How to repair the roof

The roof is the part of the house that protects us from the cold, heat, rain, frost, hail, etc. For this reason, it is extremely important that the roof is in perfect condition. If it is in need of some kind of improvement, you will most likely have to make a little reform. Next, we will tell you how you can easily repair your roof.

Which technique is the best?

The first thing to do is to check to see if there are any leaks or moisture in the wall as a result of one or more cracks in the roof. If so, one of the most practical options to solve the problem is to replace the broken tiles with new ones. To do this, you can use mixed tiles, which are easy to install: they have a system that allows them to be stacked in a row and fit together without the need for nails.

You’ll have to remove the broken tiles and put in new ones, but don’t forget to waterproof the previously damaged area to complete the job and achieve an optimal and lasting result. To insulate this area from the roof, you can use bitumen fabric or another type of material that we can find at DIY centers.

What if the crack is superficial?

In case the cracks on the tiles are not too deep, it may not be necessary to replace them and you can simply repair them. The procedure is very simple: fill the crack with bitumen emulsion, applying it in layers until the hole is ready.

If you want better results, you can mix bitumen emulsion and fiberglass, applying one layer of each product at a time. This way, you will make the roof work with more protection.

Once that part of the house is repaired, it is advisable to tidy up the inside so that moisture or leaks don’t damage the walls. In any case, if you want a more professional result, feel free to use MAPFRE Platinum Home Insurance , which offers you repair and remodeling services with the right professionals and at special prices.

There is a leak, how to fix the leak on my roof.

If you are faced with the unpleasant surprise of a leaking roof , we will try to help you find out what the cause is and how you can fix it, as you may not need to call a specialized company and you can do it yourself. yourself with very little effort. Of course, it’s important that you take enough safety precautions to avoid an accident, make sure you have life preservers or tie yourself with rope and safety belts to a safe point on the roof.

Diagnosing the leak

The first thing to do is identify the source of the leak. On traditional roofs, leaks are usually 90% of the time related to coating deficiencies, i.e., poorly laid shingles, broken shingles, or holes caused by tears in the coating. In the remaining 10% of leaks can be due to faulty or poorly maintained fittings: chimneys or gutters.

To find out the source of the leak, it is best to conduct water testing, which consists of pouring water from a hose for a considerable time (half a day or a couple of hours) a certain area, excluding the possible problem areas. It is desirable to start with difficult encounters: chimneys and gutters. Once these spots have been ruled out, the entire covering fabric should be tested.

Sometimes we can only understand through visual analysis what the origin of the leak is. For example, a gutter is clogged with some element, causing water to overflow and seep into the house. In fact, when leaks are very large (with a lot of water infiltration), the cause is usually a clogged gutter, causing all the water from the roof gable to eventually flow out to one point, accumulating huge volumes of water that eventually enter the roof for a very specific area, coinciding with the times when it rains the most.

If we’ve ruled out that the leak was caused by a tear in some surface, it’s almost certainly caused by a defective coating (tile, slate, or any other material).

Fixing leaks

Before we start disassembling the entire roof and investing a large sum of money into something that may have an easier solution, we’ll try to rule out options, from the cheapest to the most expensive:

1. If the leak is due to the connection of different elements , we will proceed to repair and subsequently apply proper waterproofing (only in the affected area). For example, if we find that the cause of the leak is damage to the waterproofing fabric at the junction of the chimney with the base of the roof.
2. If the leak is coming from the roofing itself, the first thing we will do is inspect each tile or piece of slate visually. If we find that any piece is installed incorrectly or broken, we will replace it or place it correctly and recheck the waterproofing of the roof by running the water test again. Usually quite often, especially on older tile roofs, the shingles have moved due to wind or bird action and leaks occur in that area.
3. If after an exhaustive analysis we have not found worn parts and the roof is in fairly worn condition, we will again proceed to re-tilting , waterproofing the support with bituminous sheeting or something similar, if this is not possible, we can use a tile covering, similar to the typical corrugated urallite. These are cases where the condition of the cover is very unsatisfactory and there are many broken parts. It is advisable to call a specialized firm to do the work and ask them to use as many tiles as possible from the old roof.
4. If the tiles can not be repaired, we will be forced to place new pieces, trying to properly secure them to the support. In these cases, it is better to conduct a comprehensive reform of the entire roof, fixing as many elements as possible and adding new layers to our roof when possible, such as waterproofing sheeting and insulation.

We do not recommend using waterproofing paints to waterproof the entire roof surface. Waterproofing paints are a good option when it comes to temporary repairs or when there is no way to do anything else, but if possible, it is much better to fix the roof comprehensively, replacing the insulation, waterproofing and coating (shingles).