Flat Roofing Materials

As their name suggests, flat roofing is horizontal or has a very slight pitch. Traditionally, it has tended to be used in more arid climates without much rainfall. In areas where there is more rainfall, great care has to be taken that the flat roofing is waterproof and that a system for drainage of rain is both installed and maintained. There are various types of flat roofing. Structural concrete can be used during the construction process as long as the underlying roof structure can support its weight. Traditionally, a system of placing tar or asphalt over felt paper (impregnated with bitumen) has been used. On top gravel is placed to make it more durable. In more recent buildings single large factory-made sheets of materials like EPDM (a synthetic rubber) or PVC are installed in various ways; they are ballasted, mechanically attached or fully adhered. Other types of flat roofing can use gel or liquid membranes, which are easy to install and completely waterproof. Flat roofing is more commonly used for commercial or industrial buildings than it is for homes. For homeowners it is more likely to be constructed by someone who is interested in using the flat roof as supplementary living space.