Without fear of heights, we can perfectly clean and demoss our roof ourselves. If that is not the case, we can still call in the professional. With spring ahead, it will be the right time. In recent months, our roofing has been given a hard time. A thorough overhaul is certainly not an unnecessary luxury. How do we tackle this job, and which tips and precautions should we take into account to make our roof the eye-catcher again?
Moss and algae provide water infiltration
In recent winter months, our roofing did indeed suffer very hard again. Rain and wind, but certainly also snow and ice, did their job thoroughly. Moisture is undoubtedly one of the biggest enemies of our roofing. After all, moisture gives the development of disfiguring mosses and algae free rein. And these mosses and algae immediately start their destruction work. In most cases they are responsible for water infiltration and for the occurrence of leaks in our roof. Undoubtedly, now is the most appropriate time to thoroughly tackle the harmful and disfiguring contamination of our roof.
Green living environment ideal for moss and algae
The formation of both moss and algae depends on several factors. A green and tree-rich environment provides an ideal framework for the development of moss and algae. Environmental pollution, moisture and (acid) rain, older and therefore porous roof covering, and places with little or no sun, contribute to the formation of a disfiguring layer of moss and algae.
Hairline cracks and cracks
Moss and algae immediately adhere to our roof and facade cladding. In this way, both roof tiles and slates become porous. This creates harmful cracks and hairline cracks that can penetrate deep into our roof covering. Due to these damage, there is a good chance that moisture will seep through our roof covering. As a result of the freezing temperatures, our roof covering will crack.
High asbestos concentrations in older homes
Research has shown that a remarkably higher concentration of asbestos fibers is measured in the close surroundings of houses with weathered and damaged roof slates or corrugated sheets of the old generation. If that is the case, there is no other option than to replace your roof. After all, asbestos is one of the main causes of lung cancer and other life-threatening conditions.
Preventive roof maintenance very important
Preventive roof maintenance is therefore very important. Timely demossing prevents water seepage and the formation of cracks and tears in our roof covering. Deforestation also prevents wear. Roof cleaning and demolition significantly extend the life of our roof covering. There we deforestation protect our roofing against all weather conditions. This not only benefits the appearance of our home, but will certainly also add value to it.
Clean with water and high pressure cleaner
In the first instance we clean our roof covering thoroughly with water. The use of a high-pressure cleaner is recommended for this. We can significantly increase the cleaning power of our high-pressure cleaner by equipping it with a so-called rotating nozzle. In this way we can also clean all hard to reach places without any problems. We ensure that the pressure is certainly not too high, to avoid damage to our roofing and facade cladding. After this thorough cleaning with the high-pressure cleaner, we rinse everything thoroughly with water, so that no traces of moss and algae remain. The rinsing of our roofing is of course always done from top to bottom. In this way we prevent the water from penetrating into our roof itself, causing even more damage.
Double coat of paint for extra protection
After this first and thorough cleaning of our roofing with slate, we provide extra protection with a double layer of paint. Even before applying this double protective layer with a specially designed acrylic paint, we first apply a layer with a moss-resistant primer. This ensures optimum adhesion of our acrylic yard. The application of this double protective layer with acrylic paint is preferably done with an air pressure spraying installation. This maintenance is of course not suitable for a roof covering with roof tiles or for other types of roof covering.
Watch out for the presence of asbestos
Old and weathered roof slates, roof tiles or roofing with corrugated iron in older houses are composed of a composition of cement and asbestos. During our maintenance, these naturally cause greater concentrations of asbestos around our home. This asbestos is packed in cement granules and does not pose an immediate health hazard. When scrubbing or sanding our roofing, these cement grains can decompose, releasing asbestos. This can of course cause health problems when inhaled. So never work unprotected here.
This is how we de-moss our roof
For the demossing of our roofing, we can choose from many adapted and specially designed products. Such a modified moss cleaner is a gentle cleaner for removing the green deposits. It is therefore not only suitable for removing moss, but certainly also for algae. Such an anti-moss and algae product is usually super concentrated, and must certainly be diluted with water before use. The amount of water naturally depends on the degree of contamination.
Primer for maximum adhesion
Then we apply the primer or base coat. It is necessary to apply this adapted primer. After all, this ensures maximum adhesion of the (acrylic) paint layer to our substrate. Such a primer also absorbs the porosity of all kinds of materials. These porous materials are a perfect environment for the formation of a new layer of moss and algae. In order to finish our job professionally, we then apply a special anti-moss coating. This is a rubbery product with a high vapor permeability. This coating is UV resistant and resistant to all weather conditions. After drying, a moisture and dirt-repellent protective layer forms on our roof covering, so that moss and algae have little or no chance to attach themselves again.