How to lay flexible tiles yourself. How to lay flexible tiles correctly Laying a roof with soft tiles

Choosing a roof covering for a bathhouse is both a simple and complex question. Even the large number of roofing options offered by manufacturers cannot satisfy everyone without exception; each bathhouse owner tries to find his own solution. And our goal is not to give advice on choosing a specific type of roofing, everyone should listen to their own opinion - there is no ideal roof, just as there is no completely bad one, each has strengths and weaknesses, very large fluctuations in price and installation complexity.

Piece roofing tiles are considered the most prestigious and complex; they can be natural ceramic, concrete, with additives of polymers, dyes, etc. Metal and flexible tiles are considered a cheaper option, although among these types of coverings the price difference by brand may vary factor of. It all depends on the material, manufacturing technology and final performance characteristics. Options for covering with metal and flexible tiles are found most often in bathhouse coverings, and we will focus on them for now.

To begin with, it is advisable to familiarize yourself a little with the brief characteristics of the coating.

Advantages

Low cost, quick installation, wide choose color solutions and geometric shapes. Durability can also be mentioned, but this indicator depends not only on the brand, but also on the manufacturer. If the tiles are manufactured with gross deviations from generally accepted standards and with violations of technology, then after 6–7 years the coating will have to be repaired or replaced. Conscientious licensed manufacturers provide a guarantee of 25 years or more for elite brands of products.

Flaws

It makes noise during heavy rain or hail. The disadvantage is not critical; no one is going to sleep lightly in a bathhouse. And if there is an attic on the second floor, then the mineral wool used to insulate the roof perfectly dampens sound vibrations. Conclusion - metal tiles are an excellent roofing covering for baths.

Metal tiles must be transported only in a horizontal position; the length of the body must be greater than the length of the material. Unload the roofing carefully, carry the sheets only in a vertical position, do not allow sharp bends.

We will describe the most difficult method of installing metal tiles - with a warm roof. Depending on the specific use of the attic space, you may be able to simplify the installation process and skip some steps.

Step-by-step installation instructions

Step 1. Check for correct construction and dimensions rafter system. Most baths have the simplest gable roof types; checking their dimensions does not take much time.

How to do it? First you need to check the diagonals of the rafter system; the difference in values ​​should not exceed two centimeters; such a spread can be easily hidden by additional elements. Next, pull a rope between the outer rafters, they should all lie in the same plane. Places with deviations should be noted; corrections of deflections are done while nailing the sheathing.

Step 2. If possible, process everything wooden elements rafter system antiseptics complex action. They will reliably protect the tree from damage by rot and pests and increase fire safety indicators. For a bathhouse this is an important factor.

Step 3. Laying waterproofing.

It will protect the insulating layer from moisture vapor condensation. Condensation always forms on the underside of metal tiles; droplets of water can fall on mineral wool, which significantly reduces its heat-protective properties. In addition, prolonged contact of wet cotton wool with wooden structures can cause premature damage. The insulation itself will be laid on the roof from the attic side and additionally protected by a vapor barrier layer.

Waterproofing is sold in rolls; during installation you need to follow the markings; there are lines on the front surface. Simple bathhouse roofs do not have valleys, but they may have a chimney outlet. Start doing waterproofing right around the chimneys, stretch the material along the entire perimeter and secure with a stapler. Make sure that all overlaps are directed in the direction of condensate drainage; it is advisable to glue the membrane joints with special tape or ordinary tape.

The chimney has been processed - proceed to waterproofing the slopes. Place the rolls from bottom to top and secure them to the rafters with a stapler. Do not allow the material to sag significantly; under no circumstances should it touch mineral wool. The membrane can be additionally fixed to the rafters with 50x50 mm counter-lattice slats.

This device increases efficiency natural ventilation between the roofing and the sheathing. Some builders skip this operation; they believe that the gaps between the sheathing and the covering sheets are sufficient for ventilation. Both methods have a right to life, but we would not recommend saving too much when arranging roofing coverings.

Step 4.

Nail wind boards along the eaves, and wrap the waterproofing over the boards.

For lathing, you can use boards 30 mm thick and 100 mm wide or slats 30x50 mm. The first board or batten from the eaves should be a centimeter thicker than the others to increase the strength of fixation of the sheets and prevent them from being undermined by strong gusts of wind. The pitch of the sheathing should be equal to the pitch of the wave of metal tiles.

Lathing for metal tiles - photo

Nail the first batten at the eaves and check its position. It must be strictly parallel to the ridge, otherwise the waves of the tiles on the roof will not be perpendicular to it, and this is considered a defect. In order to speed up the process of nailing the sheathing, you need to cut several slats along the length of the wave pitch; they will be used as a template. There is a second method to speed up the work - use a rope with blue to beat off parallel lines along the counter-lattice at the required distance. When nailing the slats, be guided by these lines. The skate must have slats; the distance of the slats from the skate cannot exceed ten centimeters. Slats are needed to fix the ridge metal element roofing covering.

The wavelength of metal tiles depends on the brand and thickness of the sheet; select tiles taking into account the individual characteristics of the roof. Each manufacturer supplies its products with instructions describing the optimal performance of the roof and climate zone. Along the perimeter of the chimney you need to make a continuous sheathing approximately 20÷25 centimeters wide.

Step 5. Installation of a chimney apron.

All manufacturers produce additional elements for roofing, and their list also includes metal flashings for chimneys. They look like flat plates; you need to cut the technological bends yourself, taking into account the dimensions of the chimney.

Measure the width of the bottom of the chimney, mark this value on the bar symmetrically to the edges. Draw a line about 10 centimeters wide with a marker, cut off the vertical edges with scissors, and bend them perpendicular to the drawn line. The entire part of the apron along the line must be bent at an angle equal to the exit angle of the chimney wall on the roof slope. Don’t be afraid to make a mistake; when fixing the element, the angle will be adjusted to the existing dimensions.

Installation diagram of additional elements around the chimney

Start installing the apron from the bottom wall of the brick pipe. A flat sheet of metal (tie) with flanges on the sides should be placed under the lower element of the apron; water will flow along it into the catch basins. The side walls of the pipe are finished in the same way, and the top part is sealed last.

In order to prevent water from getting through the chimney stacks under the roofing, it is recommended to recess the side strips into the brickwork. To do this, you need to attach it to the wall and draw a line of contact with the upper edge of the strip on the chimney. Using a grinder with a diamond blade, a line (groove) is cut along the marked location. The cut needs to be cleaned of dust and washed. The curved edge of the strip is inserted into the groove and sealed along the entire length with silicone. This should be done all around the perimeter. brick chimney. The planks are screwed with self-tapping screws countersunk heads to the roof sheathing. The junction points are the most dangerous in terms of leaks; be very careful when performing all operations to seal them.

The external chimney sealing apron is installed after laying the metal tiles. Some craftsmen do not want to install an internal apron; we do not recommend simplifying the process of installing the coating by increasing the risk of leaks. In terms of time, the complete installation of one apron will not take more than two to three hours; this is not the time, by saving which one can expose the entire roof of the bathhouse to additional risk.

Step 5. Installation of hooks for the drainage system.

The hooks should be fixed before installing the metal tile drip, this is very important. Immediately after the hooks, you can install cornice strips.

Important. Bottom cornice strip should drop slightly into the gutter. Otherwise, during strong gusts of wind, rainwater will fall on the wooden elements of the cornice. The gutter of the drainage system itself can be installed after installing the metal tiles.

The distance between the holders is approximately 50 centimeters. The overall slope of the gutter should be at least three millimeters per meter of length; mark a line on each holder for bending in the desired location.

Let's look at how to do this with an example. Let’s say the length of the bathhouse roof slope is 6 meters, the slope between the outer holders should be approximately 6×3 = 18 millimeters. Place all the hooks in a row and align their ends. On the first, mark the bend point, and on the last, mark a point ≈18 millimeters below the first. Connect the dots with a line; each hook will have a mark for its bend. Of course, the holders need to be numbered so that later during fastening they do not change places. Don’t be upset if you fail to maintain millimeter precision during bending; the gutter itself will fall into place over time.

Step 6. A hole for the outlet funnel is marked on the gutter; the width of the hole depends on the diameter of the drainage system. The hole is cut with a hacksaw for metal. Insert the gutter into the holders with an overlap of several centimeters; the edges of the individual pieces of the gutter should fit into the special seats. Secure the gutter with metal tabs to the holders. To improve the sealing of the joints of individual pieces of the gutter, seals can be installed. Plugs are installed at the ends of the gutter. The funnel is installed under the hole and fixed by bending the metal tongue.

Step 7 You need to bring the edges of the waterproofing sheet over the installed cornice strip and glue it with double-sided tape. In this position, condensation will fall from the canvas into the gutter, and not under the cornice.

Step 8 Sheets of metal tiles are lifted onto the roof one at a time; you can use wooden logs installed from the ground with emphasis on the beginning of the slope.

If the bathhouse is two-story, then you should use canvas straps to lift it.

The first sheet must be laid exactly along the line of the eaves and the end of the roof.

If the rafter system was made according to all the rules, then no problems should arise. If there are errors, place the first sheet with an offset of no more than 1÷2 cm, last page will also have such a bias. The end additional element will cover the unevenness of the sheets.

Fastening is done with special roofing screws with rubber washers.

Self-tapping screws for metal tiles, how many are needed for 1 sq. m.

Important. The self-tapping screw must be screwed into the sheathing by at least two centimeters.

