I’m sure there are others here who have also been blessed with a flat corrugated iron roof which naturally leak, because they all just do.
I want to properly fix mine once and for all before the next rain season, rubber sealing paint seams to be the way to go.
Problem is there are so many different ones on the market that I’m not sure what to look at and what to avoid like the plague.
Initially I felt quite confident to go with Flash Harry’s Liquid Plastic because I heard good things, but the manufacturer gives the coverage rate as 1l per SQM, which will put me at 400l, or R34k just for the paint, that’s before other materials like membrain, screws, rollers and of course labour.
What scares me is that manufacturers usually vastly under estimate the coverage of their products, rather than over estimating, so I’m afraid this will become a money pit real quickly.
There is a bunch of other products like Liquid Rubber, ABE Super Laykold, Duram Rubberflex etc. all with different coverage rates and promissed warranties.
Does anyone have any experience with a specific one?
I also looked at replacing the roof with Clip Lock sheets, but at R150 to R200k, it aint going to happen in the short to medium term.
Countless quotes, ideas, plans … the costs are stupidly high.
One guy wanted to replace the roof on the 2nd storey.
Along comes this guy referred to me by the roof sheet supplier.
Got the idea in chats with people … what can I loose, asking is free, as is the no.
So this man arrives, he stops just inside the gate, looks at the house, asks a few questions and says: When will they send me challenge. I’ll fix your leak, can we come tomorrow?
Costs? I asked.
His reply … After the 2nd rain, if there are no leaks, then you can pay me.
4th year in a row, no leaks.
Was a quarter of the other quotes.
My point, keep on talking to people that sell solutions.
Ask the roof sheet supplier, the beam supplier, everyone, for references.
Each one you speak to, you learn more and more tricks of the trade … and the BS. sold.
Keep this going until you find that one guy who just knows his shiite.
Case point, wanted complicated cornices installed.
Big cornices … ran out of tiles.
We googled from here to Sunday, trying to do it ourselves.
Lots of wastage.
Got quotes for 8m cornices labour … o my word. Do I look rich!?
So I ask the ceiling supplier for a reference out of desperation.
Along comes this guy, looks at the cornices, the corners, eyes it all, mumbles a bit, and whalla, cuts the angles perfectly … for half the price.
These gems are out there.
Flat roof leaks, I have one, it is the wind in my case. Blows at a certain angle, pressure, pushing water in one side, it comes out where it makes no sense.
I had (and still have) my woes with flat leaking roofs. There is nothing that seals a flat roof. Not even that torch on rubber. I had two different contractors that did this for me on different roofs. House roof and garage roof.
Nothing survives the African sun. Nothing.
With the house, I ended up having an entire corrugated iron roof built over the slab. No more leakages as the water cannot get to it.
Granted, at some point I would have to have it also painted with rubber paint, but even if it leaks a little, it would be a non event as I still have the slab which can handle a few drops.
Before this year is over, I will have the same done with my garage roof. A roof over its roof.
I am gatvol!
No plans for this, but I couldn’t give 2 hoots about it. This will be buyers problem one day and I plan to die in this house in any event.
If it’s a slab roof, the best solution is torch-on. I would not want to do that myself.
An even better way is to treat it like a patio (or perhaps more like a shower floor) - screed it with a slope using a waterproofing admixture. If the water is not on the roof long enough, it won’t leak through. The waterproofing admixture takes care of the rest. Of course it’s not always possible to screed over an existing slab, but if you can do this it should be maintenance free.
Been there, done that. I have indoor floor tiles on my slab. Took everything off, screed with slope on the entire roof and large draining holes at the parapets and waterproofing mixed into the cement and re tiled.
It made no difference,
With torch on (for my garage roof) they guaranteed for 5 years, but you have to repaint with that silver protective paint every two years. Mine started leaking in less than 2 years.
I gathered even with these rubber products, it is pretty much a standard requirement to give it another coat of rubber or roof paint every 5 or so years for it to last or keep the so called guarantee, which I think is reasonable. Like anything else in life, the roof will require maintenance.
Back to the original question. If the sheets can move/flex at all, then rubber paint won’t help.
