Flexible (or bitumen) tiles are the undoubted leader among commonly used materials for roofing. It is used in the field of low-rise construction and is perfect for decorating the roofs of residential buildings and various other buildings. Bituminous shingles, the installation technology of which is quite simple, has a lot of advantages due to its performance characteristics. Let's consider how the process of decorating a roof with this material occurs, whether it is complicated or whether the work can be done with your own hands without the involvement of specialists.
Bitumen shingles are a fairly soft roofing material, but at the same time strong and durable. It is made on the basis of fiberglass, which is covered on both sides with a layer created on the basis of bitumen. Its outer side - the front - usually has a special topping made from mineral chips. Its function is to provide protection from external influences such as precipitation and wind. In addition, due to this coating, bitumen shingles acquire a rather beautiful appearance.
The bottom layer of material is covered with a sticky layer, which allows you to easily stick to the prepared base. It helps the tiles withstand the onslaught of bad weather, and also increases their airtightness.
Note! Bituminous shingles first entered the building materials market at the beginning of the twentieth century. It appeared in America thanks to Henry Reynolds, a specialist at the Grand Rapids company. By the mid-twentieth century, about half of all low-rise buildings in the United States were covered with this roofing material.
Service life bitumen shingles, if it was laid correctly and operated in compliance with all standards, is at least 30 years. It can be used on any roofs, including those with complex geometric shapes. The material does not place additional load on the rafters or foundation, is quite durable, and is not inferior in quality to the metal tiles that many are accustomed to. In addition, its installation is simple, and large selection color/shape allows you to match it to any style of home.
What is important to consider?
So, the installation of this material is quite simple and understandable even for novice craftsmen. However, in any case, it presupposes compliance with certain norms and rules, so before starting installation work It's important to get to know each other. So, what is important to remember when laying bitumen shingles:
- the base for such a roof covering must be smooth, carefully leveled, sufficiently rigid and continuous;
- the roof must have excellent ventilation;
- when installing it is important to observe temperature regime, and therefore it is recommended to lay such a coating in the summer. The outside temperature should not be less than +5 degrees;
Note! Installation of this type of tile can be carried out at a lower temperature, but in this case the material must be supplied to the roof from a warm room and should not be stored until work begins outside. In cold weather, the adhesive layer must be warmed up with a hairdryer before installation.
- The timing of the work directly depends on the size of the roof, the experience of the craftsman and the type of material. On average, installation of bitumen shingles takes about 2-40 days. In the first case, the time indicator is optimal for a simple roof with two slopes. The more complex the roof, the longer it will take to tinker with laying the covering;
- The angle of the roof slope where bitumen shingles are mounted can vary from 10 to 90 degrees.
GOST 32806-2014. Bituminous tiles. General technical specifications. Downloadable file (click the link to open the PDF in a new window).
The right foundation is the key to success
As mentioned above, bitumen shingles are very demanding on the quality of the base on which they are laid. It must be continuous and carefully leveled. The materials for its creation can be different - plywood, wood, OSB boards etc. It is important to remember that when laying slabs or sheets of material, a small gap is always left between them. It will provide the possibility of compensatory expansion when the material increases in size under the influence of humidity or temperature. Otherwise (if there are no gaps) the roof will go in waves. The sheets are fastened to the sheathing using self-tapping screws or nails - the main thing is that their heads are recessed into the material.
Attention! The larger the step between the individual boards of the sheathing on which the sheets are laid, the thicker the material should be.
Table. Dependence of material thickness on lathing pitch.
| Step between individual sheathing elements, mm | Boards, thickness in mm | Plywood, thickness in mm | OSB board, thickness in mm |
|---|---|---|---|
| 600 | 20 | 12 | 12 |
| 900 | 23 | 18 | 18 |
| 1200 | 30 | 21 | 21 |
| 1500 | 37 | 27 | 27 |
Ventilation arrangement is also of great importance. These should be vents, openings for the possibility of entry into them fresh air, holes for air to escape from under the roof.
Preparation for installation
To work on laying soft tiles you will need the following tools:
- metal scissors;
- hammer;
- screwdriver;
- small spatula;
- construction hairdryer
Among the materials, the bitumen shingles themselves are useful, as well as mastic for creating hermetically sealed joints, self-tapping screws, roofing fasteners, lining carpet or roofing felt, material for steam, hydro and thermal insulation, and double-sided adhesive tape.
The installation process of flexible tiles
The technology for installing this type of tile is known to many craftsmen, as it has long come into use and is used quite often. Installation involves several stages of work - laying the underlay carpet, installing the eaves strip, laying the bitumen shingles themselves, and decorating the roof ridge and pipes.
Installation of eaves overhang
Step 1. The strip is applied to the edge of the blood, while a small protrusion of 10 cm extends beyond the roof boundary. This is necessary for the correct joining of the part with the gable strip. These elements are required to ensure protection of the roof from external factors.
Step 2. The eaves strip is fixed in its place with roofing nails at intervals of 15 cm, which are driven into checkerboard pattern. The individual elements of the plank must be connected with an overlap, which should be at least 10-15 cm.
