I need to build a deck upon a rolled roofing membrane. It will be a small deck and the roof section is very protected, so I am going to build it on sleepers. The membrane is very soft. Any thoughts as to how I can protect it from abrasions from the sleepers?
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Consider laying down rubber roofing over the whole area, not nessssarly gluing it down but just as a pad.
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Wier/Barlow
yeah, I was thinking along those lines. Thought there might be something more durable.
Roll roofing is a barely adequate roof material anyways, lasting ten years if you are lucky.going over it with EPDM won't help much because the two are incompatible.You need to start with a new roof that will last as long as the decking material. Modified Bitumen might work for you over the old. I prefer replacing totally with EPDM
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Spent some time studying the photo.
That does not look like Roll roofing. Appears to be more of a modified bitumen torchdown which would work if you do a coating to add longevity and make sure it is sound now. or apply another over it of the same, which is necessary anyways to get rid of that puddle.
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"The membrane is very soft."
Is it the surface membrane that seems soft, or the entire depth behind it, say down an inch? This stuff is often applied over an insulation board of compressed FG. That could account for the 'soft' you feel. If too soft, it may be it has been leaking just enough to wet that substrate and make it mushy. Hear any squishy noises when you bounce on it?
EPDM is a rubber feeling stuff like an inner tube for a tire. At laps, you will see only a bead of caulk
Modified bit feels harder and at the laps, you are more likely to see oozed heated bitumen
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Might be time to post another pic with a close-up of the membrane for accuracy.
Yeah, a couple.But I'm about decided this wants a new roof anyways.The guy appears to be a carpenter and not roofer since he is unfamiliar with the materials.The puddled water is a definite negative likely to cause leaks if it is not already.I hate little tight spots like this for roofing - more flashing than roof means more chances for leaks, and snow/ice accumulates in winter to harms things.Add a deck over and you really multiply odds against you.Now, think of this one - suppose there is a minor leak already (making it spongy soft) and the HO just doesn't know it yet.
Now the OP gets up there and builds a nice deck over it and the leak appears as if by magic shortly after he is finished.Now the owners think that HE caused the leak. What's the poor guy to do with his reputation?
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You are right about where my experience lies - I am no roofer. Here are some close ups. The description of "a tire innertube" is it exactly, not spongy in the substrate though. Any clues as to what the circle are that are telegraphing thru the membrane? At any rate, the HO won't spring for a new roof, and if pushed will just walk away from the whole project. I will need to do the best I can to protect the existing roofing.
Plates screwed down to keep the 1/2 " fiberboard in place while the membrane is glued to it .
Walter, you've got better eyes than mine to have recognized the EPDM from just the first photo! Too much shadow and angle going on there. The depressions sure did hint that way tho, but one seam looked gaumy making me unsure.But it definitely is, based on his texture like an inner tube, and the later photos.
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Paul ,
I saved the photo and enlarged it some , but it was awfully blurry .
When fiberboard gets saturated from inside moisture it looks like that though even when the roof is fine .
I was wondering about moisture rising from beneathe.but also, we have no way of knowing how all those wall intersects were done - how far up under the shingles on tht gable wall the EPDM goes, and with all those other corners....
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The circles are the mechanical fasteners holding the substrate to the sheathing. Reason it is more depressed in some places and circling water is most likely because there is moisture in that substrate that is making it swell up.I see several more small hints this roof has or may have problems now or in the near future.one is that a snow shovel with sharp metal edge has been used up there. Only a broom or plastic shovel should see this roof.There is a lot of debris buildup where tree seed pods are drifted in. snow and ice will accumulate the same way.Be that as it may, if you and the owner want to go ahead and ignore the warning signs that seem to exist from this distance - the normal method is to cut strips of EPDM a couple inches wider than the sleepers, glue them to the bottom of the sleepers with contact cement, and lay them in place. Orient the sleepers so as not to interfere with drainage. I use a few dabs of EPDM caulk to tack them down. Nothing is mechanically fastened.then the decking with SS screws short enough to be sure you are not poking thru.There are several threads and photos on this subject if you care to use the advanced search here on terms like EPDM, IPE`, and Deck
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could it be that the insulation is not very dense and when the mechanical fastners with those big washers they use where pulled tight it just depressed the washer in the insulation. Also roofing insulation comes in different densities for use on apllications that are going to have decks on them. it may be possible that this roof has a insulation that is not dense enough to support the loads of the deck with out getting compressed?
No , the hardboard doesn't just deform from the tightening of the screw and plate assembly , if it's softened it's from water from leaks or moisture from below .
small roof like this - somebody could have used the wrong board - left over from another job. not highly likely, but I've seen it. Shoot - there must be over half a dozen kinds of roof underlayment panels
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all possible, but what I think I am seeing is some pretty firm consistency in some places, but more upheaveal and puckering in others.only so much one can see from a photo, but it sure beats the snot out of what I sometimes imagine given text only
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Since your in and dedicated to the job might be valuable to grab some more photos at different angles to help get an accurate analysis on an iffy situation.
Just saying...
Cheers
Looks like EPDM over high density fiberboard that's saturated to me.
Best redo the roof before adding a deck .