First make sure all roofing is 100% secure (which will often involve installing spacers under the roofing screws, as many contractors are too cheapskate for that).
Once the sheeting is secure you will have a lot better luck with sealing solutions.
Fortunately it’s old school sheets which can be walked on, there is no give.
I intend firstly replacing all nails with screws and washers and running membrain over all joints, then I want to paint the entire roof.
This morning another idea popped in to my head, maybe I should just apply the membrain on the joints using the Flash Harry Liquid Plastic, not quite painting the entire roof with it, then afterwards paint the entire roof with a normal roof paint.
I’ve used ABE Laykold in the past. It seems to work. Used it on a wall that shows a lot of water damage, and after using this product, it seems it is now no longer getting that much water from the top (where the product was used), and most of the moisture seems to be coming from the bottom.
So, not a conclusive success story, but the best I’ve got.
Once you see my roof you will understand. With a good 20-30mm rain it looked like a shallow pool up there. There was no slope to begin with and the drainage holes (4) were too small (about 50mm openings).
I gave it a fair slope towards the drainage holes and had them enlarged to about 160mm. Still not enough and water still found its way into the slab and also into the walls.
Cornices are easy with a compound saw. Mitre set at 35Deg and bevel at 30deg, perfect angles each time. I installed foam paneling in my whole house, including cornices and did all myself with a small Ryobi mitre saw.
Yes, the small one. I use mlm - Cove(Crown Moulding) Mitre Calculator to calculate my angle and then you just lay the cornice flat and cut it. Works perfectly everytime. My house is old and still have very old, neglected oregon pine ceilings which have been painted and some even plakked with some paper stuff by the previous owners. I just decided to put foam panels and cornice over everything which now seals and unsulate way better than ever before. The panels and cornice gets sticked to the existing ceiling with cornice adhesive so no screws or nails. The foam cornice are also much wider than the old oregon cornice so you just stick it over the old ones and it covers it perfectly.
I don’t like paying someone else for anything I can do myself so mechanic by day and handyman by night for me
Those things are immensely useful. I bought mine years ago because I had to saw hundreds off short bits of wooden beading for window repair. I later used it, with an aluminium blade, to build a solar panel mounting structure as well. Sure, it’s the cheap one that probably won’t survive the whole year at a proper job site where people with calloused hands just need to get the job done, but for a home owner, it’s more than good enough.
On mine some of the plastic knobs broke though. Still works fine though.
Funny story with cornices, around a year ago when we installed a new ceiling, I decided I’m not going to struggle, so I used pre cut cornices. So I walk in to Chamberlains one day to look at their pricing and at the cornices, I meet a very knowledgable guy who gives me good advice long before a staff member can arrive.
Turns out this guy have a business manufacturing the exact same profile cornices, he was busy installing on a site close by and shorted one corner, so quickly came to buy one from Chamberlains. In the end I ordered all the cornices directly from him at a much better price.
I received a quote for R46k (R150 per SQM) from a contractor which came highly recommended, he gives a 8 year warranty on his work, that’s for proper prep and rust treetment where necessary, replacing screws where necessary, fixing smaller areas where necessary, 2 coats with a liquid rubber product and then one coat of roof paint.
I’m waiting for 2 or 3 more quotes.
I’m seriously considering this route since I worked out the material alone will cost me upwards of R35k if I want to DIY, plus a contractor with experience will definitely be able to do it better.
I’ve got a flat roof (rib and block slab) on parts of my house. When I bought, it had torch on stuff and I then threw a screed on top of it and now have a roof garden that gets watered daily Via drip irrigation. Hasn’t leaked yet in 8 years.
I also broke a part of a lower level flat slab and extended my kitchen from about a 6x2 to about 6x4m. I used a sika product sikalastic 560 and also added generic membrane to it. 1 watered down coat, then a thick coat, with membrane. Haven’t had issues with it. Gets watered daily, water stands on some spots and I walk on it regularly.
Also used the same for a patio above the lounge but that’s got tiles on top of the membrane. Good thing is that it can stick onto the torchon bitumen with silver paint. Use it on all parapet walls too.
