Flat Roofing & Felting in Newcastle.

Why flat roofs leak

Flat roofs have a bad reputation earned entirely by bad installations. A modern torch-on system laid on a sound deck with proper falls will give you twenty years or more. What kills them is standing water from insufficient fall, seams that were never properly bonded, and upstands that stop short instead of being carried up and capped. Almost every failed flat roof we're called to fails at a detail, not in the middle of the field.

• Garage and outbuilding roofs
• Extension and kitchen roofs
• Dormer tops and cheeks
• Built-up porch roofs
• Bay window tops
• Balcony and walkway decks

How we lay a flat roof

We strip back to the deck so we can see what we're building on — there's no point laying a twenty-year membrane over a rotten board. Falls are corrected with firrings where the existing deck is flat or ponding. Then a three-layer torch-on build-up, with upstands carried a minimum of 150mm and capped. For lead-covered flats, see our leadwork page.

1. Free survey — deck condition, falls and existing detail checked
2. Fixed written quote
3. Old covering stripped back to the deck
4. Deck boards renewed where soft or rotten
5. Firrings added where the fall is insufficient
6. Vapour layer, underlay and cap sheet torched on in sequence
7. Upstands, drips and edge trims formed and capped
8. Outlets and gutters connected, site cleared

Felt, EPDM or GRP?

High performance torch-on felt is our default: it's proven, it's repairable, and a good three-layer system gives twenty-plus years. EPDM rubber is a single sheet with no seams on smaller roofs, which suits simple squares. GRP fibreglass is rigid and good for balconies you'll walk on. We'll tell you which suits your roof rather than fitting whatever we buy cheapest.