How to Lay a Rubber Roof
The cost for professional installation of rubber roofing can be quite expensive. If you budget is tight and you're looking for ways to save money, consider installing the rubber roof yourself. If you are somewhat familiar with roof laying and have a few helping hands, you can lay your own rubber roof.
What You'll Need:
- 4 by 8 insulation boards
- 10 by 20 rolls of EPDM rubber
- 1/2 nap paint roller with a long handle
- Cold application roof adhesive
- Several rolls of rubber flashing w/ an adhesive side
- Seam sealer adhesive
- Old paint brush
- Weighted roller
- Power drill
- Inspect your roof for any damp water spots on the exposed plywood. You don't want to install your new rubber roof over-top any water damage. Any moisture will cause the roof to bubble up and separate from the adhesive, which could lead to extensive water damage later on.
- Start laying out your 4 by 8 insulation boards and screw them onto the plywood. Continue this process until the whole roof is covered with insulation boards.
- Roll out your rubber sections and allow them to dry before you apply an adhesive to the insulation. While completing this step, check to see how the sheets overlap and whether or not any holes will need to be cut for any vents or pipes. Ensure that you apply your first roll parallel to your shortest roof dimension. Allow for roughly 2-inches to 3-inches of the rubber roof sheet to overhand.
- After the section has flattened out in the sun, roll it or fold it half way. Apply an adhesive with your paint roller on the now exposed edge. Unroll the rubber back onto the adhesive using a heavy-duty brush to push out all of the wrinkles. Roll up all of the other sections so that you can apply an adhesive to the other 10 by 10 section. Unroll the rubber over the other portion of the adhesive and brush out the wrinkles again as you unroll.
- Overlap the edge of your first sheet of rubber by 3-inches to 4-inches. Repeat the process in step four where you begin to fold over half the sheet. Apply the adhesive and roll back out onto the adhesive and brush out any wrinkles. Once the roof has been covered you can go back and seal any overlapped seams.
- Once about 3 hours have passed, use a weighted roller to bond the rubber further. You can add an additional layer of protection on the seams by using a 2-inch to 3-inch roll of rubberized flashing.
- Nail the overhanging rubber to the sides of the vertical roof edges. Use roofing nails that have a plastic plate built inside of them.