FLAT ROOF WATERPROOFING

Flat roofs are an increasingly popular type of roof construction, and it’s not hard to see why considering their numerous advantages over other roofing formats. To start, they’re typically cheaper and easier to build and maintain than sloped roofs since they offer a more navigable surface with plenty of room to store tools and equipment, typically take up less space and thus require fewer materials and less labor, and their shape avoids trapping warm air or allowing conditioned air to escape, which means less money spent on climate control efforts. Perhaps most interestingly, flat roofs create opportunities for another highly useful and enjoyable space, and are often converted into gardens or other types of recreational spaces. So what’s the problem? Well, for all their benefits, flat roofs suffer from one fatal flaw: their flat surface means that water and moisture can rapidly accumulate, making it easier for water to find the path of least resistance inside a building. Moreover, water need not even enter the building to cause problems for your flat roof. Water accumulation can instead be the cause of a compromised roof, creating one problem that quickly transforms into another. So while flat roofs are great for many different private and commercial buildings, they require additional protection to reap their benefits while minimizing their drawbacks.