How to cover the roof with a soft roof. Soft roofing technology

The appearance on the market of roofing materials of soft tiles has greatly simplified the process of covering roofs of complex configuration. It's the only one quality material, which has flexibility and plasticity, it can be used to quickly and tightly cover all types of roofs, including domed ones. At the same time, the amount of unproductive waste is minimal, which cannot be said about other roofing materials. The service life of some types shingles reaches fifty years, however, such material in terms of cost is not much different from piece coatings of the elite segment.

The reliability and durability of a roof is equally dependent on several factors.

Technical characteristics of soft tiles. Attention should be paid not only to appearance, this parameter affects only the appearance of the building and is not related to the durability of operation. Buyers should find out which base was used by the manufacturers, which chemical composition bitumen and what is its thickness. Bitumen must necessarily be modified to increase protection against ultraviolet rays, increase plasticity at sub-zero temperatures and resistance to mechanical stress. The base must be chosen the most durable of polymer fibers.
Quality truss system. If the structure staggers, has uneven planes, load-bearing units do not meet maximum loads, then the roof will not be airtight. Over time, due to numerous fluctuations, there will appear mechanical damage or detachments. This applies to all roofing materials, not just soft tiles.
The professionalism of the roofers. No matter how high-quality the roofing material is, the inept actions of the builders neutralize all its advantages. Builders must not only know the theory perfectly, but also have extensive practical experience. Freestanding roofers can make their own decisions depending on the situation, it is impossible to foresee all the problems in advance. In addition, responsible craftsmen will never deviate from the recommended technology in order to save time.

All roofing works on laying soft tiles consist of several stages, quality performance each of them affects the reliability and durability of the operation of the roof.

Depending on the complexity of the rafter system and the purpose of the building, some steps can be skipped. The table gives the maximum complete list construction activities for the most complex roofs.

Stage name	Composition and short description features
	Soft tiles require a solid base, which can be made of waterproof plywood, OSB boards or edged boards. In each case, choose individual option taking into account the complexity of the roofing system, the category of the building and the financial capabilities of developers. You need to know that in some cases the cost of preparing the base and the price of the materials used for this may exceed the cost of soft tiles.
	The lining layer performs two functions: it serves as an additional waterproofing of the roof and increases the reliability of fixing shingles of soft tiles. For the lining layer, you need to buy special modern materials, installation is carried out from the bottom up or vertically with an overlap of about ten centimeters. If the angle of inclination of the slopes is small, then it is recommended to seal the joints with bituminous mastics.
	Valleys require increased attention, it is here that the largest volume of water is concentrated and leaks most often appear. To equip the valleys, manufacturers produce special materials that are fixed at the junction of two slopes. The same technology is also used during the sealing of chimney junctions, vertical brick architectural elements or various engineering communications. The materials used must have relatively large plasticity characteristics to compensate for the linear vibrations of architectural structures made from various building materials.
	Installation of soft tiles does not require much physical effort, but the work must be treated very carefully. Any violations of technology will necessarily have negative consequences, the elimination of which requires time and material losses. There are times when repairing the roof of a house is more expensive than installing tiles: you have to restore the truss system, eliminate the consequences of leaks in the interior living quarters, etc.

Before proceeding with the installation work, you should prepare the tools and draw up a preliminary plan of action.

The services of professional roofers are quite expensive, so if the budget for building a private house or garage is limited, it is worth saving money by doing the roofing work yourself. Of course, the work is not easy and very responsible, but if you prepare well, read the instructions, carefully watch the video tutorials, then any master who knows how to hold a hammer in his hand can handle the installation.

Private construction today is developed quite widely. Many take on independent construction outbuildings, trash and even cottages. To cover the roofs of private buildings, most choose a soft roof. After all, this material is very convenient to use.

The material is light enough that it can be used on roofs different forms, and the coating is reliable and durable. In addition, the soft roof is quite “quiet”; during rain and even hail, no special noise is created.

