Domestic and residential garages are a common part of urban housing. Many of these garages have flat roofs, typically made of felt, that over time begin to break down, leading to leaks and water ingress. If unnoticed or simply overlooked, the risk of further water ingress increases, potentially damaging more of the thermal and structural aspects of your garage.
At Strandek® Flat Roofing, we’ve specialised in new flat roofs, repairs and upgrades and enhancements since 1976. If you’d like to get in touch with our team, call us on 02921 900011 or send us an online enquiry.
QWhy is the Flat Roof on My Garage Leaking?
Garage flat roofs are prone to leaking for several reasons. These range from simple ageing materials to wear and tear and more commonly poor installation.
Problems arise when small leaks go unnoticed and water ingress can enter into the underlying structure of the roof, damaging the decking and insulation.
Another reason for that leak could be guttering. When gutters become blocked during autumn, rainwater can overflow into the roofing structure. This causes a leak in the flat roof itself and the first signs will often be water stains in the ceiling. Gutter inspections, maintenance and upgrades can fix this.
Irrespective of the cause of the leak in your garage flat roof, a survey will be able to detect the source and provide a solution to fix it. You might just need to unblock your gutters – or you could benefit from a simple repair patch or overlay, where the roof is ‘capped’ with single ply, GRP or polyurethane to provide enhanced protection at a fraction of the cost of a new roof.
QHow Should I Repair a Leak in the Flat Roof on My Garage?
Whether your garage roof is leaking, or you just want a refurbishment, several options are available depending on your requirements. You could read our tips on how locate a leak in your garage roof – and how to make repairs to a leaking garage flat roof or flat roof repair (repair work or a new roof) and budget. Two of the most popular forms are single ply and glass fibre, which are two of the most popular flat roofing systems used today.
QWhich is the best flat roofing material for my garage?
The best material for the flat roof on your garage is probably fibreglass GRP – it has all-round durability and it’s safe to walk on.
But, in our experience, we believe there is no “one-size fits all” approach to flat roofing materials, so we have a regular Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) below to help you choose:
QI have regular foot traffic on my garage flat roof from workmen (e.g. gutter cleaners and window cleaners), which roofing material is best?
This is most likely to be fibreglass GRP or a durable polyurethane liquid-applied coating.
QI want an upgraded flat roofing material on my garage, but I don’t want to replace the insulation, what should I do?
Here we would recommend a flat roof overlay. This is where the outer membrane is scaled back, and the existing surface is ‘capped’ with a new membrane. This comes with the same guarantees as a new flat roof.
QWhat if I won’t have any foot traffic on my garage flat roof?
You could again choose GRP or single ply. Single ply is less durable when it comes to foot traffic, but it does provide comprehensive protection.
QI want to turn my garage flat roof into a balcony or a terrace, which material should I use?
GRP is again a great material for balcony and terrace extensions. It can also be embedded with a non-slip coating that minimises slips and trips. You could use a single ply rubber roofing material, but you would need a paving system on top (single ply rubber roofs can tear when exposed to foot traffic).