Old Bitumen Membrane Stripped and Replaced with a White Coating

1. The roof before

The roof was covered in an old bitumen membraneBitumen membraneWaterproofing that comes in rolls of reinforced bitumen. It is torched onto the roof in sheets that overlap at the seams. full of patches. Once a membrane gets to this point, one more patch won't fix the problem.

2. Stripping

The membrane is cut and stripped off piece by piece.

3. Membrane that had come away

In many places the membrane rolled up like a carpet, because it had already come unstuck. Water could run freely underneath it.

4. A wrinkled surface

Sun and age had wrinkled and crackedCrackA split or gap in render, concrete, a wall, a coating or wood. Fine cracks are usually only on the surface; ones that grow, keep reopening or run diagonally need attention. its surface, so it no longer protected the roof.

5. A clean base

The leftovers are cleared and the surface is cleaned, so the new material bonds straight to the slab.

6. White waterproofing

The white waterproofingLiquid waterproofing membraneA waterproofing product applied as a liquid by roller, brush or spray. Once dry it forms one continuous, flexible membrane with no seams. is spread over the roof and up the low wallParapetThe low wall around the edge of a flat roof or balcony. The joint between it and the floor is one of the most common places for leaks. under the railings, around each of their posts.

7. The joints

The corner between the floor and the low wall gets extra care, because that's usually where the first cracks open.

8. The result

A clean white surface, bonded across its whole area, with no joints or patches.