What is a soft roof?

Modern soft roofing is a coating based on biologically inert nonwovens coated on both sides with modified bitumen. basis soft roof can become fiberglass, polyester or fiberglass.

Modified bitumen is characterized by high resistance to temperature effects and elasticity. In addition, the material has a mineral coating on top, which gives it greater strength and eliminates the risk of gluing the material before installation.

This type of roof can be used to cover roofs of any configuration. Due to its high elasticity, the coating can also be used on such complex roofs as domed or cross. In practice, two types of materials are classified as soft roofing:

Roll materials. These materials include the well-known roofing material and its more modern counterparts.
Piece materials - soft or bituminous tiles.

Advice! Roll materials are used on flat roofs, piece - on pitched. The fact is that the installation of flexible tiles on a flat base will lead to its rapid destruction, that is, the created coating will not last long.

Tool preparation

Work on the creation of a soft roof can be carried out by one person, however, it will, of course, be more convenient to work with an assistant. To complete the installation, you will need to prepare:

For marking - a tape measure, a coated cord for beating, a pencil.
To cut the material - a roofing knife and a thick plank.
For fastening - a hammer, roofing nails, building hair dryer(for shingles), gas burner and a roller for rolling (for rolled materials).
For sealing - mastic, brush or roller, spatula.

Preparatory stage

In order for a soft roof to serve for a long time, it is necessary to prepare the base well for its laying. It should be as smooth and dry as possible. As a rule, for the manufacture of flooring under the roof use OSB sheets or waterproof plywood. You can also use a grooved board.

Advice! It is important that the boards used to create the flooring are well dried. The maximum allowable humidity level is 20%.

In progress preparatory work carry out the following operations:

After the installation of the flooring, it is necessary to take measurements to check the geometry of the structure. It will be necessary to measure and compare the indicators of length, width, diagonal length, as well as the level of the plane of the completed flooring.
Cornice overhangs are reinforced by installing metal slats. They are installed along the edge of the cornice and nailed. The distance between two adjacent hardware is 10 cm, they must be placed in a checkerboard pattern.
Similar strips must be installed along the gable parts of the canopy. In both cases, the planks are installed with an overlap, the minimum width of which is 3 cm.

Further, additional waterproofing of the roof is carried out by laying the roofing carpet. On flat roofs, a continuous coating is performed, laying the material with an overlap and smearing the joints with mastic. On the pitched roofs the material is laid in valleys (the width of the roofing carpet in this place is 50 cm in each direction from the center of the corner), on the cornices and at the junctions with any vertical elements located on the roof.

Material laying

Finishing preparatory phase, you can proceed with the installation of the roof.

Installation of bituminous tiles

Installation is carried out in three stages:

Laying the first or cornice row;
Laying row tiles to the top of the roof;
Installation of ridge sheets.

To form the first row and design the roof ridge, ridge-cornice tile elements are used. They differ from ordinary shingles in the absence of "petals".

Advice! Ridge-cornice tile elements do not have to be purchased separately, they can be easily made from ordinary tiles by cutting off the petals.

Before installing the tile shingle in place, you need to carefully separate from the bottom of the element protective film.
The first row is laid out parallel to the cornice strip, stepping back 1.5 cm from the edge. Each shingle is fixed at the corners with 4 nails.
The next row is laid with an indent of 1.5 cm from the first laid strip.

Advice! When laying tiles on a roof with a slope of less than 45 degrees, each shingle is fastened with 4 nails. On steeper slopes, use 6 nails per shingle.

Upon reaching the gable overhang of the roof, the shingle is trimmed at a distance of 1 cm to the edge of the installed end plate. The edge of the tile is smeared with mastic to a width of at least 10 cm.
The last row of tiles is laid so that it goes a little on the ridge board. Then they begin to install the ridge tiles, installing overlapping elements and fixing them with nails.

