roof shingles too heavy?

[n00blike]

Hello I live out in CA and we just had a big wind storm a few days back. It was weird warm and really windy, anyways the wind split the seam of our 72ish MH roof.

The seam ran lengthwise about 1/3 the way on the right half of the house. the material got pulled back about 2-3 feet in some areas. the material is a black kind of rubber (not sure) it is covered with tar. Under that there are some Styrofoam sheets and then wood.

The roof is showing it's age and instead of repairing it i was thinking of having someone redo the roof. I was talking with one guy and he said he had put shingles on a few mobile home roofs.

I have little experience with shingles but i do know they were quit heavy. He said that he used light weight shingles but im not to update with shingle tech.

I wanted to know if it was common to go from my roof's excising material to shingles.

Or are there better alternatives?

thanks in advance

[joedirt63]

most of the roofs i've seen are shingled or metal. if it where me and i could afford it i would go with a metal roof. i've used regular shingles for my m/h but had removed the old first. yes weight can be an issue, seems mother nature gave you a head start. heh heh. jd will chime in soon he can tell you right to the last penny almost

[n00blike]

im mainly worried because when we repaired the ceiling i saw the roof rafters were 2X2. I was not sure how much weight it could take.

[JD]

It sounds like you have an EPDM rubber roof. They actually do last a very long time. The new materials and options are much better than the early products. If the foam is in good condition, you could just replace (or have replaced) the membrane. This will be more expensive than the materials for a DIY steel panel roof, but I feel you would have a much better roof. I would really advise against installing shingles and weight is the problem. JMO

[n00blike]

thank you guys! I had a feeling that guy was wrong. Were can one purchase the rubber membrane from? Should it be something specific?

Can you recommend anyone around the Monterey bay area, to install that rubber membrane?

What do you guys think about that peal & seal stuff? Can i use this for a fix?
http://www.lowes.com/pl_Peel+Seal_42949 ... 963790_41_
http://www.roofer911.com/roofs-peel-seal.htm

[JD]

I don't know of roofers in your area but your local roofing supply store should know some of the busier contractors. That contractor would have to look at your foam panels to be sure he can still use them. A new PVC roof should easily last 20 years and more.

Some suppliers don't carry the rubber roofs (Single-Ply Roofing) at all and some of those that do carry these products only sell to qualified contractors, due to agreements with the manufacturers. You should still be able to find a company that will sell the product without warranty. EPDM rubber roofs have improved over the years and they will also last 20 years and more. EPDM roofs can be installed with adhesive alone, eliminating the need and skill required to operate a seam welder. I still like the PVC roof better. I think they will last longer.

The Peel N Stick product you show is available in large rolls for total roof covering. I think they are 48" wide or so. That small 6" roll would not work because you need to overlap the courses of tape. Central Piers (centralpiers.com) here in Fresno, CA sells the large rolls. You can contact the manufacturer to see if there is a distributor closer to you. Personally, I would not install this product. I have seen to many of them flapping in the wind. But I do see the appeal of this product to a DIY home owner. No flames, no heat, no multiple layers, no training required. As a contractor charging for labor, I feel I can offer better products for the price. But DIY without labor charges would save a ton of dough.

[n00blike]

What about this stuff?
Have any of you used this of heard any6thing about it?

http://www.epdmcoatings.com/liquidroof.html

the bad thing is it only comes in white and they don't allow white roofs at my park, since there are people living above others on a hill.

Thanks agian you guys have been a very big help!

[JD]

Liquid Roof is an excellent product. The good thing about this product is that it is usually put on in one thick coat rather than multiple coats. On the down side, there are coating materials that it cannot be applied over like most asphalt stuff (most of the black sealants found on roofs) or silicone. There are thorough instructions on that web site you found.

For your application, all of the loose roofing would have to be repaired and all asphalt removed completely or covered with a rubber roof tape or suitable coating (Ame's Coatings). If the asphalt is any where near the seams of your old roof, that is probably what separated the seams.

Repairing the loose roofing could be a problem. You mentioned that your rubber sheet roofing is black. That means it could be TPO rubber or EPDM, as well as derivatives of these two products sold as private label products. TPO can be difficult to re-adhere to the substrate and the loose portion may need to be repaced. All of the section with "tar" on it may need to be removed as well. Asphalt based products leech the plasticizors out of the rubber material and eats it up. Point is, you may need a single ply roofing contractor to repair the old roof before you could apply the Liquid Roof product. You will have to weigh the costs and benefits of adding this repair cost to the Liquid Rubber, which can be pretty pricey on it's own. It may be cheaper and better to have the existing roofing removed and a new single ply cap sheet put on.

Liquid roof is available in black as well as the more common white.

I would recommend getting a free estimate from a single ply roofing contractor. Just tell him that you need the repair to be as economical as possible. His estimate would give you a lot of information as to what needs to be done as well as give you an idea of how honest and knowledgeable he is, in case you choose to hire him.

[n00blike]

Liquid roof is available in black as well as the more common white.

Do you happen to have a link where i can buy it in black?
Every thing i have found is in white.

What about this "Armor Roof Coating " stuff?

http://www.armorgarage.com/coroco.html
it says

Recommended for coating over flat or pitched roofs and all types of roofing materials such as Metal Roofs, Wood Roofs, EPDM, APP, TPO, OSB. Modified Roofs, Gravel Built Up Roofs and Hypalon. Tar/Asphalt-based roofing may experience some color 'bleed through' with white coating, this is strictly cosmetic and not a performance issue. Can be used to coat over leaking roof shingles to fully encapsulate. Available with embedded rubber granules version for roofs that have areas that are walked on regularly such as roof decks or areas around roof mounted mechanical equipment.

And they seem to have a lot of colors available white and gray at no extra charge but other colors add $40 per 5gal.

[JD]

I don't have any first hand experience with the flexible epoxy coatings, but I would think they are a viable product. There are several big name commercial products manufacturers that make a version of this for single ply roofing coatings.

I don't know what the coverage per gallon is, but if it anything like Liquid Roof or Ame's Roof Coatings, I would go with gray for free. A big (24x60) roof usually takes about 36 gallons of Liquid Rubber for a one coat roof or 58 gallons of Ames for a 4 coat application (comparable to the liquid rubber 1 coat).