At the bottom of the sheet, fastenings are made in each deflection of a wave; subsequently, the sheets are fastened through the deflection in a checkerboard pattern. If the sheets are stacked from left to right, then the second sheet overlaps the first, if in the opposite order, then it overlaps the first. This should be kept in mind and do not tighten the screws on the outer waves of the metal tiles before laying two sheets.

You need to move on the roof very carefully, only in soft shoes, your feet should be placed only in places where the waves bend.

Self-tapping screws must be tightened without under-tightening or over-tightening. The rubber washer should be pressed tightly against the surface of the sheet, but not deform it.

Step 9 Installation of ridge strips.

They can be flat or semicircular, and are equipped with end caps of the appropriate profile. Place the planks with an overlap of up to 10 centimeters and secure them to the metal tiles with ridge screws.

Step 10 Installation of end strips.

Align the ends, all the sheathing slats should be on the same line. The planks are fixed to the wind boards on one side, and to the roofing on the other.

If the bathhouse uses a metal sandwich pipe for the chimney, then in order to reach the roof it is necessary to install a special additional device for engineering equipment- rubber outlet. The diameter of its outlet changes due to cutting off the upper part of the corrugated seal.

How to seal the outlet of a metal pipe

Step, No.	Description	illustration
Step 1	Mark the location of the chimney outlet on the roof and cut a hole with metal scissors
Step 2	Make the same hole in the waterproofing, apply silicone sealant on the waterproofing seal, glue it and secure it to the slats or sheathing boards with metal strips
Step 3	Place the base of the exit to the metal tile profile and bend it to size
Step 4	Apply a layer of sealant on the bottom side of the outlet, install the outlet in place and secure it around the perimeter with self-tapping screws. The diameter of the rubber insert of the device should be approximately 20% less than the diameter of the chimney pipe

If you wish, you can install ventilation holes on the roof. The technology is no different from that described above, only the appearance and engineering design of the ventilation cap differs.

The final touch is the snow guards. It is recommended to install them in areas with heavy snow cover; they protect drainage systems from mechanical damage. The brackets are placed at the bottom of the metal tile wave just above the sheathing. Mark the locations and use a thin drill to drill holes in the tiles and slats. They are needed for bolts and screws of increased strength; snow retainers must withstand heavy loads. It is recommended to fasten the brackets on rubber pads; the snow retention tubes are inserted into the holes of the brackets.

Video - Installation of metal tiles

Rules and step-by-step instructions for installing flexible tiles

Among modern roofing materials, flexible tiles occupy a worthy place; they are a coating of universal use; they can be used to cover the most complex conical, domed or sloping roofs.

In terms of price value, the material belongs to the average category. Of course, the price range among various brands and manufacturers of flexible tiles can be significant, but in terms of average cost it is a roofing material that is quite affordable for most users. You can see her very often at the baths. All manufacturers' advertising brochures attract the attention of buyers with excellent photographs of various objects, where the roof has not only a variety of colors, but also the shape of the “petals” of the tiles.

But none of the manufacturers provide photographs of roofs with soft tiles after 5–6 years of operation. Do you know why? But because during this time enough dust accumulates between the crumb particles for the growth of mosses and lichens.

We will not discuss the appearance of such a coating; some people may like it - a real “retro roof”. Let them like it, but mosses and lichens “don’t like” the roof itself; the root system of plants quickly destroys the base of the soft tiles. No “modified” bitumens and nonwovens cannot withstand the effects of living nature. This means it's time to save money for a complete replacement of the roofing material. Moreover, do not put off the work; in a few years the plywood will begin to deteriorate and the top veneer will peel off. You will also have to replace expensive plywood. You can, of course, use laminated plywood for the sheathing, but look at its price and soberly assess your financial capabilities. There are options for removing moss, but they simultaneously “clean” the surface of crumbs and part of the bitumen.

The base for the tiles is solid; most often, sheets of plywood or OSB are used; sometimes there is a more expensive option made from thin edged boards. Depending on the pitch of the rafters, materials with different thicknesses are used.

	Material thickness, mm
Distance between sheathing rafters, mm	OSB	Sheet plywood	Natural edged board
300	9	9	-
600	12	12	20
900	18	18	23
1200	21	21	30
1500	27	27	37

The table shows the approximate parameters of the sheathing materials depending on the distances between the rafter legs. The most advantageous is the use of thinner slabs laid on a sheathing made of unedged boards. So, the strength can be adjusted independently, and the cost of the lathing is minimal. At the same time, the amount of unproductive waste is significantly reduced - space can be found for almost all slab scraps. We will focus on this option.

Step 1. Check the geometry of the rafter system and the reliability of fixation of all its components. Flexible roofing structures are much heavier than metal ones; the rafter system must be as stable as possible. In addition, the surface of soft tiles is rough, which contributes to the accumulation of increased snow cover, which means additional loads. The angles are checked by measuring the diagonals, the linearity of the rafters using a stretched rope. If there are any deflections, make marks in these places and remove them while laying the step sheathing. The distance between the sheathing boards is 20÷30 centimeters.

Step 2. Start nailing the OSB boards.

Base for flexible tiles – continuous lathing

Baths, as a rule, are small in size and have simple roofs; such features make it possible to draw up a preliminary plan for cutting the slabs. Having a plan reduces the number of times you cut material, which reduces time and quality. You can fasten the slabs with ordinary nails 40÷50 mm long; if you want to suffer and pay extra money for this pain, fix the slabs with self-tapping screws. There is a lot of controversy surrounding the need to leave a gap between the plates, which supposedly will compensate for thermal expansion.

You shouldn't believe this. How can the gap compensate for the expansion of the slab if it is nailed to the boards in many places? This is, firstly. Secondly, those few tenths of a millimeter by which the slab can actually expand are easily crushed at the edges. Try to ensure that the slabs lie as evenly as possible in one plane. But a difference of a few millimeters should not upset you; flexible tiles will easily hide them without deteriorating their properties.

Step 3. Secure the drainage system hooks.

How this is done is described in detail above in paragraph No. 5 of the section “Rules and step-by-step instructions for installing metal tiles.” And the general algorithm for installing a drainage system, including snow retainers, is no different.

Step 4. Install metal droppers on the eaves overhang, secure them in increments of approximately 15 centimeters with roofing nails. It is much easier to hammer nails into metal with a special hammer; it has a sharp tooth, which is used to first punch holes in the sheet and only after that the nail is driven in. The overlap of the droppers is at least three centimeters.

Step 5. Installation of flexible tiles must begin with the chimney; lay a waterproof barrier around its perimeter, it is supplied as a kit. We strongly recommend placing the same barrier around the entire perimeter of the eaves overhangs. It's inexpensive, but will bring a lot of benefits. Width approximately 50 centimeters. The barrier is self-adhesive, remove the protective film and glue it carefully, do not allow bending, the surface should be flat. Overlaps of at least 20 cm; if the barrier does not adhere well, use special liquid bitumen mastic.

Excess pieces of material are cut off with a construction knife. Place a flat board under the cut line, cut it, remove the board and glue a piece prepared to size. You can additionally fix the underlay carpet with nails with wide heads, the length of the nails is within 20 mm, the pitch is 25÷30 cm.

Important. If the slope of the roof slopes is less than 15°, then it is better to lay the lining carpet along all slopes. The material is laid from bottom to top, overlapping areas are sealed with bitumen mastic. On a skate, a barrier must be installed in all cases.

One more thing. If the profile of the flexible tiles has deep cuts, for example, jazz, tail, trio varieties, then the underlay should be applied over the entire roof.

Step 6. To protect the ends from wind loads, pediment strips are nailed to the gable board.

Use nails and a special hammer. The distance between the nails is approximately twenty centimeters; do not forget to overlap the planks. The edge of the plank should be placed on the edge of the wind board, place the nails in a checkerboard pattern.

Step 7 Marking the roof slope. Along the lining carpet, you need to beat off parallel lines with a rope with blue horizontal lines, the distance between them is approximately five times the width of the tiles, the distance between the vertical lines should be the size of one shingle. This mesh will greatly simplify and speed up the process of installing flexible tiles. In addition, it completely eliminates the risk of distortions in the rows of tiles. These lines make it possible not only to hold the shingle vertically and horizontally, but also to maintain it in difficult areas of the roof and correct incorrect dimensions of the slope.

Step 8 Place a valley carpet around the perimeter of the brick chimney; be sure to coat the joints with bitumen mastic.

Step 9 Setting up the starting line.

This is a very important step, so pay the utmost attention to its implementation. Carry out the work from the center of the cornice, trimming off the excess along the edges. This method will make the entire roof symmetrical, and this is very important for the appearance of the bathhouse. The starting strip has its own profile and increased thickness of the adhesive layer. Remove the protective film from the back, carefully lay the material and secure it in a checkerboard pattern with wide-headed nails. You should retreat 1.5 cm from the drip edge.

Step 10. Before you begin laying the shingles, you need to mix them in random order; do not take them in a row from one pile.

The fact is that the color may change slightly and large stripes with different shades will form on your roof. When mixing the shingles, this problem disappears. The protective film on the back side of each shingle is removed, the tiles are glued evenly and additionally secured with nails.

Important. When driving nails into the lower part of the tiles, you should pay attention to ensure that their heads are covered by subsequent rows. The first row of nails should be one centimeter away from the starting strip.

There are varieties of tiles that do not have the protection of an adhesive layer; they are a little easier to work with. Drive nails only at right angles; the heads should not cut into the roof. For one shingle one meter long, four nails are enough; the head should be located at least two centimeters away from the visible part of the shingle. Each nail should hold two shingles at once.

