Why Put Gravel On Roof

A built up roof bur sometimes called a tar and gravel roof is a tried and true style of flat roof.

Why put gravel on roof.

Roofing tar will also protect your roof from wind and from snow and water which can collect on a flat roof. Gravel is an excellent fire retardant. Tar has a low melting point. Here alternating layers of roofing felt usually fiberglass and hot applied asphalt are combined to create a long lasting roof system.

Generally the weight for a gravel coated roof must be within 10 25 pounds per square foot. Advantages of a tar and gravel roof. Roofing tar is often used for tar and gravel roofs or to fix leaks on a roof. These materials provide the waterproof barrier that contains and sheds the water to protect the roof structure.

Roofing tar is a good choice for a flat roof as this kind of material is highly resistant to the ultraviolet rays from the sun. It provides excellent protection against uv rays and is an attractive option for windows and decks that overlook the roof. A layer of gravel or small stones is applied on top of the final. In a typical tar and gravel roof which by the way is gradually being supplanted by gravelless roof systems you put down a layer of tar paper then tar and finally gravel.

Why install a tar gravel roofing system. Pros and cons of roofing tar. A flat roof typically has a rubber or asphalt impregnated membrane. Gravel roof advantages most gravel roofs are inexpensive to build offer some protection to vulnerable asphalt against uv damage and the stones are very durable.

The fact that the gravel collects dirt and moisture can make patching the leaks just as difficult once they have been located. However both rubber and asphalt will lose plasticizers and other v. Talk to ten roofing contractors and you ll get ten answers on what the gravel is for but this seems to be the consensus. They tend to have a lifespan of around 20 to 25 years depending the location and the structure of the rest of the property barring any major natural disasters of course.

Finding a leak in a sea of gravel can be very difficult even more difficult if the gravel has been set in a layer of hot asphalt. Of all the flat roofing options a tar and gravel roof is the most economical. Gravel roof disadvantages on the other hand gravel roofs are hot energy inefficient heavy moisture trapping and unstable.