[Allie Em]

Need some advise as to a temporary fix - one to two years with a carport/deck area.

The deck is flat and has been covered with asphalt shingles that around about 40 years old. Somewhere along the line it looks as if there was tar spread on the deck. We have too many other more pressing projects to accomplish so cannot spend too much time on this area, but would love to be able to relax during the evenings. Eventually, as we have the composite decking material, we will figure out how to best treat everything so that can be used.

We have heard about the reaction between the oils and rubber. As a female, let's do something quick person, I have found some inexpensive outdoor carpet at Home Depot that I think would work great for the summer and maybe until next summer.

Then question is, how is the best way to install it? There are a few leaks in the roof already, nothing major, so wondering if there is any glue the encapsulate and seals the mess that is already there or do we need to lay luan down first? Any other cheap, quick ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Here is what the deck looks like now.

:vs_worry:

 

[Windows on Wash]

At this point, there is no band-aid fix for that. It all needs to come off and be re-done in single ply membrane or roll out mod bit.

 

[PatChap]

it looks like it may be pretty rotten to, i would do my best to stay off of it until its redone.

 

[joecaption]

The longer you wait on this one the more likely there's going to be major damage to the framing below if it has not already happened.
Nothing that has been done to this roof was done right and none of your suggestions for a quick fix would ever work.
I also would stay off this deck until it's fixed.

 

[craig11152]

Is the carport under that? If so I wouldn't park my car in there.

I agree 100% with all above me....there is no band-aid for that....But I will give you one anyway.

sweep it clean rip off any loose pieces sticking up
Go get 20 gallons of winter grade roofing mastic.
Wait for a 75 degree plus day so the mastic is the consistency of a thick milk shake. Get a driveway brush and coat the whole thing. The results will be...
1. It might stop your leaks for a short while...or not
2. You won't be able to walk on it for weeks or months if ever
3.YOU WILL HATE ME WHEN YOU TEAR IT OFF :vs_karate:

 

[Allie Em]

Thanks for all the input. Actually, the boards under the material are in 100% condition and the deck is extremely solid. There is a solid layer of asphalt tile over the boards and then the tar? that you see in the photo. We have had roofers over as we have to get a dormer put in and the roof replaced first. We have had various opinions as to what to do with it for the long haul, but most feel that leaving the original boards in place, removing as much as possible of the material there, placing some plywood boards down, EDMD? and then decking material. An expense and project that has to wait as we only have weekends to work.

Since the dormer and roof are first and we have other more pressing items, the deck is much further down the list. That's why we (OK, me, the female, LOL) were looking for a quick, make it look a little more presentable for the summer months. Maybe we can get to it this year, but it will probably have to wait until next.

I would be good with just putting carpet over it, but it needs to be glued down or sealed in some spots as we found that after the initial scraping of the material we opened two small areas that cause it to drip underneath.

 

[craig11152]

If you want it to look "presentable" go get the cheapest outdoor carpeting you can find and lay it over. But gluing it down isn't going to happen. Toss some large potted plants here and there along the perimeter if wind is an issue.

 

[Allie Em]

Thank you! I posted here thinking that there was some magic glue or thoughts that would help to slow down the leak and make the area presentable. We were at Tractor Supply today and saw some rolls of 4' wide rubber. I think we have decided to lay that down first and then the carpet just to do a quick fix. We do know that the rubber will deteriorate because of the reaction with the oils in the asphalt/tar.

Thanks for all the replies! We will post a follow up to let you all know if the band aid worked for the summer or if it was a "we told you so" failure. LOL.
:wink2:

 

[gregzoll]

You cannot place carpet and some kind of Rubber material on it. This post has to be a joke, because no one in their right mind would ever believe in placing Carpet on a roof, let alone actually be serious about it.

 

[Allie Em]

Not a joke, but am curious as to why it would be so terrible to place 1/4" rubber matting down first and then the outdoor carpet laid on top? If it works for a few months during the summer as a presentable fix, what would the harm be?