Step 11 Along the entire perimeter of the brick chimney, the tiles must be laid on mastic, all upper joints must be additionally sealed. To increase the tightness, it is recommended to cut through the groove and insert metal decorative strips and bend them down. The junction areas are carefully coated with mastic.

The passage element is coated with bitumen mastic

Pass-through element - fixation

Step 12 Decoration of pediments. The edges of the shingles are additionally coated with mastic. Excess parts are cut off along a straight line with a sharp carpenter's knife.

Step 13 The ridge is first glued with flexible tiles, and then covered with a special metal ridge element. Do not forget to overlap and coat all joints with bitumen mastic. It is advisable to leave a gap of several centimeters in the ridge for natural ventilation of the rafter system. The metal ridge covering is covered with soft tiles. It can be cut out from an ordinary one or torn along the perforation lines of a cornice. Secure the tile sheets with four nails, two on each side. Lay the ridge towards the prevailing wind direction.

If the ridge has an acute angle or the tile laying work is carried out in the cold season, then before bending the ridge tile, the line should be heated with a hair dryer, otherwise it will crack. Some manufacturers promise that their tiles can be laid at temperatures of -5°C. Do not believe or experiment; work should be performed only in warm and dry weather. To prevent the edges of the ridge tiles from being visible, cut them slightly at an angle. There will be a narrow part at the top and a little wider at the bottom. The wide, smooth part of the factory cutting will hide all the handmade irregularities.

At this point the roofing work is completed, you can begin to insulate the roof.

Video - Installation of flexible tiles

Soft roofing materials are an excellent alternative to traditional slate and sheet metal. Roofs covered with flexible tiles are distinguished by their stylish appearance and high reliability. But you can get both only if you follow the installation technology. Of course, the easiest way is to hire a team of professional roofers, but you can forget about the construction budget - in the best case, the work will cost the same amount as the building materials. And at the same time, it’s not difficult to save money - just lay the soft roof with your own hands. Today, masters with many years of experience will tell you how to do this correctly.

What is soft roofing

Composite, soft or bituminous tiles, shingle roofing, shingles, roofing tiles - all these are names for the same building material - flexible tiles. Representing flat sheets of small size (most often 100x34 cm), shingles have figured cutouts that divide them into several petals. Laying by the method of shifting one row relative to another gives the same effect that makes the roof look like a tiled one.

Due to the fact that soft tiles are available in a variety of shapes and colors, it is easy to choose the most suitable design option

Today on sale you can find soft covering roofs with petals of any shape - rhombic, triangular, hexagonal, oval, rectangular, wave-shaped, etc. In addition, there are a considerable number of color solutions. And yet, despite such diversity, they all have the same multilayer structure and composition.

Optimal size modern technology and the use of high-quality materials give flexible tiles many advantages over other roofing materials:

• ease of installation;
• light weight;
• high sound absorption;
• resistance to high and low temperatures, as well as their sudden changes;
• the ability to cover roofs of the most complex designs;
• resistance to ultraviolet and infrared radiation;
• dielectric capacity;
• resistance to corrosion and bacteria;
• wide range of colors;
• durability - depending on the manufacturer, the service life of bituminous shingles ranges from 20 to 50 years;
• profitability - the amount of waste usually does not exceed 5%;
• maximum water resistance and minimum water absorption - no more than 2%.

To be fair, it is worth noting that flexible tiles require additional costs for arranging a solid base, and are also not suitable for roofing work in severe frost. But compared to the long list of advantages, these disadvantages can be neglected.

Roofing pie for flexible tiles

A roofing pie is a multilayer structure that serves as the basis for laying soft tiles. This includes some elements of the rafter system, sheathing, thermal insulation, lining and moisture-proof material - it all depends on how the attic space is equipped. There are roofing cakes for warm and cold roofs. The destiny of the first is to create a base for bitumen shingles on outbuildings, summer cottages, garages, sheds, etc. If it is necessary to build a roof for a house intended for year-round residence, then it should be made warm.

Insulated roof made of bitumen shingles

The main element of the roofing pie for warm roofs is insulation. In many ways, this determines the need for several layers that are necessary for its normal functioning.

Soft roof residential buildings is built according to the “warm” type, so the roofing pie is distinguished by a large number of functional layers

The key to long-term and reliable operation of the roof is the ventilation duct, which is necessary to ventilate the under-roof space. Although, depending on the region, the structure may contain one or more layers of thermal insulation, the standard base of a warm roof is built according to the following scheme:

1. Soft tiles.
2. Underlay carpet.
3. Solid base made of plywood, OSB or solid boards.
4. Top sheathing.
5. Counter grille creating a ventilation gap.
6. Moisture protection.
7. Sheet or roll thermal insulation.
8. Bottom sheathing.
9. Vapor-tight membrane.
10. Rafters.

Most often, the construction of a roofing pie is carried out from above. In this case, the thermal insulation is laid on the rough sheathing and vapor barrier. If work on thermal insulation of the roof is carried out from the attic, then a polypropylene cord is used to support the insulation - it will not allow it to sag while the vapor barrier and lower sheathing are being installed.

When constructing a roof in the northern regions, the cross-section of the rafter legs may not be enough to install thermal insulation of the required thickness. You can get out of this situation with the help of an additional beam, which is mounted perpendicular to the rafters. In this case, the installation step of the sparse counter-lattice is selected taking into account the width of the insulation boards - they should fit into the cells with little effort.

Cold roof made of bitumen shingles

Since the construction of a cold roof eliminates the need for insulation and accompanying materials, the design of such a roof is noticeably simplified and, accordingly, its installation is easier. In general, the roofing cake should contain the following layers:

The opinion that bituminous shingles in themselves are an excellent waterproofing material does not give the right to refuse to use an underlayment, even if we are talking about a cold roof for an undemanding canopy. On slopes with an angle of less than 18 degrees, such savings often lead to moisture penetration under the soft covering. The result of a careless attitude to technology can be unattractive stains on shingles and wooden structural elements affected by fungus and mold. And if the first “only” reduces the aesthetics of the roof, then the second significantly reduces its service life.

You can refuse to use underlayment only on roof slopes with a steepness of more than 18 degrees, and even then only partially. IN mandatory areas such as ridges, valleys, overhangs, outlets of ventilation or chimney pipes, as well as passages must be additionally protected from moisture engineering communications.

Video: features of a roofing cake for bitumen shingles

What you will need when installing a soft roof: tools and materials

As noted above, one of the advantages of a soft roof is its ease of installation. Indeed, if the technology is followed, it is quite possible for a person with minimal construction skills to build even a two-layer warm roof with his own hands. At the same time, there will be practically no need to spend on tools and equipment - everything you need is always at hand in the present home handyman. When planning to lay shingles, you should prepare:

• hand saw or electric jigsaw with a cloth for woodworking;
• knife for cutting shingles;
• spatula and trowel;
• hammer;
• nail puller or powerful pliers;
• measuring devices - tape measure, cord, plumb line and level;
• chalk and pencil.

If you plan to carry out work in winter time, then you will additionally need a blowtorch (gas torch) in order to heat the mastic. The minimum temperature at which soft roofing can be laid is minus 15 °C. In any case, do it construction work best when the outside temperature is 15–20 °C. This will prevent damage to the materials and ensure a reliable connection of the adhesive layer to the lining carpet.

Installation of flexible tiles can be carried out at sub-zero temperatures, but you will need equipment to heat the substrate and bitumen mastic

To provide the necessary rigidity to the base, when constructing a soft roof, a continuous type of sheathing is used. Otherwise, the bitumen coating together with the roofing pie will sag and quickly become unusable. You should not think that plywood or OSB boards can be attached directly to the rafters and thereby save on sheathing slats. Of course, this method is quite acceptable for the simplest structures such as a barn or gazebo, but when building a residential building you cannot do without additional costs for lumber. And this is connected not so much with the requirements of mechanical strength (the same boardwalk easily solves this problem), but with the need to arrange a ventilation gap using counter beams.

In addition to the solid flooring and sparse sheathing, the base structure must also include a counter beam that provides ventilation for the roofing pie.

So, under the bitumen shingles it is necessary to install two layers of sheathing. The first tier is laid with a wooden beam or board, and a flooring made of plywood, boards, OSB or a combination of these materials is used as a solid base.

If a double continuous sheathing is constructed from boards, then the first layer is installed in a spaced pattern, and the plank flooring elements are fastened close to each other at an angle of 45° to the ridge. In this case, the boards of the lower tier must have a thickness of more than 25 mm and a width of 50 mm. When determining the step of their laying, the cross-section of the lumber is taken into account. It is usually possible to eliminate the possibility of sagging of the boards of the top row at intervals of 200–300 mm. Sheathing of the sheathing begins from the ridge, leaving a gap of at least 3 mm between the boards to eliminate the effects of temperature deformations. Sheathing lumber must have a cross-section of at least 20 mm and a width of more than 100 mm.

Single-layer lathing can only be used when arranging roofs for undemanding structures

Installation of double combined sheathing is less labor-intensive, which is why it is used most often. In this design, boards or bars are used for the bottom layer, and sheet lumber is used for the top layer. The wooden base of cold and warm roofs is made differently. In the first case, thermal insulation is not installed and diffusion membrane, therefore, to assemble the frame, you only need a sparse sheathing, on top of which sheets of plywood or OSB are fixed. If insulation is required, then an additional layer of sheathing is used in the form of timber, which is packed along the rafters. Thanks to it, a gap is formed between the waterproofing film and the large-panel flooring.

