How To Repair a Rubber Roof

Don’t you hate it when you are walking around your building and you suddenly slip because of a wet floor dripped on by a leaky roof?  Now, imagine what would happen if a client were to slip on the same floor?  Would you be able to forgive yourself if you knew that you could have avoided that accident?  Before any accidents happen, you have to figure out how these repairs are done.  If you think you lack the skills to fix the fiberglass roof or cement roof, by all means, call a repairman.  But if you only need to fix a rubber roof, then the only thing that you need to do is follow these simple steps.

1. Locate the leak. This rubber material is very tough just like a copper roof, which makes it the most promising commercial roof material.  The weakest point of this type of roofing is its seams or edges, so look at these parts first to save time.  If you find these parts intact, use a poking stick to see if the problem is hidden away from plain sight.  If you find one source of the leak, keep looking for more, because there is usually more than one of these leaks.  Mark these areas clearly.
2. Clean the leaking spots. There are three stages in cleaning a rubber roof to prepare it for the repairs.  First, you need to clean the surface using a broom to remove dirt.  To remove more dirt, wash the area using water and soap, then brush it.  Let it dry for more than 24 hours.  Before you go to the second stage, you need to separate the seams at least one foot away from the leaks.  With a special cleaning solution or rubbing alcohol, clean the remaining dirt and adhesive on the inside part of the material.  Third, clean the other surface using the same cleaning solution.  Then let them dry.
3. Apply adhesive material. You need a brush and a silicone roller to accomplish this.  After everything has dried, use a brush to apply the adhesive solution on both surfaces that have to be connected.  It is essential to use a brush to ensure that the solution is equally distributed.  Next, place the surfaces together and compress them. Use the roller to remove trapped air that can weaken the adhesion.  After this, let it dry for 1 to 2 days.
4. Check for defects. Some adhesive materials don’t dry up quickly and allow the elements like rain to wreak havoc on your newly repaired roof.  This is the reason why you need to check your roof to see if there is a need to redo the repairs.  Similar to the first step, you need to be thorough to see if there are weak points beneath the surface.  Also, remember that the adhesive material might not be fully dry yet, so you need to test your roof with a little amount of intensity only.

When repairing your rubber roof, your primary concern is just to get it done and lessen the rubber cost.  However, you must remember also that doing it right may save you time and money.