How to safely repair the roof yourself?

The roof is one of the most important elements in the construction of the entire building. Therefore, it is necessary that it is reliable and well protected from negative weather influences.

Proper design of this structural element will reliably protect the house from atmospheric precipitation and adverse weather conditions. But nevertheless, under the influence of time, many materials become unusable, and in order for the roof to continue to function properly, sometimes it requires substantial repair or replacement of roofing materials on its own or with the help of friends.

Preparatory phase of roof repair

Before you start repairing the roof, you need to assess its condition. First, it is recommended to inspect from the inside, check the condition of the rafters and the strength of the flooring in the attic. Only after this can you begin to inspect the outer surface of the roof.

Pay attention not only to the condition of the material with which the roof is covered, but also to the junction of the coating elements, as well as whether they are firmly attached to the pipe, ridge or ventilation system. After the inspection, you need to decide on the amount of repair and upcoming costs.

If you have only emergency repairs of the roof of the house to restore local damaged areas, then such a repair of the roof with your own hands can be performed by a non-specialist roofing specialist. Maintenance involves the replacement of 10 to 40% of the entire roof area and sometimes requires the intervention of specialists. In the case of a major overhaul (more than 40% of the roof), it may be necessary to dismantle large sections, and maybe even replace the entire coating and other roof elements.

Basic safety rules

Carrying out work on the roof itself, you need to be extremely careful. If you are dizzy at height, or you are afraid of heights, then it is better to provide roof repair to an experienced professional.

If, nevertheless, a decision has been made to update or repair the roof yourself, then it is worth following the following tips.

• In no case, do not start work in bad weather, whether it is rain or wind. To carry out work on the roof in this case becomes quite dangerous, since the roofing material becomes wet and you can simply fall by slipping.
• Clothing during the work should be free enough, not hinder movements, and shoes should not slip.
• It is best to have a staircase that has an extra margin of length. It must be well fixed and be very stable.
• You need to move exclusively along the middle part of the stairs, trying not to cling to its sidewalls.
• Taking a teammate with you is the right decision. He, in which case, can always hedge you, submit the necessary tool, and also be useful in cases where it is difficult to carry out work alone.
• When repairing a roof, which has a very large slope, it is necessary that the staircase has special brackets, which will be convenient enough to fix it on the roof ridge. This is necessary so that during work the load would be evenly distributed.

If a situation has suddenly occurred that it is very difficult to get to the damaged part of the roof or it is practically inaccessible, for example, if you need to repair the roof on the balcony of the apartment building, then it is better not to risk and leave this venture.

Repairing the roof of a house is not the case when you should risk your life and climb on your own anywhere. It is better to seek help from professionals who work at height, for example, to industrial climbers.

How to repair a roof from a natural (ceramic) tile?

The reasons why it may be necessary to change the tiled cover are different. But the most common is that cracks form on the surface of this material, through which water penetrates into the premises. Such cracks can appear during a sharp temperature drop, when the coating is sharply compressed or expanded. Another reason may be that the solutions that fastened the tile can crumble over time.

As for the first case, the design of the entire roof must be properly strengthened. To do this, using wooden blocks to strengthen the rafters. In this case, cracks can be covered with cement mortar.

In case number two, you need to replace the old crumbled solution with a newer one. The composition of the new solution may be as follows: one share of lime is added to two parts of sand. For better binding effect, tow fibers can be added to the mixture.

But the most important cause of roof leaks are the places of breaks in the waterproofing layer, which during installation is laid between the rafters and the laid crate. Tiles are attached to them on top. Such defects can be fixed with simple sequential steps:

Using a tool such as a trowel, in the place where repairs are planned, it is necessary to remove to the side those pieces of the roof that should be replaced. And then hammer in small wooden wedges under the shingles that are on top.

Then you need to pull out all the fasteners from the rails on the entire rafter structure.

Next, you need to insert a piece of cardboard (as thick as possible) under the slats, and then cut it with a saw in it in those places where damage is detected;

After the manipulations have been done, it is necessary to cut off that part of the waterproofing that was damaged with a construction knife, and then patch, preferably a larger size, and glue its edges with a special adhesive based on polymers;

Then it is necessary to measure the gaps between those ends of the timber that have been cut, and then cut those parts that will be missing. Be sure to remember to soak these pieces with an antiseptic. And of course, after processing, you need to nail new fragments with the help of anti-corrosion nails.

The last step will be the return to their place, but only of new, shards of roofing material shingles.

After all the work done, it is necessary to protect the entire structure as much as possible from mold, as well as from possible moisture. To do this, you need to treat the entire surface with a composition that consists of a mixture of synthetic resins and soil. This composition can perfectly protect the roofing surface, as it creates an excellent screen in the process of interacting with water, which will be reliable protection against water! Special paint for roofs can also be an additional protection against rainfall.

The main methods of repairing sheet metal roofs

The reasons that can damage metal roofing materials are very diverse. This may be metal corrosion or poor sealing in the process of previous work on the processing of seams on bonded surfaces. Anyway, when identifying signs of damage, it is necessary to take measures to eliminate them, that is, start repairing the roof of the house.Since if this is not done, then in the future this may turn into additional problems.

How to repair a fold roof?

If it so happened that any defects were found in the sheet roof, then you need to take up their elimination as soon as possible. Since, if this is a spoilage from metal corrosion, it is necessary to exclude the moment of its spread to all other parts of the roof.