The bar fastening step is 15 cm
Step 4. The lower and upper edges of the plank are bent along the pediment using a hammer. It is better to use a rubber hammer. The curved edges are additionally fixed with a roofing nail.
Installation of the lining layer
The underlay carpet will not only provide good surface for styling flexible tiles, but also additional waterproofing of the roof.
Step 1. The self-adhesive underlay carpet is laid parallel to the eaves of the roof with the plant on it, while about 2-3 cm should remain to the edge of the eaves. The strips are glued parallel to the eaves so that subsequent sections of material overlap the previously laid ones. The overlap is at least 10 cm. The strips of material are glued from bottom to top onto the surface of the base - this way you can achieve better protection roofs from leaks. The roll is carefully rolled out, and the protective film from underneath is gradually removed.
Step 2. In the area where the chimney pipe is located, the lining carpet is cut in accordance with its shape and glued onto it with a slight adjustment.
Attention! Underlayment carpet is required for installation in the roof valley and on the eaves. If the angle of the roof slope is 18 degrees or more, then the remaining surface of the base does not need to be covered. If the slope angle is 12-18 degrees, then the entire base will have to be covered, otherwise the roof will leak.
Step 3. Above the location of the self-adhesive carpet, a carpet with mechanical fixation can be used. It is rolled out over the roof surface so that its individual strips overlap by 15 cm; the same overlap is observed when laying the edge of the material on a previously laid self-adhesive carpet.
Carpet end overlap - 15 cm
Step 4. The overlap of a carpet with mechanical fixation onto a self-adhesive carpet is carried out by gluing a thermoactive strip. It will ensure reliable sealing of the joints.
Step 5. The underlayment is secured using nails and a hammer. It is desirable that the fasteners have a wide head. Step – 20 cm.
Step 6. All overlaps between sections of the lining carpet are coated with a thin layer of bitumen mastic to improve the sealing of the joints. It is most convenient to apply mastic using a metal spatula. The thickness of the composition layer should not exceed 1 mm.
Step 7 After laying the underlay carpets, the roof gable is covered with a gable strip.
Step 8 The edge of the plank is trimmed to the shape of the roof.
Step 9 The pediment strip is fixed with nails hammered in “checkerboard” in increments of 15 cm.
Step 10 In the valley area, an underlay carpet is also laid so that from the axial part of the valley it extends 50 cm to each side of the roof. At the bottom of the axis, a tongue of a certain shape is made on the carpet, which will allow rainwater to be drained evenly and correctly.
Next begins one of the most critical stages of roof covering - installation of the tiles themselves. Before starting work, it is recommended to apply markings that will allow you to lay the material neatly and evenly. This is especially important if the roof geometry has an unusual shape.
Step 1. The first row of tiles is mounted at a distance of 15 mm from the bend of the eaves strip. Before laying, the corner of the first sheet of tile is trimmed - this is necessary to drain rainwater.
Step 2. From the wrong side, a thin layer of mastic is applied along the edge to the tiles that will be located in the first row. The composition is also applied to the part that will lie on the gable strip.
Step 3. Missed bitumen mastic The tile is glued to the place chosen for it. In this case, it is important to leave 1.5 cm free to the edges of the gable and cornice strips. This is necessary for proper and efficient water drainage.
Step 4. The tiles are nailed with special roofing nails, which are equipped wide hat. The first nail is driven in at a distance of 2 cm from the edge of the material.
Step 5. Each shingle is secured with 5 nails, 2 of which are driven at the edges, the rest are evenly distributed in the middle of the shingle.
Step 6. In places adjacent to the gable part of the roof, each tile in subsequent rows is coated with bitumen mastic.
Step 7 The second row of tiles must be laid with the shingles offset relative to the first. The displacement can be 15-85 cm. The second row of tiles is laid with an overlap on the first, previously laid.
Step 8 A special valley carpet is laid in the valley area. The material is rolled out so as to cover the entire valley. WITH reverse side the edges of the material are coated with mastic at a distance of 10 cm from the edge.
Step 9 Additional fixation of the carpet is done using nails. They are hammered around the perimeter in increments of 20-25 cm.
Step 10 In the valley area, by analogy with conventional slopes, bitumen shingles are also installed.
Step 11 Along the axis of the valley, the tiles are cut at a distance of about 10 cm using a sharp knife.
Step 12 At the edges, the tiles along the axis of the valley are also trimmed (corners are trimmed) to drain rainwater. Also, each shingle is coated with mastic.
Step 13 The other part of the valley is designed in the same way. Thanks to this design, a gutter 10-15 cm wide is formed, through which water from the roof will easily flow into the drain.
Step 14 The edge of the roof (that is, its outer break) is formed using ridge-eaves tiles. Several shingles are broken into individual elements.
Step 15 The resulting elements have a self-adhesive strip on the reverse side. They are laid sticky side down on the edge of the roof, overlapping each other. The overlap is 3-5 cm. Also, the petals are additionally fixed with nails on each side of the slope - 2 nails per slope. The roof ridge is designed in the same way.
