AW ROOFING
Flat Roofs
one-piece system
What is Felt flat roofing?
Flat roofing has been around since the 19th century and has been evolving ever since. In the UK today there are two main types of flat roofing; felt and EPDM rubber.
Felt flat roofs have been around for much longer than rubber roofing which is only 40 years old. There are a number of reasons why you should be pro-rubber over the old felt method.
If you have a felt flat roof system you will inevitably have joins in the roof which is where one sheet is moulded into another. Anywhere there is a joint there is a risk of a leak and this is one of the reasons that this system in particular has short life expectancy of around 10 years.
Not only does there have to be joins in the roof, felt is also very prone to splitting and cracking. In the hot summer days felt tends to warp and on cold winter days it falls victim to cracking. This is a very common issue in the UK and the repair options when one of the above issues happen are often extremely short term and attractive to look at.
Finally installation, many companies favour felt over EPDM due to the cost of the product, meaning more profit. Where rubber roofs are installed using a number of adhesives, felt just requires a blowtorch which not only allows tradesmen to make more money, but is also a fire risk if not carried out properly.
What is EPDM rubber?
Rubber EPDM roofing is a very common type of flat roofing material, favoured because of its low cost and incredible weatherproof nature. Unlike torched roofing felt, you apply rubber roofing with a rubber adhesive making it a fast and simple installation.
The biggest difference in design is the fact that the rubber roof is all in one large waterproof piece - meaning its virtually impossible to leak if properly installed with the right materials. Furthermore it is a lot tougher than traditional felt and will withstand any weather the UK can throw at it.
EPDM also has insulating properties. Because the roof reflects heat it helps the room to stay cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter, saving you money on energy bills.
The expected durability for one of our flat roofs is around 50 years, so 5x more than a felt system. This is down to many factors such as the fact the rubber roof will move with your house do to its flexibility and the thickness of the rubber we use. In fact they are so tough they can be used for high traffic roof systems such as a balcony.
Because this type of roofing hasn't been around for as long it can be harder to find a professional installer, so rest assured our team have decades of experience in this field. Need to see for yourself? Click here to see some of our latest flat roof projects.