Flat roofing is the most common roofing option for people living in mild climatic regions. These flat roofing are also cost effective in terms of building. However the trouble comes late when problems like water leakage and water accumulation occur. Two of the most common options to preserve the flat roofing as well as the house beneath this roof are as follows.
- Use of good water proofing material
- Fitting the outstanding drainage system
For our readers today we have selected few of the popular flat roofing systems along with their respective merits and demerits.
Contents
BUR (Built Up Roofing):-
Built Up Roofing or commonly known as BUR is evident from its name. A type of roofing that is built up by adding layers upon layers. The common construction of this roofing uses roofing felts with water proofing materials. The water proofing materials and the felt like structure is obtained by mixing the following products.
- Coal tar pitch
- Asphalt
- Cold application adhesives
- Modified asphalt
This roofing due to above stated materials is also known as Tar & Gravel Roofing. To minimize the sun damage to this roofing system, following are also placed upon the waterproofing material.
- Gravel
- Crushed rocks
- Various minerals
Built up roofing is generally a better option for commercial buildings roofing but can also be used for houses as well. While the roofing system is most economical roofing choice it still has one flaw. The sunlight tends to break he asphalt base over period of time and it needs to be replaced.
SPR (Single Ply Roofs):-
Single Ply Roofs is amongst most popular Flat Roofing options available in market due to their reliability and practically in long run. There are generally two types of Single Ply Roofing systems.
- Thermostat membrane; they are made by use of rubber polymers. Liquid adhesives are used to form a watertight seal for overlapping areas of roof.
- Thermoplastic Membrane; are made generally from plastic polymers like polyester or fiberglass materials. These allow both strength and stability to roofing system.
Both of the above stated Single Ply Roofing options are best choice for a flat roofing system. These roofing types are also known as Rubber or plastic roofing membranes.
The only demerit of this roofing type is that it is slightly costly in terms of both material and installation. However I will last longer than built up roofing systems with lesser problems for long time.
SPF (Sprayed Polyurethane Foam):-
SPF is a new type of liquid foam material that is sprayed on a flat roofing system as a liquid. This liquid then turns the roof in a single continuous plain structure. The foam, due to its flexible nature is most optimal choice for roofing systems with irregular roof shapes and protrusion coming from various areas. The SPF due to its nature can simply be applied on the already existing roofing systems of following types.
- Asphalt shingles
- Built up roofs
- Clay tile roof
- Concrete roof
- Metal roof
- wood roof
Foam Roofing System is easy to use and also has insulation quality that can fight against intense sunlight, a problem common for flat roofing systems.
The only problem with this roofing system is that it has just been introduced and does not have a track record. The risk is still on your own end to carry.
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