Video - Installation of flexible tiles
Installing roll tiles
Rolled tiles are in demand due to their simplicity and ease of installation, as well as high speed of work. It is also mounted on a perfectly flat solid base.
Step 1. The installation of cornice and pediment strips is carried out by analogy with the previous instructions.
Step 2. To improve adhesion, the surface is treated with a primer.
Step 3. It is recommended to install roll tiles vertically relative to the ridge or eaves of the roof. First of all, the roll is rolled out and a piece of the required length is cut from it, equal to the length of the roof slope. It is most convenient to cut using a long metal ruler or rule.
Step 4. The resulting segment is tried on in place.
Step 5. To make installation easier, the protective film is peeled off from the upper part of the backside and the rolled tiles are glued to the base in this place.
Step 6. The eaves and gable strips in places where roll tiles will be laid on them are coated with mastic.
Step 7 The protective film is pulled out from under the tiles, at which point the tiles are pressed against the base.
Step 8 The material is additionally fixed to the base with roofing nails.
Step 9 Roll tiles are installed in the same way in the roof valley.
Step 10 Excess material around the edges is trimmed in accordance with the shape of the roof.
Step 11 When cutting off excess material, a small shaped cut is left in the lower part of the valley, which will ensure uniform and effective removal of water from the roof.
Step 12 The material is pierced along the perimeter with nails. This will further secure it in the valley. Step – 15-20 cm.
Step 13 A trench is formed from the material. To do this, another piece of rolled tile is laid overlapping the previously laid section in the valley.
Step 14 It is fixed in the upper part with nails.
Step 15 The next segment is tried on in place. At this point, it is important to ensure that the pattern on individual pieces of material matches.
Step 16 The protective tape is peeled off from the edge of the rolled tiles, and the material along the edge is pierced with nails. The last nail is driven no closer than 30 cm from the valley axis.
Step 17 The next piece of material is laid overlapping the previously laid one. The protective film from this part is carefully removed.
Step 18 After completing the valley, the excess roll tiles are cut off. A board is placed under the layer of material to protect the bottom layer from cuts. The distance from the undercut to the valley axis should not exceed 7.5 cm.
Step 19 The overlap must be coated with mastic to increase the tightness.
Pattern for a chimney
Step 22 Complex junction units are additionally coated with mastic.
Step 23 On ribs and skates simple patterns are fixed mechanically, that is, using nails.
Step 24 The next tile elements overlap the nails of the previously laid pieces.
This is how you can quickly and beautifully decorate the roof of any small building. Bituminous shingles will provide good waterproofing of the roof and give it an original look.
Video - Installation of flexible roll roofing (tiles)
Roofing work, when the technology of laying soft tiles is used, requires the sequential performance of several tasks.
The materials used for work, including bitumen shingles, must comply with current standards and regulations.
Before performing roof installation work, it is necessary to prepare the surface on which the roofing material will then be attached. This can be either a solid surface or made in the form of a lath. A variety of materials can be used for such purposes. Wood is most often used.
To create a continuous flooring on which flexible tiles will be mounted, you can use moisture-resistant plywood, moisture-resistant particle board, tongue-and-groove or edged boards. When creating such a surface, it is necessary to leave a gap of three millimeters between the individual elements to compensate for the thermal expansion of the parts when the temperature changes. The edges of the plywood must be secured with self-tapping screws or rough nails.
In order to ensure long service life of wooden structural elements, they must be treated with antipyrines and antiseptics.
Both wind load and static load from fallen snow have a serious impact on roof elements, including soft tiles. When designing a roof, it is necessary to take into account its height, which should be determined depending on the strength and direction of the prevailing winds and the amount of snow falling. Based on this data, you need to use rafters of the required thickness and with the correct spacing. This and also right choice The thickness of the material forming the surface for laying the roof will allow the roof to withstand the resulting loads. You can be guided by the data given in the table below.
Great value for long-term operation roofs, including when the technology of laying soft tiles is used, has a temperature regime. This is especially important when there is a residential attic under the roof. Ventilation and ventilation of the roof serve such purposes. This avoids the appearance of excess moisture and the formation of mold on the roof elements. Natural ventilation is formed thanks to thoughtfully built-in elements:
- hole for air intake;
- channels or vents for its circulation;
- exhaust holes.
Often, the house design provides for covering the eaves overhangs with siding. In this case, it is necessary to additionally install ventilation grilles or so-called soffit strips. They ensure the flow of air into the vents. If the cladding is done with clapboard, then ventilation can be provided in accordance with the figure below.
The size of the air circulation channels is determined by the slope of the roof slopes. At an angle of inclination of more than 20 degrees, the vents must have a height of at least five centimeters. At an angle of inclination less than 20 degrees, this height should be eight centimeters.
Exhaust elements can be made in the upper part of the roof as follows:
- grilles on the exhaust openings on the side parts of the roof;
- ridge aerator;
- hood with access to the roof.
Installation of the lining layer
This is carried out to eliminate possible roof leaks.