Stacking of roll materials

Installation work in this case is carried out somewhat differently. The work is done like this:

Before laying, the rolled material must be unfolded, cut into strips of the required length and kept unfolded for a day. If there is no place to store the unrolled material, then it is possible to rewind the roll of material to reverse side. Rewind the material should be a day before the start of installation.
The material is laid in 2 or even 3 layers. The number of layers depends on the slope of the roof and the amount of precipitation in a given region.
A cheaper lining material is laid in the first layer, a material with coarse-grained dressing is placed on top.
When laying each subsequent layer roll material indent half the width of the sheet. This is necessary so that the joints between the individual strips do not coincide in different rows.
The fusion of the material is carried out by heating the lower part of the material rolled into a roll. A protective film on the material serves as an indicator of the degree of heating. If the film burns, stop heating and start rolling the material and rolling it with a roller.

When planning to install a soft roof on your own, you should not only carefully study the test installation instructions, but also watch video tutorials in which experienced craftsmen share their experience and secrets of craftsmanship. This approach will allow you to prepare well and do the job without errors.

The service life of any roof depends on how well it is arranged, and the installation of a soft roof is no exception to this rule. There are many types of such coatings, but they all need to be used. solid foundation. Before proceeding with the work, it is necessary to analyze the conditions in which the installation of a roof made of soft tiles will take place. The lower limit of the temperature range is + 5C, since more low temperatures are no longer suitable for work. The fact is that the fastening of the coating sheet (shingle) occurs with the help of nails and a self-adhesive layer applied with back side shingle.

This method of installation is the simplest and most reliable solution, but its disadvantage is that one of the elements of the technology is the sun's rays, gluing individual sheets into a monolithic carpet, making the roof airtight.

It is worth saying that even in frost, do-it-yourself installation of a soft roof can be done. For example, through the use of a kind of greenhouse mounted above the target section of the roof. The technology in this case is the same as in the usual case, since the temperature inside the volume limited by the film is maintained through the use of heat guns.

Roof structure - picture

In the general case, speaking of the base, they mean the truss system. After its installation, the vapor barrier is installed. As a rule, this special film, which is fitted from the inside of the roof structure. It is fixed with wooden planks that can be used for fastening inner lining attic.

Before the roof soft tiles, stack and thermal insulation material, it must be between the vapor barrier and the base of the tile.

For the installation of a soft roof, any material that "makes friends" with nails, and also has a flat and smooth surface, can be used. Another requirement is the ability of the material to withstand the considerable weight of such a roof. The OSB board (OSB) is suitable for the role of the base, as well as grooved or edged board or waterproof plywood.

The cost of installing a soft roof also depends on what plays the role of the foundation. However, regardless of the type of material used, the possibility of thermal expansion must be taken into account, therefore, in any case, appropriate clearances must be left.

Creating a ventilation gap

Availability air gap allows you to solve problems such as adjusting the moisture content of the insulation and the material of the crate, and also reduces the amount of ice that forms on the roof in winter. The attractiveness of this element is also in the fact that in summer it provides a decrease in temperature inside the roofing cake.

When do-it-yourself soft roofing is done , then you need to ensure that the width of the air gap is at least 5 cm. fresh air it is best to place it at the bottom of the roof, and the hood at the top.

Creating an underlay

Lining is a special material that is laid over the entire area of the roof. Its installation starts from the bottom up from the edge eaves overhang. The rolls are unfolded with an overlap of more than 10 cm, and for fixing every 20 cm, they are fixed with nails.

In the event that the roof slope is large (at least 18 degrees), it is allowed to lay insulation only along the ridge and along the eaves, as well as where chimneys or there is an adjunction to a vertical wall.

Installing slats

The installation technology of a soft roof involves the use of eaves and gable strips, which are designed to protect the crate from rain moisture. The first of them are mounted on cornice overhangs directly on top of the lining. Such elements are also called drips. Planks of this type are laid with an overlap of more than 2 cm, and fastening is carried out using roofing nails arranged in a zigzag pattern along the installation line.

