Flat roofs are everywhere. Most commercial, institutional, and industrial roofs are flat roofs.  Thousands of millions of square feet of flat roof are installed each year.  Flat roofs are expensive to install at an average cost of €4-€6 per square foot and replacement roofs can cost as much as €10-€12 per square foot when disposal costs of the old roof are included.

waterprof.ie flat roof membrane is a spray on elastomer and when the surface of the flat roof surface is properly prepared, this polyurea roofing membrane can last 25-75 years.

waterprof.ie specialists have noted that roofs are often ignored as part of the building maintenance plan. The roof only gets attention when a leakf makes it appearance, and at this stage the water ingress will have happened. Through their years in business, waterprof.ie specialists have found that forty-five percent (45%) of all new roofs finished in the conventional manner develop serious problems within one year of installation.

They estimate tthe sources of the problems to:

1. 50% – Poor workmanship
2. 20% – Poor design
3. 15% – Poor maintenance
4. 10% – Material failures

Flat roofs are highly susceptible to leaks and water damage.  Once a leak begins, it will saturate the insulation beneath it, diminishing the R-value of the ceiling’s insulation and adding unneeded heating and cooling costs to a building.

These types of roof can be repaired but in many cases, these roof need to be properly vented to allow any pockets of moisture to escape and not to cause long-term rot or dry rot.

Detecting the leak can be done at nighttime, typically a couple hours after the sun goes down. waterprof.ie specialists may use and Infra Red heat detection cameras.

The source of the problem is nature itself: throughout the day the sun’s heat will warm the surface of the roof.  The areas in the flat roof which contain water beneath the surface will warm up much slower than the rest of the roof area.The reason for this is because water has a higher thermal capacity than the surrounding insulation materials, and absorbs heat at a much slower rate.

waterprof.ie use their many years of experience to address this problem and recommend that these types of roofs are properly vented to allow any moisture to escape and allow the water damaged roofs to dry out naturally over time.

At nighttime, after the sun goes down and the roof starts to cool off, the areas where moisture is trapped beneath will still be releasing the heat that was stored all day from the sun and can then be easily visible as “hot spots” when compared to the rest of the dry roof areas.

Once the roof leaks have been detected, the area is marked off with spray the \waterprof.ie polyurea so that a roofing contractor can easily find and repair ONLY the areas that are damaged.  This can ultimately save the building owner THOUSANDS of Euros in unneeded roof replacement costs!

The picture to the left shows an example of what the IR camera sees at nighttime.  The difference between hot and cold, or wet and dry in this case, is very clear.  There is no disputing this visual evidence.

The losses from premature roof failure run into the billions of euros every year.  These euros  are lost, and are not available to support or extend business operations.  The primary costs associated with roof failures include the following:

• Excessive energy consumption due to reduced insulating value of wet insulation
• Losses due to water leakage into the building, resulting in problems ranging from minor nuisances to catastrophic and life-threatening situations. Leaking roofs can cause total building outages when water invades electrical switch gear and critical production equipment.
• Damage to the roof membrane and the structural roof components caused by trapped moisture in the roof assembly.  There are numerous accounts of people being seriously injured or killed when they fall through a flat roof because the roof lost structural integrity due to water damage.
• Loss of salvage value of the roof insulation at the time of membrane replacement because it has become wet.  The cost of disposing and replacing insulation can cost 3Euros to 5 Euros per square foot.

The average life of a new roof in the US is seven years.  Because some roofs last over 30 years, it is clear that a lot of money is being spent that could be put to better use.  All that’s needed is regular maintanence!  Contact us to learn more about regular IR inspections as part of your routine maintanence program and how much you could potentially save.

The waterprof.ie roof coating polyurea membrane is a hot spray applied two component polyuretance which is fast drying, quick curing, seamless, jointless membrane. The advantages of this system is the reduction of risks of water ingress through the membrane which regularly occurs with the more traditional roofing systems like torch on or bitchimium based products. The waterprof.ie polyurea system is a state of the art roof coating/ membrane. It bonds directly to concrete, steel, foam, timber and bitchimium based older type roofs.

Please contact us to discuss possible roof solutions with the added bonus that roofs can repaired, replaced or newly erected without the disruption of more traditional type roof repair or installation. If a roof needs to be replaced, waterprof.ie will have a solution for you that will have little or no impact on your business productivity.

For some reason, there was traditionally a resistance to the concept of the flat roof. As a result, there’s been something of a deficit of expertise in how to make a roof that is completely leak proof over the long term.

