Hogz is wild but he knows his s**t better than any of us, as far as EPDM roofing, plus he’s a nice and generous fellow.
Your house sounds like my mobile home....especially the wiring and plumbing. I am a registered Maine Professional Engineer, but with 2 ex wifes to support and a raft of children my $100 grand a year, hardly covers expenses in my s**t box house.  I know you can do this on your own dude, especially with a helper to control the membrane flop factor. And a 10 foot sheet should be easy to control...especially since me and Hoggy have divulged some of the more important trade secrets. You can do it even if you have to temporarily set your self up as a contractor to buy these goods at the prices i have given you...which are wholesale contractor prices ...retail will cost you 30 -50% more. So be brave and do it any way you can as it doesn’t seem you have extra disposable income to waste on some half stewed EPDM roofers. Most of them will take the easy way out of a situation in my experience...Hogz and myself excluded.
Write if you need more clarification. Joe

That tar paper that you speak of could very well be tar paper, but not the 15# felt (AKA tarpaper) It could 30# felt if no granuals are showing… or it could 2” salvage with granuals but doesn’t afford double coverage. Real rolled roofing gives double coverage, but starts bubbling the day you put it on and doesn’t even come with a 30 minute garrantee. It is not suitable, nor recommended for flat roofs…

Hi njtomatoguy if it’s a flat roof it’ll be easy to do yourself with half lap roll roofing using a roofing sealant under the half lap. Bet you could do this yourself for a lot less than 500.

btw I use to belong to the New Jersey heath and fitness center right on rt 73 in Maple Shade. I loved that place it opened at 0400hr and all the professional working women would show up before work...life was good there when I was assigned to Ft Dix and living in Mt Laurel.

OK back to then roof just go to HD and they will tell you everything you have to know about doing this. Roll roofs are the absolute easiest to put on. But in a pinch just get some roofing cement and patch the leak till you can get a contractor there.

I think the stuff that double actor 7 refers to is called double savage. If you do use this method the only way you can dare hope it will be waterproof is cover the entire roof first with bituthane AKA Grace Ice and water shield...thats the best brand cost about $100 a roll(wholesale) that covers 225 sq. Ft. This stuff comes in 3” rolls and is sticky once you peel the wax paper off from it. Work it in small sestions as it is very unforgiving. Once it touches down it stays when it is put. There are some tricks to it’s application and you need further guidence ....just ask
Joe Mainer

JPapiPE - 11 July 2008 12:40 PM

I think the stuff that double actor 7 refers to is called double savage. If you do use this method the only way you can dare hope it will be waterproof is cover the entire roof first with bituthane AKA Grace Ice and water shield...thats the best brand cost about $100 a roll that covers 225 sq. Ft. This stuff comes in 3” rolls and is sticky once you peel the wax paper off from it. Work it in small sestions as it is very unforgiving. Once it touches down it stays when it is put. There are some tricks to it’s application and you need further guidence ....just ask
Joe Mainer

GOTTA ASK=what if watershield was put down properly, roof drained properly so no ponding occurred, & thick layer of latex roof paint was applied to watershield?
thanx

Grace Ice and Water shield (the best that the market has to offer IMHO) is not made to be itself a final roof covering. It doen’t have the U.V. Tolerance and will deteriorate with time, first becoming unstuck at the edges and then the progression of deterioration becomes excellerated. Further more, painting the stuff is just a stop-gap measure as the material is not meant to hold paint. It is strickly a good membrane system that provides protection from any water that breeches the main roof material.
I am no expert on the subect and stop-gap measures such as nailling down the edges and coating them with EPDM lap sealant may increase the life span of the product...maybe by years. It’s like the guy who has a leaking chimney and covers the whole mess with tar (black plastic cement) , This may be a temporary fix but in time the freeze thaw cycle of weather will crack this fix and more tar will be needed to cover the resultant cracks. One might go for years using this method, but eventually the real problem must be addressed. If you are very poor...this might be your only alternative, but it is by no means a permanent solution. Certainly better than nothing.

Roofs are very important as they keep the water out and hence protect the inside of your house....Once you allow a roof breech to continue your risk ceiling and wall covering damage and allow rot to collect in unseen places that may never have the proper ventilation to dry out. It’s the start of downward spiral and will reduce the resale price of your home dramatically. Best to bite the bullet if you can. A good roof makes for a good dry interior and prevents that certain smell that indicates rot.  I know the smell well. I can sense it when i walk through someones front door. I have over 30 years of rebuilding and repairing rotted sections of buildings. And it’s not cheap. You’ll spend a bunch of money and have nothing to show for your hard earned dollars...except things that can’t be seen.

painted a wall over a roof years ago & oops spilled latex on roof which has reminded me of my slop ever since
i think that if asphalt is painted,after aging 2 yrs?, & repainted every 10 or so yrs, the asphalt will not uv degrade & roof will last forever!
grace is rubber? i wonder.
white is rite for roof!

Glowball Worming Bust - 11 July 2008 02:22 PM

painted a wall over a roof years ago & oops spilled latex on roof which has reminded me of my slop ever since
i think that if asphalt is painted,after aging 2 yrs?, & repainted every 10 or so yrs, the asphalt will not uv degrade & roof will last forever!
grace is rubber? i wonder.
white is rite for roof!

An oops of paint on asphalt is one thing. To coat an entire roof with paint, will just not hold up.
The shingle will still deteriorate although just as slowly as without paint. But the paint will flake & peel off in time.
Once it starts coming loose. Any further paint put on top of the old paint will just peel off as the first older paint layer keeps flaking & peeling.
If it was an easy fix, you’d see it everywhere.
When it comes to a roof, do it right the first time, or pay lots of water damage bills in the future & still have to then pay for the roof to be done right.

