that the air has good thermal insulation properties, these measures are designed to solve the problem of heating in summer and freezing of the roof in winter (the formation of ice and icicles is excluded). The height of the slats is chosen within 25-50 mm, the width must be strictly equal to the width rafter leg. They are cut into lengths of 150 cm, as is the width of the film.

The lath does not overlap the film to a distance (an overlap of at least 12 cm is made at any membrane joints). In all cases, galvanized rough nails are used for installation, the length of which is selected depending on the thickness of the counter-lattice (the length must be at least +50mm of its thickness). On all roof ridges, the film is not applied 5-10 cm to its end due to the fact that the air movement under roofing covering it starts from the cornice and ends at the ridge, so there is such a gap to allow it to come out. The film can be glued together with double-sided adhesive tape, but this is not a necessary condition.

Lathing and final surface preparation

Next, the final sheathing is placed on top of the counter-lattice. Any board (both edged and unedged) is suitable as a material, the thickness of which is selected in the range of 25-30 mm. Before installation, the material must be dry (with a relative humidity of no more than 20%) and must be treated with a fire-bioprotective preparation. Also when using unedged boards It is necessary to completely remove the tree bark, since in the future this can lead to woodworms getting in between the bark and the wood. The distance between adjacent boards should be no more than 30-35 cm (depending on the thickness of the board used). The length of the nail is chosen such that, when nailed, it pierces both the sheathing and the counter-lattice and fits tightly into the rafter by at least 2-3 cm.

The peculiarity of flexible tiles as a covering is that the roof plane must be smooth and even before laying it. Therefore, if used as flooring edged board(this option is allowed by the manufacturer), then differences between adjacent boards are not allowed more than 2 mm. This must be carefully monitored to avoid fractures and kinks of the tiles during installation.

It is better to start installing OSB boards on the roof from the hip.

I recommend using moisture-resistant OSB-3 board as flooring. The thickness is usually chosen 10-11mm. Unlike a board, when used, it produces an ideal plane; also, having moisture-resistant properties, it does not warp or warp throughout its entire service life. When laying, it is necessary to make 3-5 mm gaps between each sheet of slabs to prevent their swelling at the joints, since the linear dimensions of the material will change with fluctuations in humidity and temperature. To nail the slabs, galvanized nails 3x30 with a large head are used. The nailing pitch between nails is 25-30 cm.

Then they proceed directly to laying bitumen shingles. First, lining carpets based on fiberglass are rolled out. They are optional waterproofing material between OSB-3 board and bitumen shingles. If the roof slope is less than 18 degrees, then underlay carpets must be laid over the entire roof plane. But even at large angles of inclination, carpets must be laid in the following places:

• On the eaves. This is one of the most critical places, especially in winter, since when the snow melts, ice and icicles form in these places, and in this case the load in the parts of the roof in question increases.
• On the gables. Such places are most susceptible to moisture ingress during slanting rains.
• On skates and ribs.
• In valleys (joints of roof planes). Here it is necessary to use carpets with color tinting of the main roof covering.
• In places various connections and junctions of walls, chimneys and others.

In valleys, the carpet is laid with an overlap of 0.5 meters.

The distances from the edges of the cornices should be about 1-2 cm, since in hot weather the underlay carpets may heat up and straighten. They need to be nailed only in upper parts at a distance of 20-25 cm, and all joints should be made with an overlap of about 10 cm. Then the cornice and pediment strips are installed from of stainless steel. To do this, you need to use the same 3x30 galvanized nails with a large head. The planks are nailed in a checkerboard pattern in increments of 15-20 cm. At the joints there is a mandatory overlap of 15 cm, secured with two nails.

After this, they proceed to laying the first row of tiles. According to the standards, it has a rectangular shape (without petals). First, all places where the metal strips come into contact with the bitumen shingles must be coated with bitumen mastic. The mastic has a fairly thick consistency at room temperatures, so to make it easier to work with, you need to preheat the container with the product. It is applied to the surface of the tiles using a narrow construction spatula. The thickness of the applied layer does not exceed 1-2 mm, since it does not contain an adhesive base, and with thick seams, the lubricated surfaces can simply separate. One shingle is nailed with four nails at the top. If the roof slope is more than 60 degrees, then two additional nails must be used.

The second and subsequent rows of tiles are nailed with an offset of half a period (1/3 or 2/3 depending on the chosen shape of the tile itself). Every 3-4 rows must be checked for horizontalness, or you must first mark the upcoming row (a thread with colored talcum powder is ideal for this purpose), but this is enough painstaking work, time-consuming. When adjusting, bitumen shingles have to be cut. To do this, it is better to use a short knife with a blade pointed at the end. It is necessary to cut with reverse side tiles, laying a piece of flat board or plywood to prevent accidental damage to previously laid tiles. A knife is drawn along the mark about 3-4 times, then the shingles are bent along the cut line, and the tiles are easily divided into two parts.

To work on roofs with a slope of more than 30 degrees, a number of additional measures should be taken to increase the convenience of work. The first thing you need to use when working is a safety cable or rope. The second is the use of temporary slats, which are nailed to the slope, bending the petals of the already laid tiles. Otherwise, during installation you will have to constantly keep the rope taut, since you will not be able to stand on such slopes on your own. And thirdly - the use of workwear (construction overalls) for competent and functional distribution the necessary tool through pockets and loops for quick access.

In areas of ribs and ridges, the installation of tiles is carried out with an overlap (the sheet run is bent 10-15 cm to another plane of the roof and nailed). Then the tiles are cut into individual petals and mounted on top along the line of the ridge (rib), and each subsequent petal is nailed in such a way that the places of the nail heads are covered from the previous tile element.

There are several basic methods for installing shingles in valley areas. The first is that the tile elements are laid end-to-end on both roof planes. The second involves laying tiles within 10 cm of the center line. The latter method is preferable from both an aesthetic and practical point of view, since a kind of hollow is formed between the two roof slopes, which simplifies the drainage of rainwater, and thereby prevents the formation of local areas in which moisture can collect in the future. In valleys, the use of nails closer than 30 cm from its center is not allowed; for this, the contact points of the underlayment and tiles are coated with mastic to a width of 10-15 cm. The upper parts of the petals of each row are carefully cut at an angle of 60 degrees.

The final stage

At the junction of walls and chimneys, the tiles are placed on vertical plane to a height of 20-30 cm, having previously coated the joints with bitumen mastic. Then, in the place where the tile ends, an abutment strip is installed on top of it, and all the resulting gaps are thermally resistant silicone sealant. It is advisable to install around chimneys and pipes metal boxes, using basalt-based insulation as an insulator. They significantly improve the hydrophobic properties at the joints, preventing all kinds of leaks in complex areas of the roof.

Aerators are necessary for air circulation in the inter-roof space.

At a distance of a maximum of 50-60 cm from the roof ridge, it is necessary to install aerators, which serve to remove air from the inter-roof space and, thereby, allow for proper air circulation. The number of aerators is selected from the following calculation: one aerator for every 25 square meters of roof. Currently, ridge aerators, which are a design with air gap, installed directly in the area of ​​the entire length of the ridge. All joints and overlaps around the aerators must be treated with mastic.

It is worth noting that all installation work on tiles must be carried out at an ambient temperature of at least 15 degrees; at lower temperatures, you should use a hair dryer, heating the tiles in places of kinks. On too sunny and hot days, you need to postpone the installation of the roof, not only for the safety of your own health, but also because the tiles begin to melt easily, and when moving on the coating, marks and dents remain, which in the future will not look aesthetically pleasing.