According to current standards, if the roof slope is more than eighteen degrees (1:3), additional roll waterproofing material is located along the end and eaves edges of the roof, which are considered the places where moisture is most likely to penetrate, to a width of at least 40.0 cm from the edge. It would be best to bring this material to the surface of the facade. The roof ridge is also additionally covered with insulation of at least 25.0 cm on each side.
If the roof slope is from twelve to eighteen degrees, an additional layer of soft tiles is laid over the entire surface of the roof slope. This operation is performed from bottom to top, overlapping between layers. The rolled material is fastened with special galvanized nails with an enlarged head every 20.0 cm. The joints are additionally treated with bitumen mastic.
Before carrying out work on installing the base, if this is provided for in the project, it is necessary to attach hooks to the overhangs of the rafters for installing a suspended drainage system.
Laying end, cornice, parts and valleys
The roof overhangs must be reinforced with metal end and eaves strips on top of the lining layer. The planks are laid with an overlap; for their fastening, roofing nails are used in increments of no more than 12 cm. Flexible self-adhesive tiles are laid end-to-end along the eaves on top of the metal plank.
Installation of tiles begins with the removal of the protective film, each tile is fastened with nails to the base. A special valley carpet is laid in the valleys. All rolled materials are additionally secured to the base with nails at the edges and treated with bitumen mastic.
Laying flexible tiles
If provided dormer window, then when installing flexible tiles, it is necessary to mark the slope to ensure correct joining of the shingles after the window.
To ensure that the color of the roof is uniform during installation, tiles from several packages are used simultaneously. Bituminous shingles are laid in rows, from the edge of the roof up to the ridge. Work begins from the bottom of the slope from the center of the cornice in the direction of the gables.
The initial row is installed so as to ensure a distance between the lower edge of the tile petals and the beginning of the ridge/eaves tiles of 2.0-3.0 cm. The outermost tile, from which the installation of the second row begins, is cut so that the roof pattern is formed and the mechanical fasteners of the previous one are overlapped row. The tiles are cut along the edge of the gable cornice and treated with bitumen glue to a width of ten centimeters.
Fastening tiles
Laying of flexible tiles begins by removing the protective film from the shingles, then each tile is attached to the base using nails, usually 4-5 pieces. The next layer breaks through the previous one too.
Subsequently, under the influence of solar heat, the tiles will stick together and stick to the sheathing.
Making connections
Where the roof slope meets the wall, a triangular-shaped lath is nailed and soft tiles are placed on it. A strip of valley carpet is placed on top and glued with bitumen mastic. The approach of the strip onto the wall should be at least 30.0 cm, and in areas with heavy snowfall the approach should be increased. The junction is covered with a metal apron on top and treated with bitumen mastic.
Sealing of outlets chimneys performed in a similar way, see the figure below.
When the cross-section of a brick pipe is more than 0.5x0.5 m and its location is across the slope, it is advisable to install a groove to avoid the accumulation of snow behind the pipe.
To pass antennas, communication pipes through the roof and seal roof passages, special passage elements for bitumen shingles are used, which are secured with nails.
The rows of soft tiles laid on the so-called penetration are cut and then glued to the flange with bitumen mastic. Then the required roof outlet is mounted on the passage element.
Ridge tiles are used for this. It is divided into three parts according to the perforation on it, laid with an overlap of five cm. The ridge tile is located with the short side along the line of the slope.
The installation of soft tiles is carried out in warm, dry times.
You can install bitumen shingles yourself. This material allows you to create a reliable and aesthetic roofing covering for pitched roof. Recently, soft tiles have attracted the attention of private developers, due to which they are increasingly gaining popularity.
Sheathing device
Bituminous shingles are laid on a hard, flat surface of a continuous sheathing. Moisture-resistant plywood or OSB boards are usually used as the base material. Also, continuous sheathing can be made of tongue-and-groove or edged boards. The sheet material is laid with the long side parallel to the ridge. Sheets or boards are joined on the rafters “staggered” - the joints of the sheathing elements of adjacent rows should not be located on one rafter board.
If the pitch of the rafters requires trimming sheet material during installation, it is easier to pre-stuff the rafters with lathing made of calibrated thickness unedged boards(with the bark removed), and attach the elements of continuous flooring to it.
It is recommended to lay an underlayment carpet made of priming roofing felt on the prepared base. It levels and additionally waterproofs the surface. In addition, this coating will ensure high adhesion of bitumen shingles. Slopes with a slope angle of up to 30° are completely covered with roofing felt in one or two layers (vertical overlap 150 mm, horizontal overlap 80 mm, laying parallel to the cornice). On steeper roofs, the lining layer must be installed in the area of the ridge, valleys, and places where the roof abuts vertical structures. The primer roofing felt is nailed, and in the valleys it is additionally glued.
Basic installation rules
When calculating the amount of material, some nuances should be taken into account. Bituminous shingles are designed to create roofing coverings on roofs with a slope angle of 15 – 85°. The packaging shows the design surface for a slope with a slope of 45°. When the angle of inclination changes, the material consumption changes - for a roofing carpet on a flatter roof, more material will be needed, for a steep roof - less. Hexagonal shingles can be used on roofs with a pitch of at least 20°.
