waterproofing wooden roof

Agusya

Hi,

I have patio wooden roof (made with wooden panels) and its like a sieve  A 'specialist' advised me that best option is to put polyurea cover. It did not work. Now I have it covered with a tarpaulin ,and it still leaks !  What do I do ? help please 

CliveOfIndia

Any chance of a pic?

Sorry, I'm not sure what you mean by a "patio roof" - is this a covering for an outdoor seating area?  If so, I would have thought that being totally waterproof is not a necessity.

But generally, if the wood itself is in poor condition then no amount of waterproof "paint" will help.  But if it's now covered in tarpaulin and still leaking, I'm not sure what the issue could be.  Assuming the tarpaulin itself is OK, is it possible that water is getting in from somewhere else and seeping along rafters or whatever to get to the roof?

Nearlyold

Is this a free standing structure i.e. not attached to the house, or is it attached to the house like a conservatory might be?

Agusya

CliveOfIndia said:

Any chance of a pic?

Sorry, I'm not sure what you mean by a "patio roof" - is this a covering for an outdoor seating area?  If so, I would have thought that being totally waterproof is not a necessity.

But generally, if the wood itself is in poor condition then no amount of waterproof "paint" will help.  But if it's now covered in tarpaulin and still leaking, I'm not sure what the issue could be.  Assuming the tarpaulin itself is OK, is it possible that water is getting in from somewhere else and seeping along rafters or whatever to get to the roof?

yes its over outdoor decking, wooden roof on legs/supports. Its annoying as things I have there get wet (table, sofa) Would you have an idea how to waterproof it? 

Agusya

Nearlyold said:

Is this a free standing structure i.e. not attached to the house, or is it attached to the house like a conservatory might be?

Does it matter? Its attached to the house. Would you have any idea how to waterproof it?

chrisw

Cover the roof panels with roofing felt?

Nearlyold

Agusya said:

Nearlyold said:

Is this a free standing structure i.e. not attached to the house, or is it attached to the house like a conservatory might be?

Does it matter? Its attached to the house. Would you have any idea how to waterproof it?

It might matter if the flashing where the roof abuts the wall of the house is allowing water to creep under the roof. With flat roofs it's always possible the place where the water comes out is not immediately next the place where the water got in.

531063

Epdm         

CliveOfIndia

Agusya said:

Would you have an idea how to waterproof it? 

As mentioned by ChrisW, bog-standard roofing felt is probably the best bet.  Cheap, simple, and a dead easy DIY job.  And you don't need to shell out for top-quality stuff, like you would for a flat roof on a house - just the kind of thing you use on shed roofs would be fine.

TELLIT01

If this is an open structure, basically something like a pergola but with a solid roof, won't the rain blow in from the sides as well?  Wouldn't it be better to have covers for the furniture?  Just a bit of lateral thinking on my part.

Albermarle

TELLIT01 said:

If this is an open structure, basically something like a pergola but with a solid roof, won't the rain blow in from the sides as well?  Wouldn't it be better to have covers for the furniture?  Just a bit of lateral thinking on my part.

Thinking even more laterally. What would be the point in having a roof at all, if you have to cover everything with weatherproof covers anyway?