Calculation of flexible tiles and other roofing materials

For determining required quantity roofing tiles, insulation and waterproofing use the same principle as for any other covering material. In general, it is necessary to calculate the quadrature of all roof slopes and make allowances for trimming, waste, various allowances, etc.

Before determining the consumption of roofing materials, you will need to find the total area of ​​​​all roof slopes

The easiest way to calculate materials for gable roofs- you just need to find twice the area of ​​a rectangle with sides in the form of the length and width of the slope. In protozoa hip roof the slopes form two trapezoids and a pair of triangles, so calculating the total quadrature of the surface will also be easy. After this, the calculation of roofing materials is carried out taking into account the following amendments:

• asphalt shingles - 3 to 4 percent for trimming and moving shingles;
• waterproofing and lining carpet - at least 5% in order to overlap adjacent canvases;
• rolled fiber insulation - according to the total roof area;
• rigid slab thermal insulation and wooden flooring - taking into account the maximum laying of entire panels, but not less than 3% for trimming and joining.

When starting to calculate materials for combined roofs, it would be useful to sketch out a diagram with a detailed indication of the location of the valleys, external angles and dimensions of each structural element. More complex structure will require additional costs for materials for the roofing pie:

• OSB, plywood and rigid board insulation - margin of about 10%;
• excess consumption of waterproofing and lining carpet - up to 5%;
• soft roll and slab insulation - up to 2%;
• flexible tiles - at least 10%.

Having calculated how much covering materials you will need, you should not forget about the materials for arranging valleys and ridges. When determining the profile of the valley carpet, it is necessary to make an amendment of no more than 1%. As for the ridge covering, not only the tops of individual parts of the roof are taken into account, but also each outer bend with an angle of more than 120 degrees.

What roofing nails are suitable and how many of them will be needed

To install soft roofing tiles, use special nails with wide heads. Thanks to them, the fixation area increases, which means the risk of damage to the shingles during installation and during operation is reduced. Manufacturers produce two types of fasteners - with notches on the rod and with a smooth rod. During the installation process, you can use both. Experience shows that the teeth on the nails for flexible tiles are nothing more than a marketing ploy, because if you try to pull the edge of the tab, the material itself will most likely break through. Pulling out even the smoothest nail from wood will be disproportionately more difficult.

Nails for soft tiles differ from ordinary ones in that they have a larger diameter head.

Tile nails have the following sizes:

• length from 25 to 30 mm (nails for automatic pistols are longer - up to 40 mm);
• rod thickness - 3 mm;
• cap with a diameter of 8 to 10 mm.

The number of nails that will be needed to install soft tiles is determined only after the number of roofing tiles has been calculated. One tile sheet is secured with at least four nails, which should be driven in at a distance of 145 mm from the bottom edge and 25 mm on each side.

Affects the consumption of fasteners and the slope of roof slopes. So, on flat surfaces with a slope of up to 45°, four nails per shingle will be enough. If the slope has a steepness of more than 45°, then two more nails are used for reinforcement. Depending on the type of shingles, they are driven into the corners of each strip or along the fastening line provided by the roofing material manufacturer. When installing the valley and underlay carpet, nails are driven along the perimeter of the strips, observing a step of 20–25 cm. Additional elements are fixed in a checkerboard pattern, placing the fasteners at a distance of 15–20 cm.

When installing flexible tiles, it is necessary to hammer in the nails correctly, otherwise the coating will not last long.

1 kg contains up to 400 roofing nails, which allows you to roughly estimate their consumption. So, for arrangement of 100 sq. m of soft roofing will require from 8 to 10 kg of fasteners.

What is the best way to cut flexible tiles?

During the installation process, bitumen shingles have to be cut both at the edges and at the junctions, in the valleys and on external corners. Very often, novice roofers use a paint knife or metal scissors for cutting. Well, if there is no alternative, you can even use large cutting scissors. And yet, none of these tools will give such a smooth cutting line and such convenience as a special roofing knife for flexible tiles. The presence of a hook blade allows you to cut by weight and trim the material in place, applying a minimum of effort and obtaining an extremely even and neat cut. By the way, an ordinary construction knife can be turned into a roofing knife in no time. All you need to do is replace the trapezoidal blade with a hook blade. You can buy the latter in construction markets - most often such canvases are sold in sets of 3–5 pieces.

Using a hook blade, a regular construction knife can be transformed into a specialized tool for cutting flexible tiles

Installation of sheathing and other elements of the roofing pie

The construction of the roofing pie can begin immediately after the rafter system is ready. Preparation of the base of a soft roof consists of several stages.

1. Installation of vapor barrier. A layer of diffusion film is needed to prevent moist air from entering the insulation and to remove excess moisture outside. When constructing a cold-type roof, there is no need for a vapor barrier. If a warm roof is being installed, then without a diffusion membrane the thermal insulation may get wet and quickly become unusable. The film should be installed from the attic side along the rafters - this will also protect the load-bearing wooden frame from moisture. The vapor barrier is spread with horizontal sheets and secured in the direction from the eaves to the ridge. For reliable fixation, horizontal bars are used, which are nailed to the rafters in 60 cm increments. Subsequently, these strips can be used for installing interior decoration.

   To fix the vapor barrier, it is convenient to use counter battens or slats, to which the attic trim will subsequently be attached.

2. Laying thermal insulation. Plates or panels of insulation are laid in the space between the rafters. For this reason, even at the stage of their installation, it is necessary to ensure that the pitch of the rafter legs is equal to the width of the heat-insulating material. The slabs are laid directly on the film, staggered if possible. If their thickness exceeds the cross-section of the rafters, then timber is placed along the rafters, which will compensate for the difference in size. Thermal insulation is covered windproof membrane, which is fixed with a counter beam with a section of 50x50 mm. This kind of trick will allow you to kill two birds with one stone - fix the film and provide a gap between the insulation and the upper layers of the roof.

   When installing a rafter system, the pitch between the lags is often selected according to the size of the insulation

3. Fastening the sheathing. Slats or boards of sparse sheathing are nailed at right angles to the counterbeam. The pitch of their installation is determined by the thickness of the flooring, so when determining this parameter you should use the table below.
4. Construction of a solid foundation. The best materials for flooring are board materials that have maximum moisture resistance - OSB panels or FSF plywood. It is advisable to attach them to the sheathing using self-tapping screws, orienting the slabs apart.

Table: dependence of the thickness of the solid flooring on the spacing of the sparse sheathing

Lathing or rafter spacing, mm	Plywood sheets, mm	OSB, mm	Board, mm
300	9	9	-
600	12	12	20
900	18	18	25
1200	21	21	30
1500	27	27	35

From my own experience I can say that the optimal thickness of the slabs is 10 mm. Such a flooring will not sag even under a heavy snow load and will ensure the expected durability of the soft roof. When choosing plywood, you should give preference to varieties made from coniferous wood. As practice has shown, such flooring is practically not deformable due to temperature changes and high humidity. For additional processing I use a water-repellent compound on the surfaces and edges of the sheets. As for OSB, their manufacturing technology allows you not to bother with any impregnations - such material can easily withstand even small leaks. Which, however, does not eliminate the need to promptly identify and eliminate defective areas.

When laying the slabs, you should leave a deformation gap of 2 to 5 mm. Otherwise, the solid base may “leak”, causing the roof to lose its visual appeal or even leak. The flooring should not reach the ridge itself - for normal ventilation of the under-roof space, a gap of at least 70 mm is required.

Video: how to make a sheathing for soft roofing tiles

Instructions for laying flexible tiles

The installation of soft roofing occurs in several stages:

• formation of a lining layer;
• marking;
• fastening of additional roofing elements;
• installation of flexible tiles;
• sealing of passages and junctions.

The work is best done in the summer. Bitumen and mastic will be heated by the sun's rays, thanks to which it will be possible to obtain a durable monolithic connection between the roofing tiles and the substrate.

Installation of the lining layer

As a lining for a soft roof, roll bitumen materials are used, which are mounted both along and across the slope. To ensure the tightness of the joints, the lining is spread with an overlap of at least 10 cm along the line of the panels and 15 cm in places of transverse junctions.

When installing the lining layer, the peculiarities of the roof geometry are taken into account to ensure maximum tightness

On roofs with steep slopes, only the areas most susceptible to leaks need waterproofing - valleys, ends and overhangs of eaves, junctions with vertical sections, ridge, etc. It is only important that the joints of adjacent surfaces are protected by an underlay carpet on both sides, and its width was:

• at the junctions of adjacent slopes - more than 50 cm;
• on skates - at least 25 cm on each side;
• at the edge of the slope and along the eaves line - 40–50 cm.

The underlayment is fastened with nails or construction staples, which are placed at a distance of 20–25 cm from each other. In valleys, the fastening step is reduced to 1–15 cm, and for more reliable fixation, bitumen mastic is used.

Fastening additional elements

Additional elements of a soft roof allow you to protect the sheathing and other parts from precipitation wooden frame roofs. Eaves strips (droppers) are installed on the eaves overhangs on top of the waterproofing and fastened in a checkerboard pattern using the same nails for soft roofing. The frequency of nailing should be no more than 10 cm. At the junction points, the metal strips are placed one on top of the other by 3–5 cm. The pediment strips are also fixed at the ends of the slope in the same way. The only difference is that it is important to follow the direction of installation - from the eaves to the ridge.

