Need some roofing advice. Might have screwed up

[Vg3200p]

I might have screwed up. Trying to fix some roof leaks until we saved up for a metal roof. (We like to not have to finance anything besides mortgage). I'm handy with alot but have never done roofing. So I put about 50 gallons of fibered roof and foundation sealer on all the problem spots. It's on about 70% of the roof now. It did work! We got some rain after I put it on and the rood didn't leak. But I went up there to add some more tonight and the stuff still isn't dry. It's like the consistency of hot road tar. I started reading on internet and found out this stuff is not made to be put over shingles. So how bad did I screw up/ what should I do?

 

[brenndatomu]

Just "made a mess" IMO...should still extend the life of the roof a lil longer...I mean if its not leaking then its still a win, right?
A couple (3?) years ago I started calling around to get someone to repair/replace the roof in a problem area on our house...its a valley that dumps out onto a very low slope enclosed porch roof that was added on well after the house was built...actually had the whole roof replaced in 2010 because it was due, and because then I thought that would guarantee the roof would no longer leak there, since it had been totally redone. Nope. I picked the wrong roofer...turns out he was only good with doing easy replacements, not making trouble spots right!
Anyways, everybody I called (except for one, and he was way too high!) said that it was too late in the year to apply their products and I'd have to wait until spring...but there was no way I was going to let it leak all winter! Got lucky a week or two later with a very warm November day and I decided to try an old roofing technique that I had stumbled across online...basically you coat the roof with a heavy coat of paint and then cover it with a piece of heavy fabric (like a light canvas, or heavy painters cloth) while its still wet, then work it into the paint...then top coat it with another coat of paint too...supposedly lasts for many years! At the last minute I decided to use roof coat (tar) instead of paint, it has worked fine, as far as no more leak, but I see that the tar kinda melts and oozes downhill a little when it gets real hot out. What was done as an emergency repair to get through the winter has worked out very well though, and is still doing the trick 3 years later.

 

[brenndatomu]

You could try sprinkling sand on it to help "dry it up"...that's what I did a couple weeks ago when I shingled the roof over a new garage addition, specifically where the new tied to the old...I had to face nail the last cap shingle and I coated the nails with some blackjack roof caulk, but I didn't like the shiny black spots on my grey roof...so I swept up some granules out of the roof gutter and sprinkled them on the wet caulk...made those spots instantly disappear! Didn't have to worry about accidently stepping in it and getting it tracked all over the roof after that either! I Looked the next day...it totally blends in from the ground...can't tell anything was done.
You may not be able to get "color matching sand" like I did, but if its just temporary to get by until replacement, then "meh"...

 

[Vg3200p]

Thanks for the response. It made me feel alot better. I don't care about the looks. I was worried about it still not being set after 2 days. Glad it has worked for you. How bad did it run in the summer? Did it fill your gutters? Also how thick did you put it on? I used a roofing brush supposedly made for this stuff and it broke real fast. Then tried a roller. It's kinda half ass glossed on there. To the point where it feels squishy when I step on it

 

[brenndatomu]

Some did run into the gutter, but not a lot...BUT, this is a very low slope roof too.
I put it on fairly thick since I wanted a layer that the painters cloth would soak into...then another lighter coat over that....over time it has dried enough that I can walk on it without making a mess...except ultra hot days maybe.

 

[Vg3200p]

Some did run into the gutter, but not a lot...BUT, this is a very low slope roof too.
I put it on fairly thick since I wanted a layer that the painters cloth would soak into...then another lighter coat over that....over time it has dried enough that I can walk on it without making a mess...except ultra hot days maybe.

Cool. Thanks again man you put my mind at ease. I can live with a messy tarry roof. I'm already dreading tge day I have to pull the shingles off for the metal roof though. That's gonna be a nightmare with this crap on there

 

[brenndatomu]

I'm already dreading tge day I have to pull the shingles off for the metal roof though.

Like I said, I think I'd head up there with a flat shovel and some sand, sprinkle that around, it will pretty much alleviate the "mess" aspect of it...and personally, I'd do it sooner than later.

 

[Vg3200p]

Like I said, I think I'd head up there with a flat shovel and some sand, sprinkle that around, it will pretty much alleviate the "mess" aspect of it...and personally, I'd do it sooner than later.

Will do thanks

 

[zrock]

If you are debt free that's when i would be financing to do the roof. While you think the patch is working it could still be leaking and damaging the structure, you just may not be able to see it. Not to mention a roofing company is going to charge you more to remove that mess so in reality between the patch and the removal you are costing yourself more in the long run. Personally i would be getting a loan or line of credit and getting that taken care of. Not to mention now you have no insurance coverage on your roof so if anything happens your really going to be screwed... Spend now save a lot later

 

[EatenByLimestone]

That sounds expensive if you aren’t doing the work yourself. You can probably get close by pricing out the materials and then multiplying by 3 or 4.

 

[coal and wood man]

About 10 years ago when my garage needed a new roof I decided to go with a metal roof. I was also in my 50's then. The garage is 3/12 and there was only one course of shingles on it so instead of pulling the old shingles off I decided to just go over top. Pulled off the peak and the edges and put 1X8 flat down on the peak and the edges. Then I put 1X3 down 16" on centers. After this my roof was delivered. Ordered direct from the manufacturer and a flatbed showed up and parked at the farm across the street and I loaded all the materials on my roof racks on my pickup. This was nice as I had all the pieces pre-cut to 17' 1" lengths. Parked the truck parallel to the garage and was done the whole project in 4 days. Only mistake I made was using some red chalk line to mark the furring strips and that stuff took almost a year to wear off. Spent less than 4000 for the entire project for a garage that is 30 X 40'. Crazy thing there was a hail storm 4 years ago and the insurance company paid to have the entire rood replaced. They replaced my house roof too and repaired the slate part. I kept the old metal roof and reused it on my garden shed and my wood shed. Even used it as siding on the garden shed and wood shed. The rest I traded for logs.