Soft or bituminous tiles - a convenient and practical roofing material. It is very simple to install, and almost anyone with minimal skills in such work can handle the installation. If necessary, you can lay such a roof yourself, without an assistant. It will be a great finishing touch for your garden gazebo - both from the point of practicality and from the aesthetic side.

Advantages of flexible tiles

The material has a small specific gravity and convenient dimensions, is fastened with glue, its final fixation is performed with nails. This tile is made on the basis of bitumen - a resin made of hydrocarbons, so this material has both a decorative and protective function.

• Among the advantages of using the described material for a roof, one can distinguish the following:
• light, well cut and takes on any shape;
• high sound absorption;
• dries quickly;
• high moisture resistance;
• does not require complicated care;
• It tolerates deformation and external influences.

In order for such a roof to fully show its strengths, it is only necessary to lay it correctly, observing some recommendations, which will be discussed below.

Did you know? Soft tiles are very popular in the USA - in the middle of the 20th century almost half of all houses were covered with it. In addition, this country also has the widest range of shingle shapes (roofing material - wood plates): beaver tail, dragon tooth, shingles, brick, rectangle, rhombus, hexagon, etc.

Layout and drawing

Preparatory measures are the most important step in creating a quality roof. They include the preparation of the project and its implementation in the drawing, as well as the calculation of the necessary materials. Even if you clearly and completely imagine the future roof, you will still need a drawing - correctly drawn up, it will allow you to accurately calculate the amount of necessary materials.

Most often, shingles are sold in packages of 3 m². The required number of packages depends on the size and shape of the roof. The easiest way to calculate the area of ​​a gable roof (two rectangles), and, accordingly, the desired number of packages of the product. If, for example, you consider that the roof area of ​​your gazebo is 12 m², it is better not to buy 4 packs, but 5. In the process, unforeseen situations may arise - an overrun or some area will be damaged, and material will need to be replaced.

In addition, at this stage, you should take care of waterproofing. This material is single, double or triple layer. A single-layer membrane is capable of retaining moisture and steam, it is designed to protect attics, verandas, etc. For a gazebo, it is quite suitable, but it is not common on sale. The other two species are much more durable than the first, as they have a reinforced layer. In the three-layer material, there is also an adsorbent membrane, which effectively retains even condensate.

Necessary tools and materials

Soft tiles are easy to install, for its installation requires a minimum number of tools.

In addition to the roofing material itself, you will need:

• construction knife;
• hammer;
• scissors for metal;
• putty knife;
• roulette;
• screwdriver and screws.

Important! If you are laying bituminous tiles in the cold season, you should prepare a building hair dryer.

Instruction manual

Below is a detailed description of all the stages of creating a roof from a bituminous tile.

Surface preparation

Before installing the roof, it is necessary to prepare a surface under it. For this, the rafters need to be sheathed with moisture-resistant plywood or OSB (oriented strand board). The plate is attached to the rafters using nails or self-tapping screws.

If you use boards, they should be prepared in advance. Do this with a grinder, trying to achieve a smooth surface. Then the tree needs to be treated with wood protection impregnation such as Tikkurila Eko Wood, Luxens, etc. When the boards are dry, they can be trimmed with rafters.

Planks and gutter

Certain structural elements require additional reinforcement. For this, cornice, pediment and steel strips are used. In places where the edges of shingles (shingles) are laid without overlapping, they can be lifted up from wind or rains. With the help of iron strips, you can increase the strength of the roof. These elements are fastened with nails with an overlap of 4-5 cm.

In order for water to leave the roof normally, it is necessary to equip a drain. The specific design of the system depends on the features of the roof, the location of the drains and the eaves overhang. The most common option is that the elements of the system are mounted on the crate or cornice strips by means of brackets, after which the gutters are installed.

Waterproofing and insulation

If your gazebo is used exclusively in the warm season, it will not need warming. It will be enough to plant the tile on the glue and burn it. The glazed structure, which is also used in winter, needs to be insulated. The structure is insulated with mineral wool or polystyrene located inside, between the rafters.

This design is called “roofing cake”, as it consists of several layers, each of which has its own function. For a heated gazebo, it is enough to lay down a waterproofing, a layer of expanded polystyrene and sheathe it from the inside with moisture-resistant drywall, plywood, lining or other material.

Did you know? The prototype of the bituminous tile known to us appeared in 1893 in the USA in the form of a material resembling roofing material. After 10 years, Henry M. Reynolds of the Grand Rapids company cut the rolls with shingles - this is how the roofing material known to us today appeared.

Laying flexible tiles

When all the preliminary work is completed, you can start laying the roof.

Installation Rules:

1. Sheets should be laid starting from the bottom edge of the roof.
2. Before starting installation, you need to prepare the surface.
3. Put waterproofing.
4. The first layer is attached to the bottom edge of the roof. To cut off all excess from a tile.
5. The second layer is laid on the first layer and so on, going from the bottom up.
6. The sheet should be cut across to get trapezoidal details. This element is installed on the finished roof.

Laying shingles begin with the markup. Along the entire lower edge of the roof (parallel to it) should draw a line. Perpendicular to this guide, you need to draw a line for each vertical row of tiles. That is, at this stage, your task is to mark the grid on each of the surfaces of the structure. It should be done exactly, since it is needed for the subsequent adjustment of the location of the roof elements.

Further installation is performed according to this scheme:

1. Eaves row. They are made of ordinary or ridge-eaves stripes. Fasten the top edge to a metal bar specially designed for this purpose.
2. First row. If the ramp is long, it is better to start from the middle of it, keeping a distance from the cornice row of 1-2 cm.
3. All the following rows are mounted from the middle. The tread pattern is offset according to the patterns on the outside. They are laid in such a way that the bottom of the shingle is aligned with the notch of the element located beneath it.

Did you know? Processing 1 ton of old shingles can save 1 barrel of oil. In 2012, the United States recovered over 70 million tons of bitumen from such raw materials for the construction of roads.

Adjacencies are made along triangular rails of mates fixed at the corners - this must be done to reliably secure the material.

Features of laying a soft roof on a hexagonal arbor

Covering a hexagonal gazebo with a domed roof is more difficult than working with a regular gable roof, but there is nothing supernatural about it. The procedure has a number of features and is a bit more painstaking in comparison with simple forms.

First of all, you need to calculate the area of ​​the necessary material. Such a domed roof consists of 6 equilateral triangles, in which the side is the length of the ridge, the base is the length of the face. The area of ​​one triangle is calculated by the formula S = ½bh, where b is the length of the roof edge (the base of the triangle), h is the height of the figure (perpendicular dropped from the upper corner and amounting to 90 ° with the base). Multiply the result by 6 - this will be the total area of ​​the hex roof.

Laying is performed similarly as described above for a roof of a simple form: they start from the center and move to the edges. Skates are cut and laid in the same way as they are for a gable roof.

Important! The material for the roof of the hexagonal roof must be purchased with a large margin than for the gable structure.

Bituminous tile allows you to create a reliable and relatively durable roof that can last up to 15 years or more, depending on the manufacturer. In addition, this material gives the roof a beautiful appearance, complementing the overall picture of your gazebo or any other structure. However, it is worth remembering that the most important condition for the long service life of the material is its proper installation.