Felt & Bitumen Roofing

Torch-on and built-up bitumen felt roofing systems — mineral cap sheets and underlays for flat roofs, by the roll or the pallet. Felt remains the most widely specified flat roof covering in the UK, and a properly built up two or three layer system laid by someone who knows what they are doing will last a long time.

How a built-up system works

Strength comes from the layers, not from any one sheet. An underlay is bonded to the deck, a second layer is bonded over it with staggered joints, and a mineral-surfaced cap sheet goes on top to take the UV and the weather. Each layer is torched or bonded so the bitumen fuses into a continuous covering.

Felt or EPDM?

Felt is well understood, easy to patch and forgiving of an awkward roof shape. It is also multi-layer, seam-heavy work involving a naked flame, which is not a DIY job. EPDM goes down as a single sheet with no seams across the field and no torch, which is why it suits self-build and garden room work. Neither is universally better — it depends on the roof and who is fitting it.

See our EPDM rubber roof kits for the single-ply alternative, and our EPDM roofing cost guide for what a rubber roof actually works out at per square metre.