Laying bitumen shingles is carried out according to certain rules. To achieve a high-quality result, the temperature regime of work and storage conditions of the material must be observed:
- roofing installation work should be carried out at air temperatures exceeding +5 °C;
- bituminous shingles must be stored indoors in packaged form, stacked on pallets no more than 16 rows high;
- priming roofing felt should be stored in rolls in a vertical position;
- if work is expected to be carried out at relatively low temperatures, underlayment and tiles must be removed warm room one day before installation.
During installation, soft tiles are not treated with a torch, unlike bitumen fused roofing. The protective cover is removed from the bottom surface of the element prepared for installation. polymer film, and the part is placed on the prepared plane. The adhesive surface of the shingles adheres tightly to the base under the influence of sun rays(in hot weather) or a heat gun (in cool weather). If asphalt shingles are installed in cold or very windy weather, special asphalt adhesive should be used.
Elements of bituminous shingles from different packages may differ slightly in shade and color intensity. To make the finished roof look aesthetically pleasing, it is advisable to use a separate package of material for the slope. If the large area of the slope does not allow this, the coating is assembled from elements that are taken in turn from several packages - this allows for an even distribution of shades.
In hot weather, the adhesive layer of asphalt shingles softens, and the coating may deform under load. For this reason, such a roof can only be moved in hot weather using ladders or roofing “cats”.
Fastening Features
Asphalt shingle roofing requires mechanical fastening of each element. For this purpose they can be used:
- screw nails;
- rough nails;
- staples (for mounting tiles on sheathing without priming roofing felt).
The length of the roofing nail must be at least 26 mm, and the diameter of the flat head must be 8 mm. Fastening elements made of metal with high-quality anti-corrosion treatment are used. Each shingle is attached to 4 nails, which are driven at a distance of 2.5 cm from the sides of the tile and 14.5 from its bottom line.
The head of the driven nail should be flush with the surface. Protruding fasteners can damage roofing element, stacked above. A deeply recessed nail creates a depression in which moisture can accumulate, which over time will lead to the destruction of the fastener.
Bituminous adhesive is used for additional strengthening of tiles at junctions with windows and walls, at ridges and in valleys, as well as for laying coverings in cold weather. The glue is applied from the cans with a steel spatula and squeezed out of the cans using a special gun. Since bitumen adhesive hardens at temperatures below +10 ° C, when installing the roofing in cold weather, it must be preheated. The glued shingles should be pressed firmly to the base.
Installing shingles
The first step is to secure the metal eaves and windshield strips to the underlayment using screws or flat head roofing nails. Fastening elements are installed along the entire length of the plank in a checkerboard pattern with a pitch of 100 mm. Metal strips are mounted with an overlap of 50 mm. Laying the underlay carpet under the valleys is done on top of the eaves strips.
Next, the shingles for the cornices are laid on top of the mounted cornice strip. The installation principle depends on the type of tile: some material manufacturers advise leaving a gap of 1 cm between the bottom line of the eaves shingles and the edge of the eaves, in other cases it is recommended to make an overhang (1-1.5 cm) roofing material above the cornice. If the manufacturer does not offer special eaves shingles, you need to cut a few regular ones and use the resulting adhesive strips to lay out the first line of bitumen shingles on the eaves, gluing them end to end.
Installation of bitumen shingles begins from the bottom of the eaves, from the middle line of the slope - the shingles are laid retreating to the left and right. The next row of roofing elements is placed in such a way that the gap between the lower edge of the eaves row and the lower edge of the second line is 1-2 cm. In this case, a visual straight line of the eaves will be ensured when looking at the roof from the ground. If the asphalt shingles have rectangular shape, each even row must begin with half a shingle so that the elements move diagonally.
If bitumen shingles are laid on the roof of a house built in an area with strong winds, the distance between rows of shingles should be reduced in order to improve the reliability of the coating. On such roofs, the visible portion of the tiles will be smaller.
Secrets of a beautiful roof
Careful installation of bituminous shingles with your own hands requires preliminary preparation knowledge of some subtleties of styling. In particular, when walking around structural elements of the roof, including a dormer window, the distance between the outer shingles on both sides of the element should be a multiple of 1 meter - this will allow all subsequent rows to be installed correctly.
Before starting to lay the material, it is recommended to draw the slope with chalk vertically and horizontally directly on the primer roofing, marking its midline, as well as the laying lines for every 4-5 rows of elements. If there are located on the slope structural elements(attic or dormer window, chimney or ventilation pipe), then vertical lines are marked from them. This makes it possible to perform installation as accurately and beautifully as possible.
Valleys and skates
Ridge shingles should be trimmed along the ridge line. Having completed ventilation gap at the ridge, the top edge of the roof is covered with eaves shingles. You can use cut regular shingles instead. To bend the shingles without causing microcracks, the material should be heated. Bitumen mastic will reliably waterproof the junction of the ridge covering to the roof.