Sometimes an asphalt roof going bad can be covered over with new asphalt. Codes in my area state that a roof shall contain no more than 2 layers of shingles. Stripping a roof is of corase the best method. This allows you to address and replace worn or bad flashing and also gives you the opportunity to put a bituthane membrane on the stripped roof deck...including 36” at the eaves ...18” at the rakes and 36” of membrane in the valleys. These are minimun numbers for membrane. Trouble spots should have more coverage. Of coarse the best method is to do the whole roof if it is small enough, But flat roofs need 100% coverageof membrane. If the old roof has started to bubble or wrinkle and is anything but flat, it needs stripping. If there are more than 2 layers of roofing it should be stripped. Roofing is heavy stuff...ranging from 235# to 350# per 100 sq feet Add snow accumulation to this and it’s an accident waiting to happen. Cave -in. Check your rafter size and spacing. some old building have over sized rafters and could stand a 3rd layer of roofing, if code allows. Check to see if you have a ridge and the thickness and condition of the sheathing. Stripping is always best though . For some reason the oldtimers used very small step flashing pieces with 2” on the roof and 2” up the sidewall. Flashing required today is 4” on the roof and 4” up the side wall and with each layer of shingle a piece of flashing is required and not to less that 8” long

There have been some really good replies, but something is missing in most. When you use bonding adhesive on EPDM, it is used as a contact cement. You don’t get to smear it on and then put the EPDM directly into it. If you read the manufacturer’s installation instructions, the intent is clearly to apply it to both sides, and use it as a contact cement.

In the real world, this makes EPDM difficult for many DIY installations. It seems easy, but if you miss some of the minor details, you can wind up with an expensive pile of junk on your roof. Rolling bonding adhesive to the deck and then rolling the EPDM over it is one of those ways.

When we install EPDM, there is a “push test” (manufacturer’s spec) that requires the bonding adhesive (applied to the deck and the folded back roll) has flashed off before coming into contact with the other surface. You push, and it should NOT be liquid.

The problem is that when you have an awkward, flexible material covered with adhesive that bonds on contact to the deck, the process of getting it rolled into position is a bit arduous. It is also the reason that many newbie roofers and contractors ignore the “let both sides flash off before they come in contact” restriction. That is, they have not been in business long enough to see how applying “dry” EPDM over a rolled coat of bonding adhesive can come back to bite you in a year or two or three.

If you want to tackle it, it takes at least two people. Position the EPDM, fold it back the long way about half the distance, apply bonding adhesive to the underside of the EPDM (now on top) and the deck, and allow to flash off. Use a push broom or similar and push the center of the sheet into the adhesive. Then move first one direction, then the other, pushing the EPDM into the adhesive a bit at a time, while your helper holds the sheet up enough, and tightly enough, to keep it from contacting the deck surface prematurely--meaning before it has been broomed carefully into place.

There is a much easier solution. Put down a 1/2” rigid insulation board first, secured with 3” metal discs and screws, then use water-based adhesive (Mule-Hide). Use the same process, except that you can broom the ("dry") EPDM directly into the wet adhesive. That one detail will take almost all the hassle out of DIY EPDM.

One other tip: For an area that small, go with a heavier, reinforced EPDM. Just ask for “60 mil reinforced.” The few extra dolalrs you spend for the better material may well be the best investment you ever make.
Good Luck!

EPDMSpecialist

http://www.EPDMSpecialists.com

I believe I mentioned in one of my posts about gluing the field & the rubber.
As far as how your describing managing the rubber to adhere to the field, insulation, Iso, fiber board, whatever etc. I have never in 13 years had a problem getting air between the folded rubber layers and rolling it out with great ease & no wrinkles. Having done miles & miles of squares of EPDM does give an advantage. And yes I have seen wrinkles from 2 things, either a serious gust of wind at an inopportune time, or a rookie either rushing rolling it out, or not rolling it at same pace as the other person(s).  Brooming it before the entire sheet is down is just asking to create wrinkles, as so is lifting the rubber and trying to lay in or flop in. Small or confined cut up areas often leave no choice but to lift, flop, make several folds etc. Been there done that. I have always broomed after down, and would not change due to the success I have had.
As far as Mule Hide, I’m sorry but we always considered Mule Hide at the lower tier of roofing material/manufacturer. Firestone also, and yes much cheaper.
If any company basically is putting lower grade roofing systems down, its because they could not pass & qualify the stringent requirements of the likes of quality materials & manufacturers such as Carlisle, Goodyear etc.
I have used many, Carlisle SynTec being the most stringent inspections. Earned many jackets, shirts etc, etc, etc for the numerous 10’s we received.
Bottom line, is everyone has a way they do things. I base mine basically as taught & certified through the manufacturers, required training etc. but yes, many time improvised. Everyone has their way to achieve results. Whatever works best for ya, as long as it passes inspection.
And goes without saying, the reinforced rubber can be a bit more of a PITA to put down, especially with areas that are small or with lots of protrusions. It is less forgiving and less pliable as the unreinforced.
I do agree that the .060 is tougher and less prone to holes. The reinforced even more so.

Thanks Hogz

Looks like a spammer. 1st post and a link to a website.

njtomatoguy - 28 July 2008 07:41 AM

Thanks Hogz

Looks like a spammer. 1st post and a link to a website.

Actually he gave some good info, but does kinds look a lil spamish.
But again, good info for free is always a good thing.
Stay away from the Mule Hide though, it truly is garbage.