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EPDM rubber roofing for flat roofs, bays and box gutters
EPDM is a synthetic rubber membrane laid as one sheet, usually with no joins on a house roof. We use it on extensions, garages, dormers and bay roofs, and to line box gutters, and we regularly replace EPDM roofs that somebody else laid badly.
What an EPDM roof includes
We price the whole build-up, not just the rubber:
- Stripping the old covering and checking the deck
- New OSB or ply decking and firrings where the old deck is soft or the falls are wrong
- A single EPDM membrane, fully bonded to the deck
- Upstands taken properly up walls and finished under a trim or lead
- Edge trims, drip details and outlets into the gutter
- Clearing away and completion photographs
Where EPDM is the right choice
EPDM copes well with movement and with cold, it goes down in weather that would stop other systems, and on a small or medium roof it usually needs no seams at all. That makes it our usual choice for dormers, bay roofs, extensions and box gutters, where the structure moves a little with the seasons.
EPDM done wrong, and putting it right
EPDM is simple to buy and easy to lay badly. The faults we see most are membranes that are not bonded down, upstands that stop short, corners that are cut and taped instead of folded, and trims fixed through the membrane. A recent job was a small bay roof that had been leaking since the day it was laid: we stripped it and relaid it in EPDM, done properly.
Questions
How long does EPDM last?
Properly laid on a sound deck with correct falls, decades. Most early failures come from how it was laid, not from the rubber.
Can EPDM go on a box gutter?
Yes. It is one of the best linings for a box gutter because it can be laid in one piece with no joints.
Can you walk on an EPDM roof?
For occasional maintenance, yes. For a balcony or terrace that will be walked on, it needs a protective finish, so tell us at the enquiry.