Soft roof - which is better? Overview of the best types + DIY roof installation instructions (100 photos)

Every year, soft roofs are increasingly used for the final roofing of various types of buildings. The modern market offers a wide range of different types of such coatings, the list of advantages of which is quite extensive. A soft-roof roof protects the building from weather instability and gives the home an attractive appearance.

Summary of the article:

Advantages and disadvantages

The soft roof has a large number of advantages, among which:

Little weight. This advantage saves on truss construction.
High thermal insulation.
No noise.
Resistance to corrosion.
No need to install grounding devices.
Good impact resistance.
Simple installation.

The disadvantages of flexible coating include three features:

Low frost resistance.
Fast pollution.
The base requires a wood / plywood board.

Types of Flexible Roofing

The following materials for flexible roofing are presented on the modern construction market:

rolled;
membrane;
tiled.

The basis of such materials is fiberglass and bitumen. The latter has the ability to modify, oxidize. The main difference in coatings is the surface layer.

When choosing a coating, it is important to consider the thermal insulation factor, strength, durability, flexibility and appearance (you probably already saw photos of such roofs with a soft roof on the network or saw them live). Let us consider in more detail each of the types of coverage.

Roll

Similar material is supplied in rolls. In its composition: roofing material, glassine and roofing.

Roll soft roofing is easy to install: heating with a burner and gluing to the roof covering. This type of flexible roof has many advantages: low cost compared to peers, resistance to moisture and low temperatures, easy installation even in the cold season.

Among the minuses are instability to environmental influences, which leads to the need for frequent repair of the coating.

Tiled

The soft roofing material from the bituminous tile looks like an ordinary one, but it is much easier to install, especially if you plan to install the soft roof yourself.

The bituminous tile is tight and has low thermal conductivity, which means: it will not be hot in the rooms in summer and cold in winter (the heat will leave the room more slowly).

In addition, the soft tiled roof has high noise insulation and is resistant to environmental aggressors.

Membrane

The composition of this material is similar to the composition of the roll roof. The difference is only in the form of release: sheets up to one and a half meters wide. The peculiarity of these sheets is that they are glued on each side. Membrane roofing is much stronger and more reliable than a rolled roof. At the same time, the material is very flexible. It is resistant to moisture and low temperatures.

Installation technology

Self-installation of a flexible roof is quite easy, subject to the recommendations and the correct procedure. The technology of laying a soft roof does not depend on the material you choose. The main thing is to follow the rules and sequence.

The roof of any building needs preparation for roofing. This is a very important event, on the literacy of which the quality and service life of the roofing material depends. Begin by cleaning and drying the surface layer. It should be absolutely smooth, without damage, cavities and bulges.

Whatever type of soft roof you choose, its overlay overlaps with a slight slope. For fixing use mastic or nails.

Important! For a complex roof, it is possible to use several types of roofs, since there are no drawbacks to their interaction. The main thing is to observe their external combination.

After installing the entire soft roof, you need to install the eaves, ebbs and other exterior elements.

For self-installation of a soft roof you will need:

gas-burner;
a hose ten meters long;
spatula for roofing;
specialized knife for cutting roofing material;
specialized metal cutting shears;
hammer;
roller or primer brush.

The design of the roofing cake when installing a flexible roof

First of all, it should be understood that an illiterate installation of a flexible roof will lead to the appearance of some defects in the roof. For example, a poorly installed vapor barrier quickly begins to rot, and improperly mounted ventilation is prone to leakage.

In order to avoid the occurrence of such problems, one should take into account all the little things and correctly perform the installation of the roof.

Important! Particular attention is required not only the roof itself, but also cornices, ebbs, valleys. They must be 100% airtight and stable, otherwise in the roof there will be irregularities leading to leakage and penetration of cold into the room.
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Waterproofing is installed on a smooth and clean surface (purchased in rolls). A soft roof is applied only on top of the waterproofing layer.

The installation order is from bottom to top. Layers overlap each other with an overlap. They fix the roofing material with nails, and the joints with mastic.

To increase the life of the coating, you should know the following:

In hot weather, it is forbidden to walk on the roof.
Only soft brushes are used to clean the coating.
Trash made of metal damages the coating.
A flexible roof is poorly adapted to humidity, therefore the attic should be dry.

If necessary, a flexible roof can be repaired without problems. The repair process consists of the following steps:

Dismantling the damaged area of the coating.
Installation of a new roofing sheet.

When bloating any area on the roof, it is necessary to carefully open the bubble from the side and fill the space with bitumen. With the formation of cracks up to fifteen millimeters, a new roof layer is deposited. In case of deeper damage, the hole is covered with a cement and sand screed.

Which of these types of soft roofs is the best? It is up to you to decide, because the choice depends not only on the characteristics of the coating, but also on the characteristics of your home, taste preferences and financial capabilities.