A slate roof, unlike a metal roof, does not rust, but over the years, for various reasons, chips, cracks and through holes appear on it. Eliminating them is not at all difficult for any man, even if he has never repaired a roof before. All that is required is accuracy and a certain amount of patience. This also requires ordinary inexpensive materials and tools.
Will need
- Pieces of roofing felt;
- bitumen mastic;
- blowtorch;
- metal brush;
- broom;
- brush.
The process of filling holes in slate
Using a metal brush, thoroughly clean the damaged roofing slate and the area around it from leaves, dust and dirt. We additionally go over the cleaned area with a broom, for example, a sorghum broom. This operation, despite its simplicity, is very important: if dirt remains, it can negate all our further actions.
Using any brush, generously apply bitumen mastic to the cleaned slate surface.
We light a blowtorch and, using a soft yellowish flame, direct it to the surface of the pieces of roofing felt until they become limp and the bitumen begins to melt on them.
After this, without hesitation, we lay them on a cleaned slate surface covered with bitumen mastic, and press them with our hands wearing mittens to protect against elevated temperatures. Where the pieces of roofing felt are not completely glued, we heat them with the same flame of a blowtorch. It is desirable that the bitumen extends over the entire surface of the pieces of roofing felt, but it is not necessary.
At the final stage of repairing old slate with holes, we generously cover pieces of roofing felt and nearby areas of slate with bitumen mastic in several layers.
We pay special attention to the contact lines of the pieces of roofing felt with the slate surface and with each other.
Within a few hours, the repair area will cool down and the bitumen will harden. At this time, do not allow mechanical impact on the restored area and try to protect it from rain.
If the specified sequence of work stages is followed and care is taken, the restored slate roof will last for many more decades.
