Before any EPDM membrane is installed on a Lockleaze property, proper attention needs to go into checking the condition of the roof deck underneath, since the membrane can only perform as well as the surface it is bonded and dressed onto. Understanding how this check is actually carried out helps explain why it is such an important part of a proper installation.
The process begins by fully removing the existing roof covering, whether that is old felt, a previous rubber membrane, or another material. This is a necessary first step, because a deck cannot be properly assessed while it remains hidden beneath an old covering, and simply overlaying new material without this step would risk installing a new roof over an already compromised base.
Once the deck is exposed, it is inspected visually and physically across its whole surface, not just in the areas where a leak may have been reported. This is important because water damage does not always announce itself where it started; damp can travel along the underside of a covering or across the top of the deck before showing as a stain some distance away inside the property, so a full check avoids missing damage outside the immediately suspected area.
Checking typically involves looking for discolouration, softness underfoot, and any give or flex when pressure is applied to different sections of the boarding. Areas around penetrations, such as vent pipes, and around the edges of the roof where trims and upstands meet the deck, are given particular attention, since these are common points where past water ingress tends to concentrate.
Where sections of decking are found to be sound, dry and properly fixed, they are cleaned down and left in place to form the base for the new EPDM membrane. Where sections are found to be soft, delaminated or otherwise compromised, that timber is cut out and replaced with new boarding matched to the existing deck, ensuring a consistent, stable surface across the whole roof before installation continues.
Beyond the deck itself, this stage is also an opportunity to check that the falls across the roof are adequate for proper drainage, and that the timber around any wall or chimney junctions is sound enough to support new trims and edge detailing. Addressing any issues found here before the membrane goes down avoids simply carrying old problems forward into a new roof.
This thorough approach takes a little more time than a quick re-cover, but it is what allows an EPDM roof to deliver the long, reliable service life it is capable of. On every installation we carry out in Lockleaze, this deck inspection is treated as a standard part of the process rather than an optional extra, and Brunel Roofing Bristol will always explain clearly what is found and what, if anything, needs addressing before your new roof goes in.
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