Gable strips are mounted on the end parts of the roof, with an overlap of at least two centimeters. Both types of products are fixed with nails located at a distance of 10 cm along the laying line.

After the installation of the planks, the valley carpet is laid, which makes it possible to increase the water resistance. Its color is chosen to match the color of the tiles, and the edges are fixed with nails spaced 100 mm apart. After completion of this stage, a soft roof can be laid katepal - its installation begins with cornice tiles.

Cornice tiles

Cornice tiles - photo

It is laid on top of the fixed planks on the cornice overhang. For its fastening, galvanized nails are used, driven into the base material at a distance of 25 mm from the edge of the material. Another option is also possible, which is also suitable if a soft roof is made by hand. It's about about a pattern from an ordinary tile. Making it is very simple: you need to take a shingle and cut off the petals from it. In this case, the installation of tiles goes “joint”, and the indentation from the cornice overhang should be more than 2 cm.

Laying ordinary tiles

The first thing to note is the possibility of various color deviations, since the tone may vary slightly in different packages. To avoid this, you need to mix 5-6 packs.

Do-it-yourself installation of a soft roof starts from the middle of the cornice overhang and is carried out in both directions.

The protective film from the shingles must be peeled off right before installation, since sheets without it are no longer recommended to be stacked in packs.

The shingles are fastened with nails. As a rule, only 4 nails driven in above the tile groove are enough, but for a slope of 45 degrees (and above), it is better to use 6 nails.

Laying ordinary tiles - picture

The very first row of tiles is positioned so that the lower edge of the material is only 10-15 mm from the lower edge of the tiles located along the cornice overhang.

The “petals” of the shingle should cover the joints of the cornice tiles. Do-it-yourself soft tiles are mounted so that the "petals" of the next row with their tip are at or above the cutouts of the previous layer.

At the ends, the material must be cut along the edge of the roof, and also reinforced by gluing. The minimum width of the interlayer should be 10 cm. The situation is similar in the valleys, where the tiles must be cut in order to obtain open lane 15 cm wide. In this case, the edges of the material are also smeared with special glue by 10 cm.

When cutting shingles, it is better to use a small piece of plywood that allows you to cut the material without fear of damaging the layer below.

Installation of ridge tiles

To perform work with the roof ridge, you will need to prepare a scaffold. They greatly simplify the work, but after dismantling them, you must not forget to glue the petals at the attachment points.

Do-it-yourself installation of a soft roof in this case is carried out with an overlap of 5 cm, and four nails are fixed. The laying of the ridge layer can be started only after the installation of ordinary tiles is completed.

Ridge tiles are obtained by dividing the eaves at the places of perforation. After that, each element is bent in half and mounted with the short side along the roof ridge.

Roof connections

Passages through the roof can be organized in different ways. In the event that their diameter is small, it is recommended to use special rubber seals. This applies to antenna inputs and other types of communications, but pipes are insulated differently. Here, the possible heating of the pipe is taken into account, due to which a slightly different technology is used.

First of all, a triangular rail is nailed along the perimeter of the place of contact between the pipe and the base of the roof. The most common option is 50x50 mm. The next step is the installation of the lining carpet, the overlaps of which must be smeared with glue. The pipe itself is glued with insulating material so that it covers at least 30 cm of the pipe and 20 cm of the ramp.

When a soft roof is created with your own hands, this stage is often the final one, but one more operation is required - to fix the junction bar along the perimeter of the pipe. A metal apron is fixed over the insulating material, and all seams are sealed with silicone adhesive.

Adjacency to a vertical wall is carried out in a similar way. The only exception is the triangular bar, which does not create a perimeter, but is mounted along the wall.

The main questions discussed in this article will help a layman to quickly understand the course of the matter. Moreover, many difficult points are described here, which a beginner in construction will easily miss. On our website there is also additional information telling what a soft roof is. Editing technology, video work of professionals and useful tips allows you to sort out this difficult issue in the shortest possible time.

