Leaking roof

[brian m]

Over the last few years I have patched up,re silicone,re grouted,and used numerous types of water sealer on our flat sun terrace roof and stairs up to it. I need to sort it once and for all,ready for the rain .I am aware that there is a rubber type mat/ cover that can go over the existing tiles and then re-tile on top of the new rubber sealer.I have seen this type of roof sealent in the UK,does any one have any knowledge of this or perhaps, better for me,does any one have any experience in solving this problem.?if so what is used and where can I get it from.?
Thanks

[laserblazer]

I don't think there's any such thing as "once and for all" with a flat roof. There are a variety of solution, their longevity is proportional to the cost. From experience, protecting the surface from the direct sun is key. Maccasa is a bit of an expert, so maybe he'll offer some advice. The guy he recommended to us was Eduardo rcmefilhoslda@hotmail.com who I have to say, seems to know what he's doing.

[DaveK]

We had a similar problem and tried similar remedies. It got to the point that we were having to leave a couple of buckets in the middle of the main living room under the roof terrace in case of heavy rain when we were not there. One of our neighbours is a German builder and he quoted for a complete strip of the roof with new membrane and tiles, or the rubber embedded in a compound over the existing deck and embedded into to the side walls with improved drainage. Had the latter done but winter will be the test. Axel, I think, imports his materials from Germany and I will ask when I see him, but that will not now bee until mid September.

[maccasa]

I have 3 large flat roofs and made an extensive study of the various constructions for them, before agreeing with my builder what was to be specified. After 5 years I have had zero problems with any of them. as Lazerblazer says, speak to Eduardo at rcmefilhoslda@hotmail.com, he offers all the options and is usually very competitive.

[brian m]

Thanks for the information, I have sent an email to Eduardo.

[Paraiso]

Try Concretseal in Silves - they work with liquid plastic from ENKE (there is an ad in the Portugal News) and offer a long-term solution (concretseal.portugal@sapo.pt) - their tel. 282 442 506

[sam]

We and our neighbours have had some of our terraces redone. In both cases the tiles needed replacing so they were replaced after the sealant layer was laid. The sealant needs to go about 6 inches up the wall, so render is cut back and reapplied over sealant. Yet to see how successful this is. We have another terrace which can be done over the existing tiles.
The flat above us sealed their terrace last year after we had a lot of water coming through to our lounge. After it had dried out we redecorated. Everything was fine over the winter then during the heavy rains in Spring it started coming in again. Parts of our lounge need decorating again. They have resealed , but I suspect this is a temporary solution.
We have been advised that the plastic paints used these days do not allow the walls to breath, so when water does come through it pools behind the paint until it bubbles, bursts and peals. The old paints allowed evaporation and so small amounts of water ingress dried out and caused less damage.
Water often seeps through under a plant pot, flower bed or other structure and removing these can sometimes resolve/reduce the problem on older terraces.

[Paraiso]

The liquid plastic of the ENKE range is breathable and of course you won´t have a proper sealed roof terrace by just applying some kind of plastic paint. The ENKE stuff is applied in 2 layers, of course at least 15 cm up the wall (floor-wall-connection) and has a fleece inset. Thus, it´s a breathable long-term, reliable protection against moisture penetration. Due to its water vapor permeability the terrace is able to dry out fully over time. You can tile on the top.