The edges of the soft roof are protected using eaves and gable strips

Before installing flexible roofing tiles, horizontal markings must be applied to each slope. It will make it much easier to maintain the correct placement of each row. You can draw a straight line using strong twine, which is pre-rubbed with chalk. Having secured the cord on both sides of the slope, it is pulled tight and sharply released. When the string hits a substrate or wooden base, it will leave an even mark.

When laying starter shingles, it is important to make the necessary indentation from the edge of the eaves overhang

Cornice tiles are made in the form of straight shingles, not divided into individual petals. Starter strips typically sell for a higher price than regular tiles. For this reason, some craftsmen simply cut off the petals from them and attach them with this side facing out. Used for fixation standard nails with wide caps, which are placed with a 25 mm indentation from the edge of the tile. Each subsequent strip of eaves tiles is attached end-to-end with the obligatory coating of the junction points with bitumen mastic. The distance of the shingles from the edge of the eaves overhang should be 10–20 mm.

First of all, the roofing material is installed at the junction of adjacent slopes (if provided for by the roof structure). For these purposes, manufacturers produce a special valley carpet. When spreading, it is placed on both contacting surfaces, glued and additionally secured with nails.

The valley carpet is placed on both sides of the slopes, glued with bitumen mastic and then fixed with nails

When starting to install ordinary tiles, shingles from all packages should be mixed. In this way, it will be possible to avoid a situation with uneven color tone roof or the appearance of pronounced stripes of a certain tone.

Laying of ordinary tiles begins from the middle of the eaves, placing the tiles in vertical rows towards the edges of the slope. The first row is mounted at a distance of 20–30 mm from the edge of the eaves tiles. In order to get that same “tiled” pattern, the top row is shifted relative to the bottom. In this case, the upper petals should overlap the cuts and attachment points of the lower stripes.

The shingles themselves are fixed like this:

Arrangement of the ridge

The ventilation scheme for the under-roof space can only work if the air passage at the roof ridge is ensured. For these purposes, special plastic aerators are used, which are attached to the elements of the rafter system using nails or self-tapping screws.

High-quality ventilation of the under-roof space can be ensured using special aerators

Ridge tiles are obtained from cornice tiles by cutting the latter along the perforations. Individual tiles are laid across the ridge, secured on each side with two nails. In this case, each subsequent sheet is overlapped with the previous one by at least 5 cm, and a layer of bitumen mastic is applied to the joint.

The top of the aerator must be covered with ridge tiles, otherwise the plastic elements will suffer from atmospheric influences and solar radiation

Protection of passages and junctions

If various utilities pass through the roof - antenna stands, ventilation pipes, etc. - special passage units are installed in these places. Their fastening to the solid base is carried out even before the installation of the soft roof begins, so that during the installation process the shingles are laid on top. After this, the soft tiles are glued to the penetration with bitumen mastic, after cutting the shingles in place.

In places where slopes adjoin walls, chimneys and brick ventilation ducts upper layer the roofing pie is placed on a vertical surface. To avoid damage to the roofing at the bend, a plinth (triangular) strip is attached at the junction of the wall and roof. The lining and edges of the tile sheets are coated with bitumen mastic and carefully glued to the mating surfaces. All that remains is to protect the edge of the shingles from moisture flowing down the wall. To do this, a valley carpet is mounted on top of the roofing, onto which an abutment strip is nailed in the upper part.

The most common mistakes when installing flexible roofing

Violations in the installation technology of bitumen shingles lead to leaks and reduce the reliability and durability of the soft roof. The most common installation errors include:

1. Laying flexible tiles on roofs whose slopes do not fit within the permissible limits.
2. Installation of a soft roof without underlayment or the use of partial moisture insulation on sloping slopes.
3. Insufficient length of nails for shingles when using plank flooring.
4. Fastening soft roofing tiles with construction staples.
5. Insufficient ventilation of the roofing pie or lack of diffusion vapor barrier.
6. Installation of solid base slabs without deformation gaps.
7. Insufficient thickness of base slabs.
8. Lack of sheathing batten support under plywood or OSB joint lines.
9. Arrangement of junctions and passages through the roof in violation of tightness requirements.
10. The fastener is too close to the edge of the shingles.
11. Performing installation in violation of temperature conditions.

Unfortunately, the list of mistakes made by novice roofers could take a very long time. Meanwhile, all the installation nuances are provided by the manufacturer and are provided in the technological map, which can be found on the official website or in the instructions for the soft roof.

Video: mistakes when packing flexible tiles and how to correct them

Being one of the most technologically advanced and durable roofing materials, flexible tiles do not tolerate carelessness and haste during work. Expect long service life tiled roof without leaks and damage is possible only if all technology requirements are met. During operation, it will be necessary to monitor the condition of the ventilation holes, promptly repair damage, periodically clean the roof of moss and treat it with antiseptic solutions. Not such a difficult task, right?

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Soft roofing is an excellent replacement for traditional roofing materials. Its advantages include low weight, flexibility, low cost, and ease of installation.

Traditional roofing materials such as asbestos-cement slate, tiles and galvanized steel require several people to install. The construction of a roof from these materials took a lot of time.

A soft roof does not have these disadvantages. On the construction market it is presented not only as a piece material, but also as a roll material. Further in the article we will talk about how to install a soft roof with your own hands.

Soft roofing is also sometimes called asphalt shingles because its base is bitumen. However, there is no need to be dismissive of this material. It has practically nothing in common with roofing felt. Soft roofing is a durable roofing material that has a long service life. It is much stronger than traditional roll roofing materials.

Bitumen roofing is made using latest technologies. Therefore it has many advantages. This material is resistant not only to high temperatures, but also to low ones.

Soft tiles "Shinglas" are produced by the TechnoNIKOL company. The service life of such tiles is 10 – 55 years. A roof made of modern soft tiles does not tear and does not lose its properties due to temperature changes. During manufacturing, various modifiers are added to the material, which increase its bending strength.

Also, soft tiles have the following features:

• During the shingle manufacturing process, bitumen is melted using oxygen. Thanks to this, the melting temperature reached one hundred and ten degrees Celsius.
• Flexible tiles are reinforced with fiberglass. Due to this, the material becomes more durable.
• The top layer of the material includes stone topping. It performs a decorative and protective function.

Obviously, flexible tiles are a strong and durable material. Laying and using such tiles is not at all difficult. However, in order to correctly install a soft roof, it is necessary to carefully disassemble the main stages of the work.

Sizes of bituminous shingles

Soft tiles are a piece of roofing material. Its length is 100 centimeters and its width is 33 centimeters. The canvas is small in size, so installation of this material can be done by one person.

Externally, flexible tiles look like classic ones. Each sheet of material is divided into four parts. Each part is shaped like a geometric figure.

This material must be laid on a previously prepared base. For this purpose, a continuous sheathing is made. As a rule, sheets of plywood are used as the material for sheathing.

Also, a “carpet” is placed under the bitumen shingles, which minimizes the negative impact on the roofing material and provides additional waterproofing.

Preparation of tools and materials

As mentioned above, the installation of a soft roof can be done alone. Before installation it is necessary to prepare following materials and tools:

• Assembly knife;
• Mastic;
• Hammer;
• Sealant;
• End and cornice strips;
• Master OK;
• Roofing mop;

If laying the roofing is carried out in cold weather, a gas burner will also be required.

Insulation of soft roofs

The thermal insulation layer is attached to the street side. It should be noted that the first sheets must be laid between the rafters. However, before this it is necessary to make a rough sheathing with inside roofs.

The optimal thickness of the thermal insulation material is 20 centimeters. Next, the counter beam and another layer of heat insulation are installed.

The waterproofing layer is overlapped parallel to the roof eaves. The overlap should be fifteen centimeters. Also, approximately 15 centimeters of waterproofing should extend beyond the thermal insulation contour. To fix the membrane, use construction stapler. Waterproofing joints are glued using self-adhesive tape.

Preparing the base

The base for the roofing material must be extremely strong. It shouldn't sag. The base can be made from the following materials:

• OSB boards;
• Plywood;
• Tongue and groove boards, the width of which is 10 centimeters.

If the base is made in winter, then gaps of 3 millimeters must be left between the seams of the material. If the base is made of boards, then the gap should be 5 millimeters.

Arranging a ventilation gap

Ventilation is very important for the roof of a building. Due to this, it is possible to avoid high humidity and reduce the amount of ice accumulating on the roof during the winter months. Ventilation also lowers the temperature inside the roofing pie during the summer months.

High-quality ventilation includes the following elements:

• valves providing fresh air;
• Ventilation outlet;
• Air gap. It should be located between the waterproofing and the base of the roof. The gap should be 50 millimeters wide.

The ventilation area directly depends on the angle of the roof slope. If the roof slope is more than 25 degrees, the hole area should be 8 square centimeters. If the slope of the roofing does not exceed 25 degrees, then the area of ​​the hole should be 16 square centimeters.

The importance of the spacer layer

The lining is a special bitumen material. It is installed around the perimeter of the entire roof.

Laying should be done from bottom to top. You need to start from the roofing eaves. During installation of the material, an overlap of 10 centimeters is made. Ordinary nails are used as fasteners. They should be driven in every 20 centimeters.

If the roof slope angle does not exceed 18 degrees, then the lining material should be attached only to the overhangs of the eaves, the ridge, the junction with the wall and near the chimney pipe.

If the roof slope does not exceed 12 degrees, then it is not advisable to lay a soft roof.