Reliable waterproofing of the valley is carried out as follows: each shingle that falls on the gutter should, without cutting, be secured on the other side of the gutter with mechanical fasteners and glue. In this case, only the top row of shingles are cut, and the valley gutter is reliably protected and will not leak during long-term operation of the roof.
Installation work is carried out in stages, in several steps, each of which is fundamentally important for the quality of the entire roofing system.
Preparatory work
No matter how reliable the soft roof covering is, the roof can “move” or leak if the fastening is done without competent preparation. That's why preliminary work before laying the roof are very important and should be carried out by professionals in several stages.
Creating a rafter system
The rafters bear the main load from flexible tiles, so you need to make the correct calculation taking into account the weight of the roofing pie, wind and snow exposure.
Advice. Securely fasten the rafter legs, process wooden elements special protective equipment to improve the reliability of the design.
Vapor barrier device
After installing the rafters, it is necessary to lay a vapor barrier film that will protect the roofing pie and insulation from condensation. The film is laid overlapping, and the resulting seams are taped.
Insulation
In order for the thermal insulation to hold securely, a block must be nailed between the rafter legs, which will hold the insulation boards. Thermal engineering calculations will help you choose the correct insulation thickness. Thermal insulation boards are laid staggered and covered with a wind and moisture protective film, which is secured with a counter beam.
Advice. The counter beam must be nailed parallel to the rafters to create a free ventilation duct to remove excess moisture from the under-roof space.
Installation of bituminous shingles should only be carried out on a flat, solid base, for which it is preferable to use sheathing and solid flooring made of moisture-resistant plywood or OSB. The boards are fixed with special galvanized nails.
After laying the base, preparation for the installation of a soft roof is completed - you can begin the main work.
Installation of bitumen roofing: materials used
When installing flexible bituminous shingles, we recommend using high-quality materials of the IKOPAL brand, which are produced in accordance with European standards and certified according to Russian standards. To install a soft roof, you will need the following materials.
Roof covering includes:
- SBS-modified with a fiberglass base with colored slate coating on the top side;
- ridge-cornice strip of similar composition for arranging cornices, ridges, ribs;
- valley carpet - a rolled protective material that is used to strengthen soft fused roofing in valleys and other vulnerable places;
- underlayment carpet is a roll of waterproofing, the installation of which is an obligatory step in the roofing installation work.
Advice. The underlayment carpet is laid over the entire surface of the roof from bottom to top, parallel to the eaves overhang. Do not allow wrinkles to form!
Additional components/materials
- Metal abutment strips, gable strips, and drip edges are needed to remove moisture from the edges of the roof and give it a complete appearance.
- Fastening bitumen shingles is impossible without special galvanized nails with a head size of 8 mm or more.
- IKOPAL mastic and adhesive-sealant are used to seal joints, overlaps, and other joints and seams.
- Elements such as deflectors, under-roof fans or pipe flanges ensure that ventilation systems are brought to the roof.
- The IKOPAL drainage system, including gutters, brackets, funnels, elbows, and fastenings, allows you to effectively drain external water.
Vapor barrier
The instructions for installing the roof indicate the need to create a reliable vapor barrier layer. As a vapor barrier, it is worth using a durable four-layer reinforced membrane “IKOPAL Polycraft”, which not only protects against condensation, but also effectively reflects heat, reducing energy costs.
Advice. Lay the vapor barrier with an overlap of 100-150 mm and seal with double-sided tape.
Thermal insulation
Installation of bitumen shingles involves the use of such thermal insulation material as non-flammable mineral wool density from 30 kg/m3.
Windproof membranes
ICOPAL Monarperm hydro-windproof membranes, which are laid on top of the thermal insulation without a ventilated gap, help protect the insulation from wind and water.
Do not try to save on materials for bitumen roofing, as this will lead to deterioration in quality and a reduction in the service life of the roofing covering.
Laying roofing material: installation instructions
The preparatory measures have been carried out, the base for the roof is ready - which means you can proceed directly to the installation of flexible tiles.
1. Install the underlay carpet
First, we lay a special waterproofing layer on the finished, level base - IKOPAL K-EL or Felix underlay carpet. We unfold it from bottom to top parallel to the eaves overhang, fix it to the base along the top edge every 40 cm, along the bottom every 10 cm. We seal the overlaps with mastic.
2. Install the planks
We nail the cornice and end strips onto the underlayment using roofing nails in a zigzag pattern. The overlap is 3-5 cm, the pitch between nails is 10 cm.
3. Install the cornice strip
We remove the strip from the ridge-eaves protective film, we retreat from the bend of the cornice strip 10-20 mm, fix the strip joint to joint. In places of perforations and along the edges we nail.
4. Install the valley carpet
The carpet to protect the valley is installed in two layers: the top one matches the color of the main covering, and an additional layer of lining carpet is used as the bottom one. It is fastened with nails in increments of 20 cm. The valley carpet is laid in the direction of the valley axis with the edges fixed every 10 cm.
Advice. In order not to damage the valley carpet when cutting flexible tiles, a plywood sheet should be placed under it.
