EPDM rubber roofing, and rooflights in rubber roofs

EPDM is a synthetic rubber membrane for flat roofs. On most homes it goes down as one seamless sheet, so there are no joins across the roof for water to find. We lay EPDM roofs on extensions, garages, dormers and garden rooms across Surbiton, Kingston, Surrey and London, and because we fit rooflights too, we can put a skylight or lantern into the roof as part of the same job.

Why EPDM

• Seamless. On most domestic roofs the membrane is a single sheet, cut to size.
• Long lasting. Manufacturers commonly quote a life of several decades, far longer than felt.
• Flexible. It copes with heat, frost and the roof moving through the seasons without cracking.
• Laid cold. It is bonded with adhesive, with no torches or hot bitumen on the roof.

Rooflights in a rubber roof

The detail around a rooflight is where a flat roof is most likely to fail, and it is where EPDM is at its best. The membrane is dressed up and over the upstand in one piece, with formed corners and no gaps, so the rooflight and the roof are sealed together. When we fit a flat glass skylight or a roof lantern into a rubber roof, one team builds the upstand, lays the EPDM and sets the glass, so there is no gap between trades.

How we lay an EPDM roof

1. The old covering is stripped and the deck checked. Any rotten boards are replaced, so the membrane has a sound, smooth base.
2. Upstands for rooflights and lanterns are built, and edge trims go on.
3. The EPDM is bonded to the deck with adhesive, then turned up walls and upstands and sealed.
4. Edges, outlets and the details around each rooflight are finished, and the roof is checked over before we leave.

Prefer a hard, walkable finish, or have a roof with lots of awkward detail? See our GRP fibreglass roofing.