With minor problems, the roof can be repaired as follows:

1. thoroughly clean the repaired area from all damage on the surface with a steel brush;

2. you need to cut a patch from a metal sheet, but with a margin so that it is larger than the defect area (at least 5 centimeters);

3. then, where the damage occurred, the patch edge and the edge of the damage should be carefully coated with a special flux, which includes lead and zinc, and then soldered in a reliable manner with a soldering iron;

4. after cooling down the applied patch, the excess solder should be cut either with a sandpaper or a file;

5. so that the repaired area does not stand out, you can apply a layer of facade paint to it in the color of the entire roof.

If the damage is too large, it is best to completely replace all sheets of corrugated board in the places where they are damaged.

Effective repair of metal roofing

Usually, the appearance of a leaking roof from a metal tile is an abundance of errors during its flooring, corrosion, as well as cases when the fasteners are not firmly fixed and significantly loose. Damage as a result of cleaning the coating is quite possible.

If scratches are found on the metal tile, they must be immediately removed with a special paint.

And if you find gaps between the metal part of the structure and the gutter elements, and in some cases under the ridge, they must be filled with silicone sealant.

A hole of a clearly cross-cutting nature in the roofing is easily eliminated with a soldering iron and a patch. If there are a lot of holes, you need to change all the damaged sheets.

Fasteners are loosened in most cases because they may be of inadequate quality. Therefore, you need to select only high-quality fasteners. Then it can become loose, since the washers, which are made, for example, of rubber, serve for a very short time and may nevertheless undergo a process of loosening. In this case, it is better not to try to fix the washers that have already failed, but to replace them with new fasteners.

A much larger amount of work is required if the “pie” from the roof itself is made incorrectly. As a rule, pitched roofs that are specially insulated, often result from the use of cheap vapor barrier materials. Such materials as, for example, a perforated film, although they are inexpensive, can very poorly remove moisture that can accumulate in it.

The solution to this problem may be to replace the obsolete film with a more modern material, for example, a diffusion membrane. It will perfectly protect the insulation from moisture. But it is worth recognizing that this method is not cheap, because in this case, you will have to completely change the entire coverage, and this can lead to significant financial costs.

Repair of a roof from a bituminous tile

This type of material is good in that bitumen is a very versatile material, which means that you can easily replace all sheets and tiles. True, the weather conditions for repairs must fully comply with the work performed. The recommended temperature at which construction work can be carried out should be at least +5 degrees.

Such a restriction is introduced due to the physical properties of bitumen. In severe frost, this material becomes very brittle and can simply crack.If cracks appear on the tile, then you need to raise it and from the inside cover it with a layer of special roofing glue, or, as an option, use mastic. After that, the tile must be pressed firmly and the outer part treated with the same composition.

1. Defects of a more serious nature can be completely eliminated by replacing the entire roofing.

2. Using a small crowbar, you must very carefully lift the entire tile, which is located above, and then you can remove the one on which the damage is detected.

3. The nails that secured the damaged shard must be pulled out with a nail clipper.

4. On the inner edge of the upper edge you need to apply glue.

5. Then you need to insert it, under that tile, which is located a little higher in the upper row. It should be fixed with small carnations, which are intended for roofing.

6. The edges that are located above and below the one that has already been laid should also be lubricated with glue, and then pressed tightly.

Roof repair from slate sheets

If you are planning to repair the roof with a slate coating, you need to move around this material with extreme caution, because the slate sheets are very fragile, and if they break, you can easily lose balance and fall.

In case of repair of a slate roof, it is best to use the so-called ladder-gangway. Since it can contribute to the optimal distribution of the entire body weight over the entire surface of the roof being repaired.

DIY roof repair is not difficult. If damage is found, then you only need to close it with a solution of cement, the proportions of which are as follows: add two fractions of quartz sand to one share of cement.

Sometimes they use a method of restoring the tightness of a slate coating with adhesive tape, which has a butyl rubber base. To do this, clean the damaged area with a clean cloth, dampening it with gasoline or white spirit (white spirit) beforehand.

First you need to cut a piece of tape of the required size, then remove the protective paper from it and stick it on the crack. Crack should

overlap by about 4 or 5 centimeters. This repair tape is usually covered on the front with a non-woven, durable material that can be painted in the right color so that there are no noticeably repaired areas. For these purposes, there is a special paint for roofs.

If you notice that the slate roof began to “knock”, check if the slate fastening with nails is loose. It is necessary to exchange them with new ones or fix them with screws with a fairly wide hat. Due to the fragility of slate sheets when removing old nails, you need to ensure that the load on several neighboring waves is distributed using a wooden plank.

To clean the slate roof from colliding debris or snow should be a soft brush or a broom. Even careful cleaning with a wooden, and even more so with an iron shovel can significantly damage the slate roof.

Completion of repair work

After all repairs have been completed, get rid of debris and other waste from the roof and around the house. It would be advisable to prevent waterproofing with a special adhesive for roofing or with resin, i.e. treat areas around pipes, hatches, antennas. To update the color of some roof elements, various roof paints are on sale.

The best time to carry out repairs is spring or autumn; it is dry, warm, but not hot outside. This is the most convenient time for inspection and maintenance work on the roof of the house.

Go for it and then the roof of your home repaired by you will not only protect your family from the weather, but also allow you to be proud of your contribution to this necessary cause!