Fastening the planks

Eaves strips (droppers) are attached to the roof overhangs. They protect the material from precipitation. They can be installed directly on the cushioning material. The planks are attached with an overlap of two centimeters. Roofing nails should be used as fasteners. They are hammered in in a zigzag pattern along the entire cornice strip.

Pediment strips are mounted on the ends of the roof. They should also be attached with an overlap of 2 centimeters. The nails are driven in at intervals of 10 centimeters.

After installing all the planks, the valley carpet is laid. This element significantly improves water resistance. It is important to note that the color of the valley carpet must match the color of the roofing. The carpet should be fixed at the edges with nails in ten centimeter increments. Then you can lay the soft roof. Let's consider the technology of installing bitumen shingles step by step.

Laying eaves soft tiles

Eaves tiles should be laid on strips previously installed on the roof overhangs. The roofing material is fixed using galvanized nails. They should be driven into the bottom and top edges of the material. In this case, the distance from the edges should be 25 millimeters.

To save money, you can install ordinary tiles instead of cornice tiles. However, in this case you will have to cut out the tiles. To do this, you will need to trim the shingle tabs. In this situation, the material is laid end-to-end at a distance of 20 millimeters from the overhang.

Installation of ordinary flexible tiles

First of all, it should be noted that tiles may differ in color, even if they are from the same batch. Therefore, it is advisable to mix several packages of roofing material before installation.

Installation of flexible tiles begins from the center of the roof overhang. The canvases are laid on both sides.

The protective film must be removed from the tiles immediately before installation. The roofing material is fixed with nails (4 pieces for each shingle). If the roof slope is more than 45 degrees, then it is recommended to use 6 fasteners.

The edges of the first row of material should retreat 10-15 millimeters from the edges of the eaves overhang. The joints between the tile sheets are covered with petals.

Laying the second row of bitumen shingles is carried out in the same way. However, here the petals overlap the cutouts of the previous one.

Exactly the same procedure is performed in valleys. First, the bitumen shingles are cut so that a strip 15 centimeters wide is obtained, and then the edges are coated with glue by 7-8 centimeters.

It is better to cut roofing material on a piece of plywood. Otherwise, damage may occur to the layer below.

Laying ridge tiles

First of all, it is necessary to prepare the scaffolding. They simplify installation work with the roof ridge.

Installation of bituminous shingles is carried out with an overlap. To secure each shingle you need to use 4 nails. The overlap of the roofing material should be approximately 5 centimeters. It is important to note that the installation of ridge tiles is carried out only after laying the ordinary tiles.

To get ridge tiles, you need to cut the eaves at the perforation points. Then you need to bend each element and lay the short part along the roof ridge.

Arrangement of passages and junctions in the roof

There are several ways to make penetrations through the roof. Can be used rubber seals, if the hole diameter is small. This method is used for antennas and other communications. The passages for chimney pipes are made differently. Heat and expansion must be taken into account here.

First of all, a triangular strip is nailed along the perimeter of the junction of the roofing covering and the pipe. As a rule, a strip with a cross-section of 5x5 cm is used for this. Then you need to lubricate the overlaps of the cushioning material with glue and install it.

It should be noted that the connection of the roof to the vertical walls is done in exactly the same way. There is only one difference - the triangular strip is attached along the wall.

Video about installing flexible tiles:

Installation technology for soft roofing made from euroroofing felt

Euroroofing felt is a weldable rolled material. It, like bituminous shingles, belongs to the soft roof. Euro roofing felt differs from bitumen shingles in that it can be used as a roofing material for flat roofs.

Base for roofing material

Euroroofing felt should be laid on a solid and dry base. It must be cleaned of dirt and dust before laying the roofing. The base can be concrete slabs or monolithic floors. But for this they must have a drain and a cement-sand screed.

Roofing felt can also be fused onto OSB boards. The base prepared for laying the roof is treated with bitumen-polymer mastic. It is sold in a ready-to-use state or as a concentrate. If laying euroroofing felt will be done on an old roofing covering, then mastic is not required.

You can find out how long it takes for the mastic to dry completely on its packaging. Roofing material should not be laid ahead of time. Otherwise, the quality of the roof will suffer greatly.

Laying of roofing material should begin from the drainage line (bottom). This line is parallel to the slope line. For this reason, flowing precipitation will not fall on the joints of the strips of roofing material.

Laying euroroofing felt

The roll of roofing material must be unwound so that there are no folds on it. Then you need to tighten it properly. To fix one edge of the euroroofing felt, you need to heat it with a burner until the indicator film melts. Then the edge of the roofing material must be glued to the base. When the edge hardens, the unwound euroroofing material will roll up again to the fixed place.

At the next stage of installing a soft roof, the fusing itself is performed. To do everything correctly, you must follow the following rules for arranging a soft roof made of euroroofing felt:

1. It is strictly forbidden to overheat the roofing material. Otherwise you will need to purchase a new one. When overheated, roofing material stops sticking.
2. U finished surface The roof should not have voids, black spots or areas without special protective coating. The roof covering, made with high quality, is always uniform.
3. You should not forget about overlap when laying euroroofing felt. It must be at least 10 centimeters. As a guide, you can use a special strip applied along the entire length of the roofing material.

Particular attention should be paid to problem areas of the roof: parapets, ventilation ducts and other elements located on the roof of the building. These areas need to be applied roofing mastic, which after drying has the same protective properties, as roofing felt.

You should also treat the junctions that may get snow in during the winter months. For roofs with a large slope, snow guards should be installed. To prevent ice accumulation in winter, it is necessary to properly install drips and drainage systems.

The technology for installing a soft roof made of euroroofing material differs from the technology for laying bitumen shingles. However, in both cases, it is necessary to clear the roof of debris and foreign objects upon completion of installation work. Otherwise, the roofing material may deteriorate at points of contact with these objects.

Video on how to install a soft roll roof with your own hands:

Let's sum it up

You can do the installation of flexible tile roofing yourself. To perform installation work, you do not need to purchase expensive equipment. All you need is ordinary builder's tools. Even installing roof aerators does not pose any great difficulties. The main thing in this matter is to follow safety rules.

It is best to start laying flexible tiles in hot, sunny weather. Then the shingles will fuse and create a single surface. A soft roofing covering will last much longer if you install a lining material, as well as a hydro- and vapor barrier layer.

To ensure that the roof covering lasts as long as possible for a long time, laying soft tiles must be carried out in accordance with the installation rules developed for this material. Each manufacturer has their own installation instructions, but in general, the basic rules for installation are the same.

Installation conditions

The instructions for installing bitumen tiles regulate temperature regime working with the material. It is recommended to install at air temperatures above +5 °C. Shingles - the elements that make up a flexible tiled roof, are connected to the base surface not only with the help of metal fasteners, but also thanks to a special self-adhesive layer on the underside. High adhesion and tightness of the installed coating is ensured by heating from the sun's rays - the shingles are reliably soldered to the base and to each other.

If the installation of flexible tiles is carried out in cool weather, the adhesion of the sheets may not be strong enough. To heat the adhesive layer of shingles, you can use a hot-air burner (hair dryer). It is also practiced to lay the material on bitumen mastic. But difficulties may arise with the installation of the ridge covering, since the material needs to be bent. In cold weather, asphalt shingles become stiffer and more brittle, and in the process of hardening the shingles the desired shape Microcracks may appear in the material.

If roofing work has to be carried out in cool weather, packages of tiles should be kept in a warm, closed room for about a day.

If it is necessary to lay roofing sheets made of bitumen piece material in frosty weather, a small enclosed space is set up on the roof of the structure - a slatted frame covered with polyethylene film is installed. To create the required temperature inside a limited volume, heat guns are used.

Base for roofing

Under the base for installation of bitumen piece roofing This means a rafter system with a continuous sheathing. To ensure proper functioning of the roofing pie, a vapor barrier membrane is installed on the inside of the rafter legs. Insulation is laid on the outside and a diffusion membrane is attached, which removes moisture from the heat-insulating layer and does not let it inside. Counter battens are placed along the rafters on top of the membrane.

Laying soft tiles requires a flat, continuous base made of edged or tongue-and-groove boards or sheet materials - OSB boards, moisture resistant plywood. The moisture content of the lathing material should not exceed 20%.

The sheet material is laid with the long side parallel to the cornice. The boards must overlap at least two purlins and be attached to each rafter leg. The joining of sheathing elements is carried out on a support, while the joints of adjacent rows of sheathing should be located on different supports.

It's important to leave expansion joint between the sheathing elements - wood materials change their linear dimensions under the influence of temperature and moisture.

The roofing pie, which includes bitumen shingles, must be well ventilated. This will significantly reduce the formation of ice on the surface in winter, since the transfer of heat from the premises of the house to the roofing will be reduced. In summer, the ventilation gap, the height of which should be at least 5 cm, reduces the temperature inside the roofing pie, resulting in less overheating attic room. To ensure sufficient air circulation to remove moisture from inside the roof, special holes are left in the lower part of the roof (in the eaves lining), and an exhaust duct is installed in the ridge.

Lining layer

Installation of flexible tiles requires the use of special lining material. Piece bitumen coating is used on pitched roofs with a slope angle of at least 12°. If the slope of the slopes is 12-30°, a waterproofing lining is attached over the entire surface of the continuous sheathing. A slope angle of more than 30° requires the installation of waterproofing material in the valleys, along the eaves, above the chimney pipes and ventilation slopes, in the places where the roof meets the walls, and around the attic windows. This allows you to reliably protect places where there is a high probability of snow and ice accumulation.

