How to Waterproof Rooftops in Six Easy Steps

Leaks, leaks, and more leaks.

For homeowners and occupants, leaks are our greatest enemies when rainy seasons arrived. And one of the major sources of leaks that can be found is faulty rooftops.

Rooftops are the areas that are fully exposed to various elements from sunlight to snow to rainwater. And due to this, it can cause a massive headache when this material received great constant strain that affects its durability and functionality.

And as these are constantly bombarded with nature, it requires a different type of waterproofing from flat, concrete rooftop to slope and guided one.

Why is applying waterproof material to a rooftop important and required?

The major purpose of applying waterproofing, roof framing, and other leak-stopping material is to add protection to the main material and extend its durability and life. For this case, the roof.

Waterproofing is a way of preventing the water, moisture, and other substance from entering the main structure through gaps, holes, cracks, and voids. And as it prevents the water from flowing, it obstructs potential problems that can damage your main structure and even items inside of it.

Waterproofing rooftops can be easy and can complete in these 6 easy simple steps:

Step 1: Surface Preparation and Cleaning the Area

Before doing any application of waterproofing material, you must remove all kinds of debris, dust, litter, and other materials that are on your roof surface. Making sure that the area is clean can improve your application by hundred times.

You can then clean the area by scrubbing any rusts, or anything that sticks to the roof while cleaning it with water. It is so that you can make sure that there is nothing that will be included when you start applying the primer and waterproofing membrane.

We highly recommend that you also check for cracks and damages so you can repair everything before proceeding to primer and we suggest you use a power washer on medium to a low-pressure setting to get all that grime and dirt off the roof.

Step 2: Priming the Roof Surface and Putting in the Work

One of the main objectives of priming the roof is to seal all the small voids, prepare the area for the waterproofing membrane and seal the roof as one cohesive material.

Priming can give your waterproofing membrane good adhesion to the roof and improve its life expectancy. Just make use of that before applying primer. Everything is thoroughly cleaned and dried. And every giant hole or gap is covered correctly and precisely.

Step 3: Inspect the Area for Little Details and Anything You Might Miss

After priming, you must inspect the area for anything that you might miss. Sometimes, you can miss small voids and small areas that you haven’t applied primer, these small voids can cause great damages in the long run or can be the start of the leaks.

Making sure that everything is correct from nooks and crannies can last you a lifetime of repairs and correction. Finding every place where the water can penetrate and correct it early can help you so much before the application of the waterproofing membrane and help you do less work.

Step 4: Application of Waterproofing Membrane

There is various waterproofing membrane for applying but the highly recommended for rooftops are usage of Polyurethane waterproofing membrane paint.

You can also find other waterproofing membranes such as cementitious coating, rubberized asphalt, PVC membrane, bituminous membrane, thermoplastic paint, rubber paint, and even waterproofing paint.

Different waterproofing materials have different applications as a state by their manufacturer’s specification and application. But the highly suggested is to apply two or more coats or layers with curing time before each application. It can be from 2-3 hours or up to a day depending on the type to use.

For polyurethane membrane paint, the most common is to apply the first coat then wait for 2-3 hours before the second coat. It is recommended to apply at least three coats for the PU paint to guarantee great durability and life expectancy.

Also, you must always apply the waterproofing material with consistency with the thickness of the coating and uniform application throughout the whole area. Apply the second coat after application of the first coat thru the whole surface area and always follow the curing time for each application.

Step 5: Testing and Commissioning

After application, you must do what everyone needs to do after you did something. That is to test if the material is actually working. For waterproofing membrane application, you must test the area thru flood testing or constant application of water throughout the area. This is to ensure that there are no damages or there are no leaks after the application.

This is to prevent the worst-case that after application, then the rain comes, everything goes wrong as leaks occurred in various areas.

Step 6; Adjustments and Repairs if Necessary

The final step is to reinspect the area after testing to see if there are areas that the water penetrated. You must repair those areas and retest again to ensure that everything is waterproof correctly. Then after everything is done, it is now time to marvel you finish a project and have a nice relaxing day knowing that you will not experience leaks again.