Bay window roof help

MisterNick

We had the ceiling in the bay windows insulated and replastered. We have had some water come from above the side windows.
The builder had a look and found a couple of cuts in the roof and opened them slightly and glued them back down. This I think is a temporary fix.
I think the cornice and roof are one piece and made of fibre glass.
I am wondering whether I can get some good quality glassfibre varnish, (marine style) and clean it down and paint it on.
Does any body have any better solutions or what type of varnish I could buy please.

Many thanks in advance

 

MisterNick

I just thought I would bump this in case somebody with knowledge has missed it.
I have also attached a further picture looking down on the roof of the bay window which may help.

Many thanks

grumbler

Any vanish is purely decorative and won't make this 'temporary' solution permanent. IMO, you need another layer of glass fibre and epoxy resin. There are various kits available.

ThisIsWeird

MisterNick said:

The builder had a look and found a couple of cuts in the roof and opened them slightly and glued them back down. This I think is a temporary fix.
I think the cornice and roof are one piece and made of fibre glass.

 

Hi Nick.

You first need to know for certain what the roof material is. Fibre glass(GRP) is usually pretty obvious, as you can often see the fibre's 'strands' in it; it is rarely dead flat and smooth. Also, GRP is hard and brittle, so I'm not sure how your builder 'opened up' and 'glued back down' what should be a firm sheet?

The 'varnish' you are referring to is presumably the decorative 'gel coat' IF it is GRP, but this won;t really help as it is a very brittle coating with no 'bridging' properties. So, if you coat it over a crack, and that crack moves at all, the coat will crack too.

So, IF this is GRP, then it'll ideally need what Grumb says - abrading right down to the 'strand' layer, and more GRP matting and resin laid on.

Alternatively, there are paint-on products such as Cromapol, which are super-sticky, flexible, and have fibres in them to bridge cracks and holes. The surface would need cleaning right down first, and ideally 'keyed', but these are good products and should last many years - and you can get them in white (ideal, as it reflects sunlight).

'Cromapol' will seal just about any roof material, but if this is GRP, then I'd suggest it's repaired properly using more GRP.

FreeBear

ThisIsWeird said: Also, GRP is hard and brittle,

GRP can be slightly flexible without being brittle. The trick is to reduce the amount of hardener and allow the resin to cure slowly - There are specialist resins available that allow for a bit more flex.

MisterNick

Hi, Thanks for your comments and pointers.

I will get up there and give it a good clean down to see what is on the roof. It is sounds promising that it will not have to be replaced, which is what I feared.

ThisIsWeird

Once clean, try and take close-up shots at a low angle, to hopefully reveal any texture in the finish.