Reading time ≈ 4 minutes

The use of flexible tiles allows you to give any building a stylish and modern look. You can carry out the work on your own: there will be no difficulties when laying insulating layers, roofing material. The complexity and duration of the work depends only on the shape of the roof, its size and design.

Scheme of the device of the roof of the soft roof

How does the installation of flexible tiles begin?

For laying shingles with your own hands, you will need to create a solid foundation - a truss structure. It is made of timber with dimensions of 150 × 50 mm. The distance between adjacent rafters is about 60 cm. The arrangement of the elements determines the future design of the roof. But regardless of the size or angle of the slope, the installation of a soft roof will be carried out without any problems. After the construction of the truss system or before assembling the structure, it is recommended to treat the lumber with an antiseptic.

The next step is the vapor barrier of the roof. The installation of the layer is carried out from the side of the attic (mansard) room. The fastening of the roll material starts from the ridge, parallel to the eaves.

TO roof structure the layer is attached with a construction stapler. Each new layer is superimposed on the previous one with an overlap of about 10-15 cm. The joints are fixed with foil adhesive tape.

Soft roof insulation

Mineral wool insulation is laid with outer side. The first layer of insulation sheets will be between the rafters (perpendicular to the eaves). Before laying them, you will need to perform a rough sheathing from the side of the attic. Optimal Thickness the insulation layer for the central region of Russia is about 15-20 cm (2 sheets of insulation).

Such a two-level laying of insulation almost completely eliminates cold bridges.

A layer of vapor-diffusion membrane is fixed on top of the insulation. Such a “multi-layer” installation of a soft roof with your own hands will prevent dust from entering the mineral wool, and prevent the accumulation of precipitation on the insulation.

The material is laid parallel to the cornice with an overlap of layers of 10-15 cm. Additionally, about 15-20 cm of the membrane should extend beyond the insulation contour at the bottom. The material is fastened with a construction stapler, the joints are connected with self-adhesive tape.

Preparation of the ventilation chamber and installation of flexible tiles

The ventilation layer between the base of the roof and the insulation should be at least 5 cm. This is enough to normalize the temperature and remove wet steam. The second layer of the counter beam is mounted parallel to the rafters.

For work, lumber with parameters of 5 × 5 cm is used, the distance between adjacent supports is 30 cm. Fastening is carried out with gaps of 5-10 cm, as shown in the attached photos. Further work on the arrangement and installation of a roof made of soft tiles is carried out according to the following step-by-step instructions:

1. A moisture-resistant OSB board is fixed on top of the counter beam (with a gap between sheets of 3-4 mm, excluding height differences of 2 mm).

3. Laying in progress waterproofing material(transverse overlap - 20 cm; longitudinal - 10 cm) with sealing of joints with bituminous mastic.

4. The roof is marked, the soft roof is laid and it is fixed with sharp galvanized nails.

5. Laying of ridge elements from bituminous tiles is carried out.

In order for the installation of the soft roof to be correct, it is recommended to additionally study the video attached to the article. The lesson describes in detail the rules for fastening materials, the features of their laying methods.

Completion of works

The considered installation technology may include different types roof ventilation: aerators (special or standard), ventilation grille or ridge, ventilation hoods on towers, ventilation outlets, turbines, spotlights.

The junctions to the walls and the chimney are closed with the upper (or upper and lower) strips. Installation in progress roof window with external waterproofing, a protective cap is mounted on the chimney pipe. Gable and cornice suspensions are hemmed with soffits, snow retainers are being installed. Each of the described steps is discussed in detail in the attached video on the installation of shingles.

Do-it-yourself soft roof installation video

Flexible soft tiles - ideal for roofing houses with complex shape roofs. If you choose the right quality material and correctly install it on the roof of the building, it will provide the roof with high performance characteristics. It is also important that when using flexible tiles, there is almost no waste left.

