How to Fasten a Rubber Roof
If you want a long-lasting and highly water-resistant roof covering, rubber provides both of those characteristics. Because rubber roofing creates such a watertight surface, it covers not only sloped roofs successfully, but also provides sufficient coverage for flat roof surfaces. Generally sold in tiles, rubber roofing installs in rows like shingles are, but attaches to the surface with adhesive instead of hardware. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Tar paper
- Utility knife
- Staple gun
- Metal flashing
- Metal nails
- Nail gun
- Roofing cement
- Rubber adhesive
- Paint roller
- Rubber ridge cap
Instructions
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1
Roll out the tar paper across the roof by the eave. Cut the tar paper down so it hangs roughly 1 inch off the ends of the roof. Peel the backing from the paper and press down on the tar paper to secure it to the roof or staple the paper every 6 inches around the perimeter about an inch in from the edges.
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2
Continue applying tar paper upward across the roof in rows. Place each row of tar paper so that it overlaps the roof below by at least 4 inches. Once you move up both sides of the roof, center a piece of tar paper over the peak and press it into place.
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3
Center V-shaped flashing in the valleys and corners of the roof and nail the flashing into place with a metal nail every 6 inches. Secure straight flashing to the eave and edges of the roof so it hangs off the roof by 2 inches. Apply roofing cement to all of the nail heads for additional waterproofing.
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4
Apply rubber adhesive to one side of the roof along the eave with a paint roller. Apply adhesive to the back of a rubber tile with the paint roller as well. Press the rubber tile down on the roof, spreading your hands across the surface to force out any air bubbles.
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5
Move across the roof, installing rubber tiles in a straight line across the eave. Once you lay the first row, lay a second row just above the first so that the bottom 6 inches of the second row of rubber tiles overlaps the top of the first row. Cut the first tile of the second row in half before laying it, and then lay the next tiles directly beside it to ensure the seams are staggered between rows.
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6
Continue up the roof until you reach the top and then go to the other side and lay tiles from the eave to the peak. Once you have both sides tiled, install a rubber ridge cap to the roof peak with adhesive.
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Tips & Warnings
Rubber roofing can be found in both sheets and shingles or tiles. Sheets do not serve as visible roofing, but as underlayment beneath other roofing shingles. They generally come in 36-inch rolls with up to 150 feet of material. Install the sheets by cutting them down to the length of the roof and securing them with adhesive.
Rubber roof tiles, or shingles, range in size from 10 to 12 inches, depending on the product manufacturer.
If you want to save on work when installing rubber roof tiles to a roof that already has roofing in place, you do not have to remove the original roofing. Instead install foam to the surface of the roof, smoothing the foam down to create a level roof surface and allow the foam to dry. Then, cover the foam with tar paper and rubber roof tiles as outlined above.
