[68ragtop]

Curious if any of you have experience with repairing flat commercial rubber roofs. Its about a 20 year old roof the is still in great shape, except some of the seams have opened up, They look like they were never bonded very well in the first place. So in heavy rains water gets between the overlapped layers & leaks. Last year I put a bead of rubber sealing caulk on the edge of the overlaps & it worked perfect all summer long. However, seeing the two pieces have lost some of their bonding, it didn't last & I really didn't think it would.

What I would like to do is add rubber strips maybe 4" wide or so to go over the overlaps & re-seal them. But I am not sure what type of rubber to buy or what the best sealant or vulcanizing fluid would be used as a contact cement.

I realize a new roof would be best, but its just a storage building & if I could get another 5 or so years out of the roof that would be great.

Any ideas?

[ho428]

Eternabond RV roof tape. Comes in 4" wide x 50' rolls.

[68ragtop]

That would be perfect as the sections are 42' wide. Any suggestions on the correct cleaning and adhesives?

[ho428]

The stuff is pretty heavy and tacky as is, makes duck tape look like Scotch Tape.
I'd try some Lacquer thinner to clean the area first but Camping World or other RV place might sell the tape and a cleaner.

[68ragtop]

Here's a picture of the roof. you can see were a couple a patches were put over the seams. My intension would be to peel off the rubber caulk & put a 4" strip from end to end. As far as I can tell only the first 4 seams are having an issue. the rest appear to be good. Not sure if they were not cemented together correctly the first time, or if its just because of its age?


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[F ROCK]

Rubber roofs are applied with a torch, not cement. buy the correct torchdown rubber,( it was called norbitumi back in my roofing days) rent or buy a large propane torch, melt the patches into place.

[JamesRichard]

To install rubber roof you must consider hiring professional roof repair expert, they will use the right thing to install it whether it's torch or cement.

[TAKerry]

Originally Posted by F ROCK

Rubber roofs are applied with a torch, not cement. buy the correct torchdown rubber,( it was called norbitumi back in my roofing days) rent or buy a large propane torch, melt the patches into place.

As an installer of EPDM roofing, I respectfully have to say you are WRONG!

There is a process involved in seaming these types of roof. To do the job the best and proper way you should get the correct products. If you have a 'Roof Center' or 'ABC roofing supply' they should have what you need.

I think I would try to peel back the seam as best as possible, the use the cleaner/primer. There is a 2 sided seam tape that is placed in between then the 2 pieces of rubber at the seam can be put together, rolled good with a small steel roller.
If you dont want to do it correctly, but get it weather tight, you can clean the area with some kind of cleaner (de natured alcohol, etc.), cut some rubber strips and simply use contact cement to glue the pieces together.

Another possibility is to pull back the seam, clean and use contact cement again, put the pieces together and then pick up some caulk made for seams of the rubber roof called 'water cut-off'. Use that at the seam itself.
Anyone of these should get you water tight. Not all are manufacturer approved, but youre not doing a warranty job so it doesn't matter.
good luck!