EPDM installation videos

This article lists all the major ‘ need to know ‘ details and Videos of finishing your rubber roof. I have collated what I believe to be the best instructions onto this page and put them together in an easy to see format for your convenience. (I am not affiliated with the suppliers in anyway)

EPDM roof details

Once you have the basics of your new rubber roof in place and it has relaxed and been fully glued down, the chances are that unless you are very lucky you have some details to take care of. These can and probably will include…

Clicking on the link text below will send you to all videos relating to that subject. Once the videos no longer relate to the subject, you will see link text that says – Top of page – to return here :

• EPDM Roof trims – Upstand trims and drip trims designed for rubber roofs
• Joining membrane – Some complicated or L shape roofs may require joining
• Internal corners – Normally achieved by folding with the ‘ pigs ear ‘ method where a roof meets a wall or upstand.
• Internal roof corner – An internal corner on the outside edge of an L shaped roof, for instance near a drip
• External corner – Seen mostly around skylights and external brickwork corners
• Roof edge – For instance where a roof abutting a wall stops
• Around pipes – When a soil pipe or drainage pipe goes through a roof it requires a pipe boot
• Drain outlets – A roof drain rubber flashing that drains water into a pipe
• Joining on to felt – When you join onto an existing roof like Felt or Asphalt a termination bar is used for cold non-flame solutions
• EPDM onto lead – Lead can be used to form shapes for outlets, drips, or as flashings onto other roof surfaces for instance
• Through a wall – Sometimes roofs will slope towards a wall with and outlet like a hopper head

Rubber roof trims and drip trims

Most plastic roof trim systems for domestic properties are reasonably similar in design. The Kerb edge trim is seated onto the rubber membrane with either a mastic supplied by the suppler or onto a foam tape which is then compressed and nailed. When nailing in cold conditions always pre-drill any plastic trims that do not already have nail holes to avoid splitting. My advice is to compare a few different suppliers and see what trims they sell and how they would fit in with your project. Shipping costs will be a small part of your overall costs if you wish to buy different parts from two suppliers for instance.

Here is a different take on the drip trim. I have to say this is one of my favourite drip trim systems for a rubber roof.

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How to Join EPDM

My personal preference is to avoid joining a rubber roof wherever possible. One of the best things about EPDM is the fact its available in large one piece sheets, so it seems a shame to splice small bits together. If it’s practical, or your budget will allow, think about buying a larger piece and cutting the unwanted piece off and saving it for another project, this can be true for an L shaped roof for instance.

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How to make EPDM Internal corners

Normally this is done by forming a ‘ pigs ear ‘ with the membrane, this video shows very nicely how this is done.

This shows how to finish the above internal corner, the purpose of this is to make sure that no water gets behind the ‘pigs ear’ detail even after the wall flashings have been fitted. Some fitters do not bother with this step and rely on the flashings instead, but for the extra 2 minutes taken to install it, don’t take chances.

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How to make EPDM Internal corners at the roof edge

You will need an internal corner joint like this on any L shaped roof near the edge of a roof, near a drip. Again this is a good example.

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How to make EPDM External corners

You can find external corners on roof details like skylights, roof domes, roof windows or where the outside corner of a house bites into a flat roof.

External corners to a skylight roof window

A slight variation to the above video showing the rubber membrane cut and flashed around a modern roof window like a Velux roof dome.

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Roof edge flashing and wall trim

This video shows two procedures. Firstly how to flash the end of a roof back up the wall, and then how to fit the metal flashing called a wall trim.

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How to cut EPDM Around pipes

When fitting rubber membrane around pipes such as a soil pipe, waste pipe or guttering down pipe it is highly advisable to use a dedicated pipe boot flashing, as the finish will be better and look a lot more professional. If possible always look into a way not to cut the membrane to get around the pipe unless you have to. Sometimes you can pre-cut the hole into the membrane and slide it over the pipe from above, or you can disconnect and re-connect the pipe and save cutting and joining.

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Roof outlet pipe or internal roof drain

Wherever you have an internal drainage point on a roof emptying into a pipe or possibly a hopper head, it is very important to use the proper pre-made outlet.

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Joining EPDM to Felt

When jointing a rubber roof onto another roofing material such as built up roofing felt, asphalt or fibreglass, a termination bar is used. In all cases make sure that the surface you are bonding to is clean, dry and clear of, algae, moss or any other sort of containment that can and will compromise the bond. See my article on how to join a flat roof for more details.

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EPDM membrane onto lead for tiles or slates

If your flat roof discharges onto a tiled or slated roof slope you may need to use lead flashing and bond to the lead. Remember to ensure that the lead is clean of any oils that may be present during manufacture or cutting and handling. Never fit lead in lengths of longer than 1.5m (5 Feet) because of expansion and contraction, allow a minimum of 150mm (6″) overlap even on a steep slope, and fix with a large headed galvanised clout nail or similar.

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EPDM outlet through a wall

Mostly outlets that pass through a wall are seen on commercial buildings, but there are some occasions on domestic property where this is required, as with a parapet wall for example. This video shows the process of flashing through a wall but you may also want to consider the inclusion of lead work to form a neat finish and drip through the wall. Lead can be bonded to as seen in the above video.

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Also see…

• How to install EPDM – Part one the basics, roof decking and laying of membrane
• How to join a flat roof – Common methods of joining one type of roof to another
• How to Install a fibreglass roof – A viable alternative to a EPDM roof
• Flat roof cost – See the price of flat roofs professionally fitted
• Roofing tools – Some of the tools I use daily