5. Installing ordinary bitumen shingles
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To avoid visual defects when installing a soft roof, it is recommended to mix the shingles from four or six packs to balance the shade before installation. After this, you can proceed directly to covering the roof with bitumen shingles.
The installation of the roof begins from the middle of the eaves overhang and moves towards the ends. To lay the first row, we retreat 1 cm from the lower edge of the eaves flexible tiles and on this line we fasten the lower edge of the row petals, having previously removed the lower protective film from the shingles. Fastening is done with four or six (at a large slope) nails per shingle.
Advice. When using rectangular shingles, the number of nails should be increased to 5 per flat roofs and up to 7 on slopes with an angle of more than 45 degrees.
During further installation of row tiles, we make sure that the petals of each subsequent row coincide with the cutouts of the previous one. In the area of the ends, we cut the shingles along the edges and glue them to end strip mastic, and seal the seams with an appropriate adhesive composition.
Installation of tiles in hard-to-reach places
The installation of soft roofing in areas adjacent to a wall or chimney, in the area of openings for laying pipes, communications, and on the roof ridge requires special attention and control. Failure to comply with installation technology in these places can damage the tightness and appearance coverings.
The main rule when constructing installation passages or installing a soft roof on lifting strips when installing chimneys is to fix the shingles with bitumen mastic and be sure to seal the seams with IKOPAL adhesive-sealant.
To install ridge tiles, use ICOPAL Combi ridge-eaves strip tiles measuring 25 by 33 cm. The instructions require that ordinary shingles be brought to the level where their fastening points will be covered by ridge tiles. The latter is laid parallel to the ridge, bending over the slope, then fixed with two nails on each side.
The overlap when laying ridge tiles should be 5-10 cm and cover the fastenings of each previous element. The final tile is fixed with mastic.
Advice. It is not difficult to divide the IKOPAL ridge-cornice strip into separate tiles: just break it into three parts in places with perforations.
Resume
Step-by-step instructions for installing flexible tiles will allow you to create a reliable, durable, beautiful roofing covering that will protect the building from leaks and atmospheric influences for a long time.
Correct installation technology along with use quality materials from the manufacturer ICOPAL will ensure long-term preservation of the operational and aesthetic characteristics of the roof.
Everyone knows that laying roofing material will have a positive final result only if you strictly follow the installation instructions and follow the recommendations of specialists. This applies to all roofing materials, including bituminous shingles. And if you decide to use this particular material to cover the roof of your own house, then you will have to make sure that the installation instructions become a talmut for you during the work.
Stages of covering a roof with bitumen shingles
Let’s immediately make a reservation that bitumen shingles can be used on roofs whose slope angle is at least 11.5°. This is approximately a 1:5 ratio.
Stage number one - preparatory
Preparatory in the sense that it is necessary to prepare the roofing system, or, more precisely, the roof sheathing, for the bitumen shingles. So, the sheathing for this roofing material should only be solid, so the elements here will be either moisture-resistant plywood, or OSB boards, or edged tongue-and-groove boards. As for the boards, they must be very dry, humidity should not exceed 20%.
It is very important to secure the sheathing tightly; it must be very strong and fairly level. A small difference in plane can be covered by bituminous shingles. There are several serious issues in the construction of sheathing.
- The joints of two adjacent elements should only be at load-bearing elements roofing structure. That is, in the rafters.
- If boards are used as sheathing, then one board should cover two spans in length, that is, it should lie on three rafter legs.
- Again, regarding the boards. Rafter system is subject to changes in temperature and humidity, so it is necessary to leave a small gap (2-3 mm) between the boards. This is compensation for changes in board sizes.
- Such a roof, covered with bituminous shingles, must be equipped with ventilation system. Therefore, even at the stage of constructing the roof, it is necessary to leave gaps at the eaves and at the ridge.
Stage number two - laying the lining layer
What is underlay carpet? This is a rolled bitumen-polymer material, which is covered with sand on top and a plastic film is attached to the bottom. Laying is done with the sand layer facing up.
It is necessary to pay attention again to the slope of the roof slopes. If this is not less than 11.5°, then there is no point in laying underlay carpet over the entire roof area. The main thing is to close the refractions of the structure and the extreme planes that are most subject to loads. These are valleys, ridge, cornice, gables and junction points.
Attention! At the corner of the valley, the lining roll must be laid lengthwise, and the overlap between two adjacent strips must be glued and secured with roofing nails.
It is better to apply several strips of glue. But glue cannot be applied under the entire plane of the laid roll.
All other areas are covered with strips of lining material and secured to the sheathing with nails. The overlap of the elements with each other is 10 cm.
If the covering of the lining layer is continuous, then the installation can be carried out either parallel to the cornice or perpendicular to it. As shown in the photo below.
In this case, each laid strip must first be laid out, allowed to straighten out a little, and then pulled lightly with your hands. The surface of the slope should have a smooth surface without bubbles or distortions. The strips are mounted overlapping with an offset of 10-15 cm. Fastening every 10 cm is done with roofing nails.
