Liquid Acrylic Products for Flat Roof Refurb (not leak repair)

[Careful_Bodger]

I have a flat roof in good order needing a bit of TLC to improve the weathered areas and extend the life a bit. I have been quite impressed with Wickes Acrylic (with fibres), so was thinking about giving the whole ~ 20 sq.m roof a coat of something similar. The products I have looked at range in price by more than 2:1 - and it puzzled me what you really get for the higher price. I'll be needing 20kg minimum, so looking at £100+ per drum.

I suppose I am trying to understand the technical difference (if any) between Cromapol, Evercryl, Acrypol, Flexacryl, Sovereign K10, and any I have missed. Maybe these are trade names for the 'same' thing. That list is (hopefully) in price order.

Availability to the (technically minded) DIYer is also important, so if I understand correctly SIKA is out of scope (and icopal/elastoflex), but comments welcome!

I have not mentioned IKOpro, as that seems to required an embedded sheet and perhaps more of a repair option. Wickes Bitumen is cheap, but requires sand or chips, whereas most of the others have claimed solar reflective properties. Liquid rubber is the most expensive, and does not seem to attract positive comments.

 

[vinn]

Why has the flat roof become weathered in particular areas?
Do you get ponding?
Is the roof truly built to falls?
What material is the existing cover?
What state are the flashings and wood fascias in?

My thinking is that once a flat roof begins to go all the chemicals in the world wont help - it will perish. But who knows when?
Cosmetic surgery might please the aging male but i doubt that it will help him live longer.

 

[Rufus Raintight]

What is on your roof currently? I think you'll find that most of the Acrylic based products will be manufactured from the same company or have virtually the same recipe, but with different labels on the tin, so the better known the brand the higher the price tends to be.

 

[Careful_Bodger]

Thanks for the responses.

To combine clarifications .....
1) guessing here, but I'd say that solar load has baked out some the plasticity in the felt top layer, & wind has scoured the surface perhaps as there are .....er, scoured looking...... patches. There is a bit of cracking/crazing on up-stands.
2) a bit of ponding along the lower edge.
3) full length firrings under OSB/sterling board decking.
4) three layer nailed then torched felt, with a final coat or two of solar paint (deco-something, if memory serves), which has peeled in places.
I should have stated that it was a BUFR in the original post. Sorry for missing that obviously relevant info.
Edging and up-stands mineral coat still in good nick.
5) no issues with flashings/fascies, so leaving those alone.

 

[vinn]

I think you've answered your own question, and my assumption.
If you post a couple of photos it would clarify things further but probably with the same resulting reply, from me at any rate: a new roof.

 

[Careful_Bodger]

@ vinn - erm thanks, but my 'own question' was about comparative merits of those brands over the mentioned price range, per RR's response....

Any fule kno that a new roof is an option

 

[Careful_Bodger]

Just in case anyone has an interest in my project, I finished the first phase. This is a job with 2 roofs; ~26sq.m and ~14sq.m in reasonably good order, needing in my DIYer's opinion a bit of a refurb/refresh with a new weathering surface. The roof had no (known) leaks, so I wasn't solving any urgent problems. Despite my original feeling that I just wanted to use just a roof coating system, I ended up using IKOpro Roof Coat (well .....it was a 15% off weekend at Wickes). This product is henceforth referred to as 'goop', and uses an embedded reinforcing sheet that is embedded in the wet goop.

Current status: about a day's work in total, needing a morning and bit for the first coat and sheet, and a few days later an evening for the second coat. I put the goop down per the instructions, by roller, but it was quite hard for me to judge the 0.7-1.2 litre/sq.m dosage, so in addition to gooping the surface, going-over-the-top-while-still-wet (mentioned on the website) seemed to work to get the fibre mat fully gooped. Rather than placing pieces (per instructions) I found that rolling the sheet out into the goop worked for me, as long as the roll wasn't sat on a too wet section for too long whilst gooping the original surface. Overall I am quite impressed with the result. The embedded fibre sheet gives it a real sense of permanence (but we will see.....it is only a few days old at the time of writing). I am now gonna leave it for a while, but I intend to check for any patches that need attention before winter. This might include going round the edges and upstands, but that is for largely decorative reasons.

Random advice to others wanting to do something similar: Use a very robust roller and extension frame, as you need to work it (work it), so I am not sure how well brush application would work. Rollers will probably disintegrate (and leave bits of pile in the goop), so you'll need spares. I got through three, but more would have been better. If possible work on a breezy day to clear the solvent fumes, as they are a bit ....erm..... potent. When the sheet gets wet it has no pull strength, so adjustments have to be done with care - otherwise the sheet just pulls out of the goop with straggly ends. It is better to cut and restart, or use pieces per the instructions. The goop goes everywhere so plenty of brush cleaner for anything not chucked at the end of the process.

Any comments or questions, please feel free to ask

If as Vinn kindly pointed out that a new roof is needed, then in the event it all de-laminates or disintegrates (or leaks) then I will 'fess up, but be happy with my heroic attempt.

 

[catlad]

Well lets hope its a success, you have not mentioned the
cost of the materials involved.

 

[Careful_Bodger]

@ catlad....

http://www.wickes.co.uk/IKOpro-Acrylic-Roof-Coat-Mid-Grey-20ltr/p/139076
http://www.wickes.co.uk/IKOpro-Glass-Fibre-Reinforcing-Fleece-25x1m/p/137247

x2 -15%