Thanks! Just bought our first house 2 weeks ago, so if it sounds silly, it's because it's our first round of DIY'ers. Enjoy the laughter as we learn from other here.

 

[oldfrt]

Anything placed over that mess will create a moisture sandwich,promoting mold growth and attract ant migration. This will lead to an accelerated failure of what is left to the integrity of that roof.
With the existing leaks,though minor,the wood will never dry out and you will also hasten the deterioration of the decking.

 

[craig11152]

oldfrt is right. The carpeting with or without a rubber mat is not a leak fixer its just a cosmetic band-aid that likely will accelerate the deterioration just as he said.

 

[gregzoll]

Not a joke, but am curious as to why it would be so terrible to place 1/4" rubber matting down first and then the outdoor carpet laid on top? If it works for a few months during the summer as a presentable fix, what would the harm be?

Thanks! Just bought our first house 2 weeks ago, so if it sounds silly, it's because it's our first round of DIY'ers. Enjoy the laughter as we learn from other here.

Again what you are wanting to do, no one would do in their right mind. You cannot place Carpet, some kind of rubber material on that flat roof and think that people are going to take you seriously.

You can do what you want, it is your house, but you are looking at a whole lot of issues thinking that Carpet is the proper material for a roof, which it is not.

You get up on that roof and most likely will fall in. If you place anything that can hold moisture, which carpet can hold a lot of water in it, you are looking at just speeding up the rotting process of the wood ,along with having various kinds of molds and fungi. I am sure that your neighbors are curious why you think that not doing a proper roofing job, is going to solve anything.

 

[gregzoll]

Anything placed over that mess will create a moisture sandwich,promoting mold growth and attract ant migration. This will lead to an accelerated failure of what is left to the integrity of that roof.
With the existing leaks,though minor,the wood will never dry out and you will also hasten the deterioration of the decking.

Plus we all know that worst case if the timbers fail or the roof collapses, it opens them up to a whole lot of liable. We have all seen the outcome of what happens when a structure collapses while someone is under it, and the owners stated that they had no idea that it was unsafe, since it had been standing for so long as it was before it collapsed.

 

[Allie Em]

Thank you all for your advice. Based on the information and concerns here, we had a contractor come up to the house this weekend to take a look. He mentioned that the deck was constructed of superb quality with the right pitch and the roofing materials that were originally used did their job and the boards underneath are solid. The small leaks were similar to what you would find in a house with roofing tiles that were that old. So yes, it's time to get it done, but not an emergency.

His recommendation was to go ahead and lay outdoor carpet (the plastic green, brown or blue stuff) over the top of the asphalt tiles for now as it's breathable plastic and won't hold water or moisture. Yep, NO RUBBER! He said that in his opinion, he would then build upon the base next spring with spacers, plywood and EPDM, finishing with a composite decking material.

Thanks again for your input. Otherwise us newbies wouldn't have contacted anyone for a good inspection of the deck.

I would like to add, that we joined this forum to help guide us in DIY projects. Asking questions is how someone gets educated. Making statements such as "no one in their right mind" isn't a comment that is encouraging to newbies who are asking because they are seeking advice. To do it without asking for advice wouldn't be smart.

 

[craig11152]

After a bit you learn not everybody in here has the same patience or even civility. :vs_cool:

 

[gregzoll]

Again I highly doubt that a reputable contractor would tell someone to use Carpet on a flat roof.

Also those terms you used sound more like some handyman would state.

If it is leaking, there is going to be rotted decking up there, along with the timbers underneath that support that roof in bad shape.

 

[craig11152]

If it is leaking, there is going to be rotted decking up there, along with the timbers underneath that support that roof in bad shape.

That depends on how long its leaked, how much its leaked and what kind of decking there is. On a flat roof a deck will begin to rot quicker than a pitched roof as the water sits and pools. But if the decking is say 1x6 it will find a way down quickly and rot will be minimal. it can take a long time before structural wood rots.
Its possible, maybe likely, being a carport that all the structural members and underside of the deck is exposed to view. One can tell a fair amount and monitor the situation if that is true.