Now you need to install and secure the metal strips that are mounted along the edges of the roof slope. Namely, at the eaves and ends of the roofing system. Specialists often call these strips cable strips. All metal strips are laid on top of the lining layer with a slight offset along the direction of laying. Offset - 20 mm. The planks are fastened either with roofing nails or self-tapping screws. The fastening line is a zigzag, installation points are every 10 cm, as shown in the video. The gable ones have a special shape with a side that serves as a stiffener and drainage of rain and melt water.
Attention! If the cornice of your house has a curved shape, then the metal cornice strips are installed in small pieces (segments), forming a curved line. The length of the element must be determined by the roofer himself, who will cover the roof with bitumen shingles.
And one more very important point. After the entire roof plane has been covered with lining material, another strip is installed at the valley locations. Its edge at the cornice should cover the installed metal strip and be glued there. In this case, fastening along the installation is carried out only with nails every 10 cm (see video).
As for the roof ridge, here the lining material is laid overlapping relative to different slopes. That is, along one slope, the upper edge of the lining is spread, not reaching the edge of the roof by 5 cm. In the second slope, the roll passes through the ridge to the first slope to a depth of 15 cm. It turns out that the overlap creates a continuous layer that completely covers the ridge. This can be clearly seen in the photo below.
Stage number three - laying bitumen shingles
All preparatory stages passed, you can proceed directly to covering the roof with bitumen shingles. The installation instructions state that installation should begin from the bottom, moving upward, as, in principle, with all roofing materials. But asphalt shingles have one point regarding the beginning of this construction operation. So the instructions say that the roofing elements are laid end-to-end along the eaves, and overlapping along the rest of the area.
In this case, the eaves tiles must be laid slightly deeper into the slope, approximately 2-3 cm. Installation must be accompanied by aligning the edges of the material strictly along the eaves. Doing this with an open cornice line will not be difficult. The elements are fastened with nails closer to the cut point of the roofing material (see video). Before installing the strips of bituminous shingles, do not forget to remove the protective polyethylene film from the back side. The same will apply to elements that will be installed in the main areas.
It is necessary to begin the installation and fastening of sheets (shingles) of bitumen shingles from the middle of the slope, placing them further to the edges of the roofing structure. The first row is laid so that it completely covers the cornice row. In this case, the petals of the top row should cover the perforation of the cornice row. The element must be secured with four nails, positioned 4-5 cm above the perforation site. If the angle of the roof slope exceeds 45°, then it is recommended to add two more nails to one shingle and hammer them into the upper corners of the roofing element.
The edges of the shingles that will cover the gable strips must be cut to exact size. And these edges must be glued. The glue is applied in several strips 1-2 mm thick. The length of one adhesive strip is at least 5 cm. After that, the glue is spread over the surface of the lining material with a brush, and the edge of the shingle is pressed with your hands with little force. The element must be secured with a roofing nail.
We return to the valley. On the laid lining material from the corner of the valley on both sides at a distance of 15 cm on each side two parallel lines. This can be done with a marker using a ruler or colored thread. You just need to make marks at the lower and upper edges of the valley, connect them together with a thread (pull it well, which will require two people), lift it and release it, a clear line will be drawn on the surface of the valley material.
The edges of the material must be cut along the lines. It's better to do it construction knife, having previously placed a small board under the material and the knife blade. Now the bitumen shingles are laid in place, and the intersection of the shingles and the backing strip is marked on it. The tile element is trimmed along the resulting line. Now the bitumen shingles themselves need to be fixed, for which you need to use glue applied to the lining along the edge of the cut to a width of five millimeters. Additional fastening with roofing nails is required.
The most difficult operation in this entire installation process is laying bitumen shingles at the junction points (see video). For example, to a stove chimney. There are several positions that you need to know and strictly follow.
- It is necessary to install a wooden strip with a triangular cross-section along the entire perimeter of the pipe at the bottom of the junction. Size: 50x50 mm. You can use a cornice for these purposes.
- The underlayment carpet is laid on top of the installed batten.
- After which a row of bitumen shingles is installed adjacent to the vertical plane of the chimney.
- Now the valley carpet is laid on top of the installed elements. It should cover the pipe itself in height by 30 cm, and in width protrude beyond the perimeter of the junction by 20 cm.
- A metal junction strip is installed on top of the laid valley carpet, which is fastened with self-tapping screws to the surface of the chimney. Be sure to fill under the bar silicone sealant, which will ensure complete sealing of the joint.
- On the side of the pipe, ordinary bitumen shingles are laid on top of the valley carpet, or can be laid under it.
And the last element of the roof is the ridge, which is also covered with bitumen shingles (see video). To do this, a strip is cut from the valley carpet, the width of which should be such as to cover the ridge and slopes to a height of 50 mm or more. Fastening is done with nails. After that, shingles under this element are laid on the ridge itself, which are called ridge shingles. In principle, for this you can use cornice elements that are simply cut under required size. The ridge tiles must be secured with nails, which will be covered by adjacent shingles, because the installation is done with an overlap (5 cm).
Attention! If a hip roof is covered with bituminous shingles, then the installation of ridge panels begins from the lower edge of the rib near the eaves. IN gable roofs installation begins from the middle of the ridge.