Fibreglass roofing
Fibreglass roofing, also known among roofers as GRP roofing (glass fibre reinforced plastic) is the perfect type of roofing to use for flat roofs. This is due to a series of factors, including its remarkable strength (less so than carbon fibre, but carbon fibre is also a lot more brittle) the fact that it’s lightweight and easy to apply and finally its viability. Fibreglass is not only used for roofing, but also a host of other items from boats to hot-tubs. It is created from large furnaces that in some way weld the plastic and the glass together; to make the plastic reinforced glass known as GRP.
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Due to its lightweight properties, Fibre-glass provides the opportunity for a much faster roof installation because it lowers weight manual handling issues. After all, no one wants to carry a huge weight up to a semi-built roof and back to the van at the end of the day! GRP Roofing can also withstand heavy traffic, so for those flat roof owners who like the idea of a party high up there’s absolutely no worry about the roof caving in from over-drunken dancing. The greatest thing about GRP roofing is it’s completely and utterly environmentally friendly, which has never been more important in this day and age where fears of climate is on the rise.
First of all, before any fibreglass is added to the mix, a deck has to be laid down, this is boarding usually used with 18mm tongue and OSB3 boards with grooves in them designed to minimise expansion and contraction. To make sure there are absolutely no points in which water can enter, boards are staggered. They’re then fixed to the joists with run-of-the-mill nails guns or alternatively they can be screwed down with a screw gun.
Once edge trimmed and bandaged with a special catalyst that hardens the fibre-glass resin that helps the edge trimming, laminating can take place. Firstly, using a simple roller, the resin is rolled out just before the GRP resins and bandaging have cured. Next pre-cut strand mats are laid out in the appropriate position and rolled out with resin using the roller. Carefully the mats are rolled out metre by metre, to assure accuracy. Laminate has to be rolled right out to the edges, otherwise the GRP won’t work properly, and there’ll be a higher chance of leakage. When the laminate is opaque or a completely white colour, the job has been done correctly. Once the resin has cured to a satisfactory amount, it is sanded down with gritted sandpaper. This is to ensure a perfect, shiny finish. Then a silicone gun is used to seal the edges of adjacent walls.
The finishing resin is applied once it has been mixed with a curing catalyst, the final coat will cure faster than the other coats, and hopefully if the job’s been done right, you’ll now have a perfectly waterproof flat roof ready to have various parties, and there should be no joints or seams. If you really want to have an eccentric roof, you can have flat roofs painted a myriad of colours, just ask your roofer for information. After all, if you had your roof painted red and green, once Christmas swings around you wouldn’t need to worry about lighting.
Fibreglass roofing has become immensely popular amongst roofers, and is an efficient, modern way to make a perfect, waterproof, party-holding roof top.