However, scientific advances mean there are easy solutions to the problem of waterproofing – and these are effective in staving off the danger of leaks, and the nightmare that a leaking roof can mean.The solution is to choose a spray-on polyurethane membrane covering that completely coat the surface in a durable, seamless, non-porous and visually attractive style.

There are solid practical reasons for opting for a flat roof in some instances – not least of which can be the aesthetics of something that bit different.

But it there is always that niggly issue of waterproofing.

Naturally, the flat roof presents problems that an apex-shaped roof doesn’t. However, there are two main options for ensuring your flat roof stays waterproof, and that you can have confidence that no matter how heavy the rain, your roof stays completely leak-free.

The first of these options is to create a gentle slope so the water can run off and not pool or pond on the surface.

That option somewhat defeats the point of having a “flat” roof – whether the aim was to have it as a usable space, or whether the choice of opting for a flat roof was for aesthetic reasons. The second option is to go for a waterproof membrane that completely covers and seals the roof. That means you can have an actual flat roof – although if you can afford a gentle slope, all the best. Key to the success of this second option is that the sealant you use to provide a coating that repels water is one that is seamfree.

Water will always find the easiest path downwards, the route of least resistance. If you have even the tiniest hole, water will come in: if you have a seam, the water will find its weakest join point and come in.Advances in polymer technology have greatly expanded the range of membranes and spray-on coatings available.

Keeping pace with the burgeoning availability of these new polymers and elastomers has been the development of application equipment. The result is that spray-on materials can go on effectively even in environments where the humidity is high – and the setting time is impressively fast. With the use of bang-up-to-the-minute technology, trained technicians have the ability to cover large areas at rapid speed. As it is spray-on, it works well even on uneven surfaces – and it is completely seamfree and completely secure.

Polyurea coatings work well, and are competitively priced, but given the ongoing exposure a flat roof endures from wet weather – and even (happily!) occasional bursts of scorching sunshine, it’s advisable to go for one of the coatings specially recommended for high-traffic or high-intensity purposes, such as polyurea, or polyurethane, or one of the hybrids.

What exact product is best suited to your particular project is one your  Waterproof.ie consultant will advise upon, and no matter how irregular or unique the project, the fact that the product is sprayed on means there will be no areas difficult to “get at” or to seal completely.

Spray on waterproofing solutions have proven to be the most effective waterproofing method used in the industry in recent years. Developments in the equipment to apply the membrane that hardens in seconds together with developments in the liquid material that allows it to be sprayed on in higher humidity environments has meant the waterproofing industry has had to stand up and take notice as it is set to become the number one choice for waterproofing in Europe.

Spray on main advantage

Its main advantage is that its seamless – No joints have meant there is less points of weak areas for water ingress. The additional fact vast areas can be coated in a short period of times means the project finishes on time and the client has his building back in ship shape, totally watertight.

The most popular are Silicons, Polyurea’s and Polyurethanes and hybrids of these.  The silicon usually proves to be the most cost effective but is also the least durable so will be idea for areas where no traffic, wither foot or vehicle is expected and it has some possible weaknesses v’d the stronger more durable Polyurea and Polyurethane but these are often offset by the huge cost savings that can be expected.

Spray finish waterproofing means all the nooks and crannies are easily sealed, simply spray the coating into the areas and the applicator can ensure no areas are missed and all the up stands are coated and there is a seamless waterprooflayer on the entire roof, balcony, walkway.

Is torched methods, old news?

Traditional methods such as torch on felt still have there place but the spray applicators have proven to be more effective in the long run. No joints have meant the likelihood of a weakness in the membrane is reduced so that the entire roof has a beginning and a end but not huge arrays of joints all welded tight, a single mistake on felt can mean a leak and water damage to the building.  The spray on has no such weakness and when coated with a UV top coat it protects the membrane against the effects of sunlight for years to some.

The most popular and cost effective Roofing Polyurea’s are made by Ultimate Linings a USA based company who have multiple patents and long term history of producing quality products and have experience qualified applicators in Ireland.  The spray on membrane systems either Polyurea or Polyurethane will always  have a  insurance backed and has long warranty and the spray on systems can be used as standalone or be applied directly on top of spray foam insulation. Every project is different and a consultation with one of the engineers is always the best way to get guidance on what will suit a particular project. For advice on the spray on membrane please upload in details here and a qualified engineer will give you a email or call if you prefer..