There are different types of flat roofing, and they all need to be repaired occasionally. Membranes, foam roofs, and metal roofing can develop holes and leaks, so they need to be patched.
You may want your roofer to check your roofing materials regularly so repairs can be done as soon as they're needed. Here's a look at how flat roof repair might be done.
Metal Roofing
Metal roofing can rust sometimes, and rust needs to be sanded off before it eats holes in the metal. If the roof already has rust holes, the holes can be patched with a metal patch that covers the hole and bonds to the roof.
Rust and holes develop in areas of the roof that hold water, such as depressions and areas around fasteners. Checking your roof regularly finds early rust before it spreads. The roofer can remove the rust before it eats holes in the roof and leads to leaking inside your building.
Foam Roofing
Foam roofing might sometimes be punctured. When that happens, your roofer can put caulk in the hole to seal it and keep water out. Foam is usually applied over cover boards, and it's important to keep rain from seeping through to the boards or they could become water damaged.
A foam roof makes flat roof repairs fairly easy since foam can be used to build up sunken areas and to tighten around pipes as flashing.
Membrane Roofing
Membrane roofing is repaired with patches made from the same type of membrane as the roof. These flat roof repairs are easy to do. The roofer looks for holes and examines the seams to make sure they're still tight. If they find holes or bad seams, they can be repaired with patches and adhesive or heat welding.
When a membrane roof gets old, the roofer might suggest putting a coating on it to make it last longer. A coating is like waterproof paint that reduces the risk of a roof leak and that protects the membrane from further deterioration.
Foam and metal roofing can also have their lives extended with a roof coating. However, the roofer will discuss if paying for a coating is worth it or if a roof replacement should be done when repairs are no longer possible.
Flat roofs receive more wear and tear than sloped roofs. One cause is foot traffic on the roof from contractors and maintenance workers. Another reason for wear and tear is that flat roofs can have problems draining water, and standing water is bad for a roof. That's why regular inspections are helpful when you want to identify damage quickly so it can be repaired to protect your roof and building from water damage.
Once you watched someone put a roof on a home, you have a much deeper understanding of what's involved in this sort of work. Roofing is not easy. There's a big mental component since the roofers need to decide how how many shingles to use, how to best lay them out, and so forth. Then, there's the physical aspect of roofing. Lugging packages of shingles onto the roof is not easy, and nailing them down take a lot of work, too. With that in mind, we welcome you to read more about roofing on this blog. Let the articles inform your opinion of the profession.