Soft tiles can be laid on the roof of almost any complexity and angle of inclination of 12°-90°. This material is distinguished by low weight, noiselessness and aesthetics (has a wide choice of shades and textures), durability and reliability, high water resistance and anti-avalanche properties.

Installation of a roof from a soft tile takes place in several stages:

Foundation preparation

Before covering the roof, carefully prepare the base for its installation. The foundation must meet certain conditions:

be rigid and even, for example, the base can be OSB boards, moisture resistant plywood, edged or tongue-and-groove board;
be dry (humidity not more than 20%) and ventilated;
the base boards must be at least twice as long as the span between the supports, their maximum width is 15 cm;
the joints between the laid boards must necessarily fall on the supports;
a sufficient gap is left between the boards (about 5 mm) with the allowance for the possible expansion of the base material with changes in temperature and humidity;
boards are recommended to be laid with the core up;
if it is known that plywood will be the material for the base, then the distance between the rafters is selected in such a way that the seams of its sheets fall exactly on them.

The finished base is pre-impregnated with antifungal and fire retardant agents. To properly cover the roof with soft tiles, it is necessary to provide ventilation on the roof.

Ventilation device

Ventilation device - mandatory and very important point so that the installation of a roof made of soft tiles is carried out without errors and shortcomings. It is necessary in order to:

remove excess moisture from subroofing (battens, insulation) and roofing materials;
in summer period reduce the temperature inside the roof structure;
ventilate the building
prevent ice and icicles from freezing on the roof.

For optimal solution these tasks, ventilation must be provided with a fairly large gap (more than 5 cm). fume hood air vent at the same time, on the roof it should be located as high as possible in its upper part, and the supply air - in the lower part.

Lining layer

A lining reinforcing layer is laid under the soft tiles. If the roof is sloping (slope less than 1:3), then according to the flexible roof installation technology, the entire roof area is covered with a lining layer. In the case of a steeper roof, it is enough to install the lining layer in the end parts, in the valleys, on the cornice overhangs, on the skates. The material is laid in layers with an overlap of 10 cm from the bottom up. The edges of the material are fixed to the base of the roof with nails (20 cm step), the joints are sealed.

Eaves protection

On cornice overhangs, rain moisture can penetrate to the edge of the batten. For protection on lining carpet with an overlap (starting from 2 cm), droppers (cornice strips made of metal) are laid, which are nailed in a zigzag manner with a step of 10 cm.

End protection. The protection of the end parts of the crate is equipped similarly to the cornice with the help of metal gable strips.

Installing a valley carpet
To increase the water resistance of the roof in the valleys, a valley carpet is installed on the lining layer to match the tiles. The edges are securely fixed with roofing nails (10 cm step).

Installation of tiles
How to cover the roof with soft tiles? Work on the installation of tiles begins from the center of the cornice overhang of the roof in the direction of the end edges. In the first row, the tiles are laid indented from the edge of the eaves (3-5 cm). The protruding elements must cover the joints formed between the tiles of the eaves. The protective film is removed from the tiles and they are glued to the base, after which they are nailed over the groove line.
The subsequent rows are laid with the ends of the tongues, corresponding to the level of the cutout of the tiles of the previous row. The tiles in the valleys and on the end sections of the roof are cut to the shape of the edge, then glued along the cut with K-36 glue

Processing elements of a soft tiled roof

Small roof elements are treated with rubber seals and sealing glue K-36.
In places where vertical penetrations are attached to the roof, a triangular rail is nailed. On it, the tiles are brought to the surface of the roof element and glued with glue.
The junction is pasted over with a strip of Pintari valley carpet, covered with a metal apron and sealed with K-36 glue.
Similarly, sections are mounted where vertical walls adjoin.
When installing the ridge, ridge tiles are used: the tiles are glued with the short side parallel to the ridge, then the next layer of roofing is nailed to it under overlapping nails.