How to repair a leaky roof?
On hot days it is more difficult to observe any leak or moisture stain but as we enter the rainy or cooler seasons these become present.
We will share the steps to detect and repair your roof with humidity, either with asphalt or clay tile. Ideally, hiring a qualified roof contractor would be great as you get to save time and ensure that your home is going to be well handled in the hands of experts.
Detect the origin
The first thing to do is determine where the moisture that appears on the ceiling is coming from. Leaks can be found originally in the following parts of a roof:
Repair abroad
Once the source of the humidity has been detected, it is time to get down to work and repair your roof. The repair process will depend on the type of roof and deck you have, whether it is concrete or wood, as well as whether it is covered with clay tile or asphalt tile.
Leaky Pitched Roofs with Mud Shingles
1) Check and repair the seal and insulation of the clay tiles
In principle, one of the problems that roofs of this type have is that they do not always have a good seal and insulation between the tiles or waterproofing below the clay tile.
The space under the shingles is sometimes unfilled plaster is important to do so. Not only for a matter of thermal insulation but also for the adherence of the tiles, so that they do not fly or move due to the effect of the wind or by an animal running on the roof.
To solve this, we are going to apply a special polyurethane foam for tiles first under the lower tiles and on the upper tiles, we will apply a cord on the inside.
2) Check and replace broken clay tiles
Another problem that we can find on the roof is, directly, a broken tile. It may be that it was completely broken, in which case we have to replace the part. But other times we are in time to find cracks that must be corrected because, even if it is a piece that overlaps another and the water does not enter, sometimes, with the effect of water, it will end up breaking completely. How do we repair it?
Step 1 - The first thing we are going to do is remove the damaged or broken tile.
Step 2 - Then we clean the area very well with a spatula and a wire brush so that the surface is perfectly prepared to place the new piece.
Step 3 - Apply a continuous bead of foam in a zigzag pattern over both the upper and lower overlap areas.
Step 4 - Immediately we place the tile in its position and press, we will finish the work by removing the rest of the product with a spatula.
Now in the case of a cracked tile, there are several options that we can resort to to fix a cracked tile, regardless of the option we choose, the area must always be cleaned very well.3) Repair cracked clay tiles
Self-adhesive waterproofing strip
You can fix this by patching the tile piece with a self-adhesive waterproofing strip. We are going to cut the band a little larger than the crack. Then we remove the protective tape from the band and place it on the crack pressing with the help of a roller so that it is perfectly fixed to the tile.
Waterproofing Spray
Another option we have is to use a waterproofing spray. For our protection we must wear gloves and a mask while we apply it. We shake the container very well and spray the tile, specifically on the fissure.
Rubber and fiberglass paint
And finally, we can solve it with rubber and fiberglass paint. We will apply a layer of the rubber paint on the area of the fissure. Then we place the fiberglass mesh on the paint layer and apply another layer of paint on it, the necessary amount until the pores of the fiberglass are very well covered. After this time we can give it another coat of paint to reinforce it and make it completely sealed. With these materials what happens is that a layer is created on top of the fissure, which once dry, the fissure will not come out again.
Leakage in Pitched Roofs with Asphalt Shingles
In the case of a roof with asphalt tiles, the solution will depend on the type of surface on which they are placed, whether it is a wooden roof or a concrete slab.
1) Inspect the roof and asphalt shingles
If your roof is practically new or has not been covered by asphalt tiles for a long time, but a strong storm fell and leaks began to come out, it is most likely that on the surface you will not see greater or so obvious damage. We'll use common sense and take a closer look specifically at the area where the leaks came from.
If the roof covering is made of wood, what we are going to do is walk over the area where the leak appeared or where you can see moisture stains, pressing carefully on the area we can feel if there are weak points, such as subsidence out of the ordinary.
And in the event that the roof is made of concrete, we are going to carefully review the pieces of asphalt tile that are also in the area where moisture stains or leaks have been detected. The advantage of sloping roofs is that water flows more easily without the risk of stagnating and causing further damage. So, it is very likely that we have a case of water seepage due to the lifting of some piece of asphalt tile, which surely at the time of installation they have lacked a little sealant or have been nailed in the wrong way and with the heavy rains accompanied wind has risen giving free passage to the water
Once the weak point has been identified, we are going to inspect the asphalt tiles in that area specifically, with the help of a flat lever we will remove the nails, only from the damaged tiles, which we have to replace, very carefully so as not to damage the asphalt tile pieces in a good state. We are removing the complete pieces of asphalt shingle to take a closer look at how severe the damage is, and thus we can determine what repairs we need to do.
2) If the wood is damaged, it must be replaced with a new piece
With a shovel we will hit the wood, from the most affected point to the outside to distinguish how far the damage reaches. We will remove all the tile pieces that cover that area to replace them with new ones of the same model and same color. With a chalk or colored pencil, we are going to mark and measure the area that we have to replace with a new board. With a jigsaw or saw, we will cut the marked area with great care not to cut the posts that support the structure.
We place the new piece of wood cut to the required size to cover the hole perfectly, then we are going to screw or nail it, that depends on the preference of each person, and the important thing is that it is very well fixed to the structure.
3) Replace the asphalt shingles in the affected area
Now we are going to place the asphalt felt cut to the corresponding size, we have to go under the pieces of asphalt tile that are installed, making sure that the overlap of the new felt with the layers of felt that were already placed is good. Once the felt is well accommodated, we nail it.
Finally, we only have to place the new tiles. Remember that you always have to place them from the bottom up. So, we are going to position the first one followed by the tile that is already installed, which is perfectly aligned and following the instructions set by the manufacturer we are going to nail it. And so we follow the order with the pieces above. We seal very well with asphalt cement, putting a little on the nails and in the area of overlap between the upper tile with the lower one, we press them either with our hands or you can support them with a roller to adhere them very well, thus preventing them from rising. with strong winds and we give it extra reinforcement.
Remember that in the case of concrete roofs, all we have to do is replace or reseal the asphalt shingle or pieces that are damaged or lifted as the case may be.
Interior Repair
We are going to remove the loose material on the ceiling with the help of a spatula, we have to leave the area clean. With a brush we are going to shake off the dust that may remain.
Once the surface is clean, we will apply mold and mildew remover paint. It is possible that, when the surface is clean, the presence of fungus or mold is not appreciated. What happens is that the fungus is there but you don't see it because it is still in a very small stage of development.
So what this paint has is that we can apply it on the fungus and it kills it, prevents it from continuing to reproduce and from appearing again. We are going to apply the paint and then we will let it dry perfectly.
The paint has already dried perfectly, now we will apply hard paste or plaster evenly to even the surface. Once we have plastered the surface and it has already dried, we will sand it to avoid leaving reliefs and leave a smooth surface. A sandpaper and a lot of patience is all that is needed.
After sanding, it is very important to wipe the area with a cloth because there is always dust, it has to be perfectly clean and free of dust.
Just as we apply a fungus eliminating paint before putting the plaster on, we are going to apply a fungus protective paint. When you paint the ceiling with a brush it starts to drip everywhere, you have to remove a little paint and worry about spilling it all.
Repair is the top common thing that people face. So, yeah, I guess I hit it right with this blog post. Hope you enjoyed it and it's informative. Toodles!
Comments
Post a Comment