Rubber matting to protect flat roof

[mindwideopen]

Hi all,

Was just hoping for a bit of a sense check on a quote I've had from a roofer. We've got a flat roof on the property we've just bought with a mineral felt covering, but with a lot of the small stones missing and some digs and marks which could cause leaks to the flat below. We've had a quote to come and Aquapol the gaps and lay some rubber mats that will protect the felt from both weather conditions and people sitting out on the roof.

We've been quoted £1k to do all this (for 10m2 of these rubber mats, which come asa 1m2). Apparently the rubber mats are a new product (or a new version) - it would be great to know if that description makes sense to people and if that cost seems reasonable.

Thanks everyone.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Promenade tiles may be worth investigating. That may actually be what he is quoting for.

 

[theoldun]

Aquapol is not a waterproofing solution for flat roofs, it is a completely different animal, however Aquapol do manufacture Cromapol Acrylic Water Proofing Roof Coating. This is a short term solution and carries no guarantee, and in our opinion is a waste of space especially over the top of chippings.
Never heard of metre square rubber mats over the top of chippings, and they are definitely not promenade tiles.
Suggest you give the matter a lot more thought and get two or three opinions and quotes from reputable roofing contractors. Thousand pounds is a lot of money for possible bodged job
Note . Unless designed and constructed accordingly, flat roofs are not meant for sitting out on.
Regards oldun

 

[oddjob1200]

To be honest that sounds very excessive to me. it would cost less than that to take up a roof that size, Lay an EPDM membrane and put the peel and stick walk way tiles onto that. Also, anyone who knows anything will tell you that the oils in the bitumen ( sorry for spelling ) will eat at rubber, so it suggests to me that these people could really be trying their luck!

 

[ree]

I agree with theoldun and oddjob1200,

anything over chippings is potentially storing up trouble.
If the roof needs replacing then replace it as per the EPDM option (or similar) as above recommended.

However, to strip and replace a flat roof in London for less than £1000 sounds like a good deal to me - OP, if you go this route then please keep us informed of the details and price(s). Remember that other DIY'ers are reading this.

 

[mindwideopen]

Thanks everyone. The roofer comes well recommended, but we're having a couple of other quotes from people on the local council builder's award scheme.

I think a lot of the cost comes from the price of the mats, which he 'highly recommends' over promenade tiles - annoyingly he doesn't know the tile manufacturer so I can't work out what the tiles are or do proper research into them. I'll keep the thread up to date with what else we hear.