The principle of installation of the lining layer depends on its characteristics. The composite material made of polymer film and bitumen filler is self-adhesive: it is carefully laid on the sheathing and rolled with a roller to ensure tight adhesion and remove possible bubbles. Waterproofing material made of polyester is laid using bitumen mastic and is additionally secured in the top and side parts in 20 cm increments with nails with wide flat heads, which are then treated with mastic. The lining layer is formed from strips of rolled material laid parallel to the cornice. The longitudinal overlap should be 100 mm, the transverse overlap should be 200 mm.

The technology for laying soft tiles provides for certain principles for installing the lining in areas of probable leaks. The width of the waterproofing layer is:

• for valleys - 500 mm from its axis in each direction;
• for the ridge - 250 mm;
• for end and cornice overhangs – 400 mm.

To ensure the tightness of the overlaps, they are coated with bitumen mastic.

Installation of planks

To protect the sheathing from rain moisture, gable and cornice strips are installed. Installation of cornice strips (drippers) is carried out on top of the lining layer. The instructions require installation of elements with an overlap of at least 200 mm. Fastening elements should be arranged in a zigzag (in a checkerboard pattern) in 10 cm increments. Pediment strips are designed for the ends of roof slopes. Fastening is also carried out using roofing nails installed in 10 cm increments.

The valley waterproofing carpet is laid after installing the planks on the slopes. The color of the carpet is selected taking into account the color of the bitumen shingles. The material is fixed with nails in 10 cm increments. If available vertical structures on the roof slopes, a waterproofing coating is also laid around them.

If the arrangement of the chimney passage through the roof is planned to be carried out after installation finishing coating, when planning the roof, you should note the place where it will be located.

How to properly prepare roofing system instructions for installing soft tiles can be found in the thematic video.

Installation of roofing material

First of all, the installation of cornice tiles is carried out - a special element of a soft piece roof. Not all manufacturers offer special shingles for eaves. In this case, you need to use a strip of material that is cut out from ordinary shingles - the petals are cut off from it. Stepping back 2 cm from the eaves overhang, the resulting elements are glued.

Before installation, markings must be applied to the roof. Chalk lines indicating the location of rows of material make it possible to lay shingles exactly parallel to the eaves. The vertical line marks the middle of the slope. To make the roof look aesthetically pleasing, the covering is installed from bitumen tiles taken randomly from several packs. This allows you to level out differences in shades of the material.

Laying of flexible tiles begins from the middle of the eaves overhang - the shingles are installed to the right and left of the first. The protective film from the roofing elements is removed immediately before installation. The shingles are pressed tightly to the base, and then additionally secured with roofing nails driven in above the groove: 4 pieces for each shingle.

If the roof slope angle exceeds 45°, it is recommended to use 6 nails for fastening shaped bitumen tiles.

The first row of shingles is positioned so that their lower edge is 10-15 mm higher than the lower edge of the eaves tiles. Laying is carried out with the expectation that the petals of the bitumen elements cover the joints of the eaves shingles. The ends of the petals of subsequent rows should be above the cutouts of the previous layer or at their level. In the places where the shingles join the gable strips, the material is cut off along the edge of the roof, the edges are glued using bitumen mastic, and they need to be coated by 10 cm.

To avoid damaging the bottom layer of tiles, when cutting off excess material, you should place a small board or piece of plywood under its edge.

Arrangement of the valley

Installation of tiles requires a special approach to creating a reliable and durable valley structure. Before laying ordinary tiles, a waterproofing lining is installed under the valley, to which the flexible tiles are fused using a hot air gun or fixed using bitumen-polymer mastic.

Work on arranging the valley should begin with a slope with a flatter angle of inclination or a slope with a shorter length.

On the slope opposite to the selected one, parallel to the valley axis, at a distance of 30 cm from it, a line should be drawn. The shingles reaching this line from the first slope (with an overlap of the valley axis) are cut along the line and secured with mastic or fused with a hot air gun. This method is used to install all shingles that come from a gentle (or short) slope. Then a line is drawn on this slope, parallel to the axis of the valley and spaced 10 cm from it. The shingles reaching the line from the opposite slope are cut exactly along the line, and their upper corners should be trimmed by approximately 60°.

Roofing nails can be used at a distance of at least 30 cm from the valley axis. Therefore, when arranging it, the material should be glued or fused.

Ridge covering

The ridge covering is laid after the installation of ordinary tiles is completed. Cornice elements can be used for these purposes. In other cases, the material is cut from ordinary shingles:

• if the shingle petals are rectangular in shape, they are cut off, and the remaining wide strip is mounted on the ridge;
• The shingles, which form a pattern of hexagons when laid, are cut into hexagonal fragments, from which the ridge covering is made.

To simplify and secure work on the roof ridge, scaffolding should be installed.

Straight strips are heated with a hot air gun, bent along the axis and laid on the ridge with an overlap of 50 mm. Each strip is fixed with 4 nails.

For domestic developers in recent decades, bitumen shingles have become the most attractive roofing material. With varying degrees of success, it competes only with metal ones; piece roofing coverings, including slate, are far behind.

The more knowledge you have about the material, the easier it is to understand certain requirements for installation technology. This will allow you to avoid many annoying mistakes during roof installation and significantly improve the quality and durability of the coating.

What are bituminous shingles made of?

Layer name	Technical and operational parameters
Base	All top layers are applied to the base; it is made of durable fiberglass. It is not afraid of moisture, it can stretch a little and still not lose its original mechanical strength. The plasticity of fiberglass allows you to compensate for minor changes in the linear dimensions of the roof. There is no need to be afraid of deflections of the rafter system or sheathing, or vibrations between slopes and chimneys. But this does not mean that the rafter system can be unstable; we only mean cases of critical loads during various natural disasters.
Bitumen	Natural natural bitumen in modern coatings not used due to very low performance indicators. Over time, it hardens, loses elasticity, and through cracks appear in it. Another problem with simple bitumen is that it reacts very negatively to ultraviolet radiation. For improvement physical indicators Scientists have developed special additives, the material has become much more resistant to various natural and climatic factors. It is not afraid of UV rays, does not harden at subzero temperatures, etc. But bitumen shingles still cannot be installed at subzero temperatures.
Powder	Slate or basalt is used as a powder; to increase the surface area of ​​individual particles, basalt rocks are crushed into granules and become rounded. Such forms adhere very tightly to the bitumen and crumble more slowly. The granulate performs two functions. The first is purely technical – protecting the modified bitumen from sunlight and mechanical damage. The second is improving the external design appearance.

In the building materials market there are a large number of domestic and foreign companies engaged in the production of flexible tiles. There are many types of coatings that differ not only in design, but also in structure: technical characteristics of the base, features of modified bitumen, shape of shingles, external protective and decorative coatings. Accordingly, the installation technology is slightly different, but for all types of bitumen shingles there are several general and mandatory rules.

Base

Soft roofs are installed only on continuous sheathing.

It can be made from OSB boards, plywood or thin edged boards. The last option is the most expensive and most problematic from a technology point of view, and is not recommended. As for plywood and OSB, they fully meet all the requirements, and the thickness is adjusted by the pitch of the sheathing.

Thanks to this approach, it is possible to influence the cost of the structure. For example, lay cheap thin slabs on cheap unedged boards, rather than expensive thick slabs on expensive slats. One more nuance must be kept in mind. Many builders require that only waterproof types of plywood or OSB be purchased for continuous sheathing under soft tiles., although such materials are much more expensive than conventional ones. Why shouldn't you listen to their advice? Firstly, the sheathing should only withstand the load on the roof, and not protect it from leaks. Secondly, leaks must be eliminated immediately; no slabs will eliminate them. The sooner the roof is repaired, the longer the building will be in use. The durability and tightness of the roof in no way depends on the moisture resistance of the continuous sheathing.

Climatic conditions for installation

Most manufacturers claim that their soft tiles can be installed at an air temperature of +5°C. Need to know what it is minimum temperature, at which the adhesion indicators of bitumen mastics are minimal acceptable level, but it does not guarantee the reliability of fixation. In addition, the daytime temperature of +5°C most likely indicates that at night it dropped below zero. In such conditions, frost appears on the surface of the plywood or OSB, and on a cool day the moisture does not have time to dry completely. Big problems will arise when sealing the junctions of chimneys, ventilation pipes and other utilities located on the roof. There is no need to risk the quality of the coating; work only in dry and warm weather.

Additional materials

The quality of soft tile shingles affects the appearance and reliability of the coating on flat areas of slopes. But leaks most often occur not on smooth slopes, but in junctions, valleys, etc. These places are sealed with special additional elements and materials; only high-quality products must be used. It is very important that all elements and main coatings are from the same manufacturer. IN difficult places It’s better to play it safe than to rely on luck and try to simplify the technology recommended by the manufacturer.

Tools

The main rule for all professionals is that the tools must be in good condition and complete. To install soft tiles you will need a drill, spatula, paint brush, metal scissors, measuring tools and beating rope. It is advisable to have a special belt, it is much more convenient to work with it, that's all. necessary tools always at hand. Experienced builders know how much work time can be saved if everything needed for installation is within reach and in its place. If the installation technology involves hot gluing, then you need to have a hair dryer for heating.

Coverage storage rules

Before installation begins, it is opened and shingles from different packs are mixed. The fact is that production technology does not allow making external coatings completely identical in shades; if they are not mixed evenly, large multi-colored spots will be noticeable on the roof, which significantly worsens the appearance of the building.

Underlay carpets are stored in a vertical position.

