Flat roofing felt

Flat roofs and roofing felt has come a long way in recent years. What used to be a source of problems for many homeowners has now become a cost effective way of roofing which can match traditional roofing techniques.

Reinforced bitumen flat roofing is one of the ways you can cover a flat roof to get a weather tight seal. It's a suitable roofing method for new and refurbishment projects and is extremely cost effective. Bitumen can be used over wooden decking, concrete and metal substrates and hence is a popular choice on domestic and commercial properties.

The bitumen felts used in professional and domestic situations are both fire retardant and energy efficient and feature glass fibre reinforcement, making the lifespan of the product you use no longer a worry.

Polymer modified bitumen can be applied to the roof in a number of ways. It can either be poured and rolled, applied flame free, applied using the self adhesive it comes with or even by the most popular torch-on method. Torch-on felt is extremely flexible, making it easy to use. When the felt is heated the underside of it melts so the felt can be fixed into place.

Previously, pour-on bitumen was a very popular way of waterproofing a flat roof but this has a number of inherent problems.

The first of these is the health and safety aspect.  Pour and roll bitumen required a large gas heater at ground level and someone had to run buckets of the material up a ladder to the roof before it cooled.

The second problem was cost of workers.  While a modern torch-on roofing felt can be installed by a single person, the fact that the pour and roll bitumen needs to be shuttled up the ladder before it cools means that at least 2 people need to be on the job.

In addition to this, pour and roll roofs required experience and skill to get a smooth finish, to avoid leaving areas where water can pool and to ensure that there were no flaws in the surface where water could find its way through.

Modern roofing felt has made the long standing reputation of flat roofs for leaking, completely undeserved.

Published at: 17-07-2011
Mikey Hill
Mikey Hill

Mikey Hill is the E-commerce department manager at JJ Roofing. With over a decade of experience in the roofing industry, he has extensive knowledge in flat and pitched roofing, roof windows, and fascia and guttering.

Mikey also has an excellent understanding of raw material attributes, ensuring the application of best practices across all roofing structures. As a result of his deep understanding of the roofing industry and dedication to excellence, over the last several years, Mikey has become a pivotal figure at JJ Roofing and is part of the reason why we continue to exceed our customer’s expectations.

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