10 Easy Steps for DIY Roll Roofing Installation
Roll roofing is the perfect material for the novice roofer who wishes to finish a shed or porch roof with a slight slope or flat roof. Produced in large rolls that are cut and nailed into place, installation is incredibly simple and can be completed quickly.
Never install roll roofing unless it is at least 50 degrees to prevent cracking.
The heat will make the roll roofing easy to work with, so leave it on the roof for a few hours to warm up.
While you are waiting, install a drip edge all around the perimeter of the roof to prevent the water from working underneath the edge of the roofing. Normally made of plastic, a drip edge will further protect your roof and give it a finished edge.
10 Easy Steps for Do It Yourself Roll Roofing Installation
- Spend some time cleaning the roof before beginning.
- Like any other roofing project, you should start this one by addressing the valleys.
- Use a roll of 18" wide roofing and use it to cover the length of the valley. Attach it to the valley with roofing nails spaced 6 inches apart, about 3/4" from the edge.
- Next, place a roll of 36" roofing directly over the 18" roofing and secure it in the same manner.
- With the valleys covered, apply the rest of the roll roofing parallel with the roofing edge. Use a chalk line to make sure you are creating even rows, overlapping by about three inches.
- Nail into the side that is furthest from the edge of the roof, spacing nails every 3 inches apart.
- Apply the next piece of roll roofing so the overlap covers the nail heads, using roofing cement to secure the two pieces of roofing together.
- When you encounter a roof valley, trim the roll roofing so it ends 1/2" from the valley's center.
- Then use roofing cement to secure the edges of the roll.
- Then use a 12" roll of roofing applied with roofing cement to run over the valley seam and cover all of the edges.
Pro Tip
This (#3) may seem like overkill, but in my experience leaks tend to occur near valleys and on the edges of the roof. Spend some time taking care of these areas and you'll greatly diminish the chance you'll be up on the roof making repairs after the next rainstorm.
Best Uses for Roll Roofing
Roll roofing is a great material for small projects, but I don't recommend using roll roofing to put a roof on a home. Instead, you are better off choosing a more traditional material, such as asphalt shingles, which lends itself to an installation method that is better at withstanding leaks.
Related
My roof was made by a professional company, and it works great but I was thinking about making it on my own. To bad I was unable to find this forum at that time. The tips you gave to us here are awesome and good to be followed. Everybody should try this if they want to save some money.
I noticed that it said to apply the drip edge before the roll roofing. When we took the old roof off there was a sheetmetal egding material that was applied LAST (over the edge of the roofing) not first as was suggested. What good would it do to have it under the roofing material?
How much would someone normally charge to roll roof for 3,000 sq ft?I want to make sure I'm not being over charged.
Aboo, I think this job may be too complicated for you based on the questions you asked, but so as not do discourage you from gaining experience and the satisfaction of doing a job yourself, I have provided the answers below:
A valley is where water converges and runs down, where two roofs of different directions meet. When the building has a single straight roof, this does not occur so maybe thats why you needed to ask. Don't confuse it with the ridge at the top (also a place where two roof edges meet but the water sheds off in opposite directions)
You must start from the bottom to gain the overlap effect.
The area of coverage for cement sorta depends on how much it will cost you. At a minimum you need to seal the bottom edges to stop wind blowing water back up under the lap. A decent 6 inch strip should hold. Then, because you started at the bottom, the nails in the top of your first roofing will be sealed by cement and so will the top edge (4 inch overlap and 2 inch above the roll) when the next roll is sealed over it
I saw an installation or asphalt roll roofing applied to a school but instead of running the rolls horizontally, they ran them vertically. Has anyone else seen this type of application and if so, was there anything special about the process to install it?
Could you better define what a "valley" is? You talk about them an awful lot but, what are they exactly? Do you start from the roof edge and work your way up, or from the top down? Do you cover the entire area to be roofed with the cement that they "strongly recommend" at the hardware store, or only where the sheets over-lap?
Where can I order the insulation for electrical outlets?