Cousin_Eddie93 wrote:
I used an 8x30' sheet of EPDM rubber membrane and 1/4" ply when I replaced my roof 4 years ago. If I were to do it all over, I'd go with the liquid roof roll on liquid EPDM product only because the membrane was a real pain in the arse to install. If you do go with the membrane, I found using a regular kitchen flower roller best for removing the air bubbles as you progress. Note, you will not be able to remove 100% of the bubbles. Not to fear, these will eventually disappear as the contact cement gasses absorb into the wood.
I'd definitely choose the rubber roofing over the liquid. We did a MH with aluminum roof (wood would be the same) with the membrane.
Here are some tips.
1. Remove vents, AC, etc from roof so you have a flat surface.
2. Clean roof with simple green and lots of water. Let it dry thoroughly. Repeat. Clean with acetone.
3. Apply adhesive with rubber rollers. Apply adhesive to rubber roofing. Wait until they are tacky before putting the membrane on the roof. Roll with (clean) rubber rollers to activate and thoroughly adhere the membrane to the roof.
For the membrane, there are some tips that made it easier to manage.
1. We erected scaffold on both sides and laid plank across and above the roof. The aluminum platforms at Lowe's would work better (I didn't have one back then). This allowed us to work on the roof without standing on the adhesive.
2. We laid out the membrane on the roof and cut it with about 4-6" overhang on the edges. Then we started at the front, folding the roofing in about 3-4ft sections at a time, then folding the next section over on top of that and continued until the middle. Repeat from the other end, resulting in a "roll" in the middle, folded in 3-4ft parts.
3. Started at back edge of roll and applied adhesive to roof and exposed portion of roofing. We slid a section of PVC pipe under one layer of the roofing, supported between the scaffolding. After the adhesive dried to be tacky, we used the PVC to roll out that section of roofing and "roll" it out over and attach to the matching part of the roof. (And using the clean roller to firmly push roofing down onto roof, as listed above)
4. We repeated until we reached the back edge. Then we stood on the new roofing (about 2 hrs or so to get the 3 sections adhered to the rear, so the middle was not "fresh" and pulled the remaining roofing back about an inch or two to get new adhesive applied all the way to the adhesive/roofing already applied.
5. We then made our way to the front like this. We applied stairtread edging all the way around the roof edge (6ft sections, I think), which does an EXCELLENT job of holding the edge of the roofing overlapped about 1" over the sides, yet once trimmed makes a very nice finished edge. Used rubber washered self tapping screws from my steel garage roof a while back.
6. I cut X's for the vents and such (stopping about 1" short of inside edge), tucked the roofing inside the opening and trimmed it so only (the thickness of the roof) a small "border" of roofing remained.
7. Used butyl tape to reinstall vents, AC, etc with screws and such as usual.
8. Tucked front edge of roofing behind an existing weatherstripping edge at the front and used eternabond roof tape (with white UV top) to completely seal the front. It is CRITICAL that you remove all bubbles from this tape! I actually made 3 strips at the leading edge, starting back a few inches and working forward with about 1/3 overlap. This made a very solid seal and looks today the same as when installed a number of years ago.
This roofing is strong, contiguous, and hasn't leaked yet. It has been a "permanent" fix.
I think our cost was about $300 for the roofing, about the same for industrial adhesive (buddy does roofing for a living), a little for stairtread edging, already had the screws, a little for the 3/4" butyl tape, a bit for the eternabond tape, rubber rollers with broom handles (Lowes, made for adhesive), acetone, etc. Maybe $800 or so, total?
Took about 3 days, including the wash/dry cycles and removing everything from the roof. We used a backhoe to lift the AC from the roof to the ground, then back. HEAVY! You could probably use the scaffolding with planking to lift or hoist somehow.
Hope this helps.