Preparing the sheathing

In our case, the continuous sheathing is made of OSB boards with a thickness of only 9 mm; to increase the load-bearing capacity, we had to reduce the sheathing pitch. If in the future it is planned to insulate the roof from the inside, then it is necessary to install wind protection and provide vents for natural ventilation. Prepare materials and tools, mix shingles from different packs.

Important. Never work on a roof without insurance. Especially if the sheathing is solid, there are no slats on it that can delay the fall. In the absence of special professional equipment, you can use ordinary ropes and belts. We must remember that all safety regulations are written in someone’s blood.

The slabs need to arrive randomly, this increases the stability of the rafter system. For fixation, you can use ordinary nails (quick, durable and cheap) or self-tapping screws (long, expensive, but fashionable).

It is not necessary to fix the slabs using hardware made of stainless alloys; they are not affected by precipitation. The length of the nails must be at least 2/3 greater than the thickness of the materials being fastened.

But this statement is very controversial. Firstly, a slab firmly nailed with a large number of nails will not be able to expand freely; to do this, it must tear out the hardware. Secondly, it is protected by a lining and flexible tiles, which almost completely eliminates direct contact with water. Thirdly, if any leakage occurs, it will be local in nature and cannot wet the entire slab. Conclusion - there is no need to maintain any special gaps. They are there - great, no - not a problem. If for technological reasons you need to press tightly in some areas of the slab, press it. If you need to move it a little to the sides, let there be gaps.

Inexperienced builders do not know how to relate in practice the relationship between slab thickness and sheathing pitch. It's easy to do. Place two slats on the rafter legs at a distance of approximately 50 cm, with an OSB board on top. Press it with your hand with maximum force; if the surface sags, then reduce the pitch of the sheathing; if not, then you can increase it. There is no need to make long and complex calculations; the parameters are determined in just a few minutes.

Laying valleys and underlay carpet

The laying of soft tiles begins with these operations. There is no big difference in the technology of installation of coatings from different manufacturers and price categories. If you fully understand one type of roofing, then you can work with others without any problems. All work should begin with checking the slopes. You need to find out their length and width, measure the diagonals. The optimal case is that the roof has an ideal rectangular shape. If there are problems, then they need to be corrected partly at the stage of manufacturing the sheathing, and partly during the actual coating. The ratio should be chosen so that after corrections the roof has a symmetrical appearance.

Object before laying flexible tiles and installing OSB-3 slabs

Step 1. Work begins with valleys (joints of two slopes). Lay an underlay carpet in them; it is sold as a set with a roof. The color of the front surface matches the color of the tiles.

The width of the carpet is at least one meter, there should be approximately 50 cm of protection on both sides. Carefully align the material, avoiding wrinkles. Cut off any excess pieces. After the fitting is completed, you should coat the edges with bitumen mastic and finally glue the carpet. The mastic must be of high quality, the width of the coated strip is at least ten centimeters. The thickness of the mastic layer is approximately 1 mm, cover the entire surface with the material without gaps, use a stainless steel spatula of the appropriate width.

The valley carpet is glued in parts after trying on and checking the position. Make sure that it does not move while pressing. You can press with your hands or with a hard rubber roller. To guarantee, nail it with wide-headed nails. But it is not necessary to do this; the valley carpet is covered on top with bedding and then with shingles of soft tiles. Drive the cloves in increments of 20–25 cm at a distance of three centimeters from the edge.

Step 2. Spread the lining carpet along the main slope from bottom to top. Pay attention to the white stripes, they should be at the top. Subsequently, the protective paper is removed from these strips and the next strip of coating is glued. The tape should be as even as possible; start fixing only after checking the position along the entire length.

Practical advice. If the roof slope is very large, then you can make intermediate fixations of the covering every 2.5–3.0 m, but the nails do not need to be driven in completely. They can be completely hammered in only after the roll has been rolled out to the edge of the slope and all folds have been removed.

Carefully cut off the excess along the edge of the slope. Secure the underlying carpet with nails, drive them in the usual order along the white strip, and later this place will be closed.

Step 3. When the first strip is fixed, you can begin laying the second. Carefully ensure that both white paper protective tapes are placed opposite each other, constantly checking the position of the material. Everything is fine - remove the protective paper from both strips and glue the covering. If the length of the roll is not enough, then the joining place must be overlapped by about 10 cm and be sure to coat it with bitumen mastic.

Using the same method, continue to cover the entire ramp sheathing. A gap must be placed on the ridge to ventilate the space above the insulation. Be sure to glue the underlay carpet to the valley; we have already mentioned that these places are the most dangerous; leaks most often appear here.

Fastening cornice and end metal strips

These are not only decorative elements, they perform an important technical task - they protect the sheathing from moisture and prevent the underlay from being undermined by sharp gusts of side wind.

Step 1. Reinstall the first eaves strip, making sure that it is in line with the bottom edge of the slope sheathing. Fix it with nails in a checkerboard pattern at a distance of approximately 20–25 cm. In these places it is advisable to use galvanized hardware, although ordinary ones will last for decades. Slide the next plank under the previous one so that it fits in place, cut the corner with metal scissors.

Step 2. Nail the end (wind) metal strips, the fixing method is the same as described above. The joining point is fixed with a separate nail. Make sure that there is no gap in the corner where the cornice and wind strip meet. Make a small release and carefully cut off the sharp corner with scissors.

Such work should be done along the entire perimeter of the roof. When all the strips are in place, you can begin installing the flexible tiles.

Practical advice. To make the work easier, it is recommended to make a simple rope ladder. The leg is inserted into the loops, and the hands hold onto the knots. Such a simple device not only increases the safety of work, but also makes it easier for the roofer to climb a steep slope.

Laying soft tiles

You need to start working by accurately marking the position of the first row; for this purpose, a line is marked on the lining. How exactly? Measure the width of the soft tile from the edge and add 10 mm to this value, this is how much the first row should retreat from the bend of the eaves strip. Such marks should be on both sides of the slope. Then, using a construction cord, you need to beat off the line. The markings made will speed up the work, and there will be no need to take measurements each time. In addition, with its help it will be possible to make the first row perfectly even, and this is what first of all catches the eye.

Step 1. Inspect carefully reverse side tiles, there are two films there. One says that it cannot be removed before installation, but the other says the opposite. Remove the wide tape; it will reveal a layer of adhesive bitumen.

Step 2. Lay the first shingle so that its top edge lies exactly along the cut line. Align the edges, they should be located at a distance of 10 mm from the wind and cornice strips. Press the adhesive layer firmly onto the metal. Next, continue working according to the same algorithm, the shingles of the eaves tiles should be even at the joints, no overlaps are made.

Step 3. Start gluing regular shingles. Before installation, you also need to remove the protective polyethylene film.

Important. Ordinary tiles are 10 mm narrower than the eaves. For proper installation, you need to align the upper ends of the materials along the same line; at the bottom there will be a difference in length of one centimeter.

Make sure that the ends are perfectly parallel to the metal strips. Press the shingles firmly with your hands. We have already mentioned that the warmer it is outside, the better the coating adheres, the more reliable the fixation.

Drive nails with wide heads at a distance of 1 cm under each adhesive strip. There is one peculiarity - at the top of the shingles, only one nail is driven in at the corners. In this way, secure the entire first row of shingles.

Step 4. After completing the installation of the first row of conventional shingles, you can begin the second. The technology requires that the second row be glued with a shift, due to this the joints of the first shingles are covered and sealed, and at the same time the heads of the driven nails are closed. Manufacturers have provided for such an offset; there is no need to measure anything. Step back the width of the adhesive strips and position the next shingle above them, taking into account the dimensions of the cutouts. Further, the installation technology is no different.

Due to the fact that the second row is laid offset, the outermost shingles will have to be cut. Place it in place and mark the cutting locations. It is better to cut soft tiles on small wooden stands; they are guaranteed to protect the litter from accidental damage. But experienced roofers do this on already installed shingles, turn the shingles back and carefully cut them off with a sharp knife. It is not recommended for beginners to do this; the risks of damaging the coating are too great.

Step 5. On each fixed row, in turn, bend the sheets of soft tiles and hammer a nail under them. Then coat the back of the petal with mastic and glue it to the bottom shingle. The petals have under protective film bitumen, but to guarantee adhesion strength, experienced builders recommend additionally lubricating the surfaces with mastic. This does not take much time and completely prevents the elements from being undermined by gusts of wind.

How to design a valley and ridge

Find the exact location of the valley, step back 2–3 cm and insert a thin wooden slats. It is needed to ensure that the coating is not damaged when cutting off areas protruding beyond the bend. flexible roofing. You need to cut them off with a sharp knife under a metal ruler (you can use building level), a lot of effort will be required, achieve the most even and neat cut possible. Move the wooden batten up the valley as needed and continue cutting off excess soft tiles. After this, you need to completely lay the tiles on the second adjacent slope and again make a cut along the bend. You will get an even and beautiful junction of two slopes.

A special additional element is mounted on the ridge. It should close the gap from rain and snow and at the same time provide effective ventilation of the under-roof space. We have already mentioned that this is necessary for warm roofs; if they are cold, then ventilation is not done. The panel is bent at the desired angle and placed on the ridge, secured with nails coated with anti-corrosion coating or made of stainless alloys. To protect against ultraviolet radiation and improve the design appearance, the surface of the plastic ridge element is covered with flexible tiles, which are nailed. Don’t forget to put special foam tapes in place; they prevent insects from entering the ventilated space.

Video - Installation of bitumen shingles

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