How To Do A Warm Flat Roof

Apply two coats of bright white elastomeric paint to your flat roof to increase its solar reflectivity.

How to do a warm flat roof.

Insulation material is placed on top of the roof rather than in between the ceiling and the decking. Simply brush off any debris that is present secure insulation boards to the surface and then lay down your flat roof covering over the top. Because the warm roof method makes sure all of the roof structure is insulated it s a more energy efficient option over a cold roof. On a warm flat roof the layer is installed underneath the insulation to stop moisture interacting with it through rising thermal pressure lower down in the building.

Some observers suggest it s harder to replace a flat roof than a traditional pitched shingle roof because of the labor required to remove its layers especially on older flat roofs. For cold flat roofs the vapour layer needs to be positioned underneath the insulation layer on top of the room below to create an effective barrier. If you get a chance to replace your ceiling then you should consider installing a layer of foam insulation under your roofing is ideal. Insulation is placed in between the joists underneath the roof surface above.

The 8 step process for diy installation step 1. How to insulate a flat roof. A warm flat roof is formed by placing a layer of insulation over the top of the roof structure. Add the plywood once you ve added the framing it s time to add a layer of 5 8 inch plywood sheathing.

This effectively regulates heat absorption and temperature keeping your building warm or cool depending on the season. Flat roofs are hard to replace. Due to the insulation being over the top of the roof the timber structure beneath is warm which is why the term warm roof is formed. This could mean flat roofs may not raise the same red flags they used to.

In the majority of cases the covering will be plywood or osb timber which is more commonly called stirling board. When timbers are used in flat roofing they obviously need to be waterproofed so boards are normally laid across the joists and then a felt or rubber is used to cover the boards to make them waterproof. Tests of heat reduction with elastomeric paint show a 60 to 75 percent improvement in how much it reflects sunlight and heat which translates to dramatic cost savings on energy used to cool your home. Frame the roof one important and perhaps not so obvious fact is that a flat roof is not actually flat.