Leaky bike shed - how to waterproof cheaply?

[272BHP]

I keep my e-bike in what used to be a brick coal shed. Space for 2 bikes and reasonably secure with reinforced door and locks. The roof however is some kind of corrugated material that used to be waterproof until I cleaned the top of the roof a couple of years ago. Now it leaks under heavy downpours which of course does not do the e-bike all that good. I cover the bike in tarpaulin when i remember but the damp cannot be doing it any good.

What are the options to waterproof this without spending a silly amount of money?

[J6542]

You get bitumen paints for your roof sheets or just cover the roof with the tarp.

[sherman]

EPDM sheeting .
Do it once and you should never need to redo it.

Shed Rubber EPDM Membrane For Shed Roofs https://share.google/ooKFV93Bi0ppBgMmP

[jimothyc]

Not sure how big it is, but you can probably replace the corrugated material with some replacement Onduline bitumen sheets. About £15 each.

[TA14]

272BHP said:

some kind of corrugated material

asbestos?

[beedj]

+1 for Onduline

[272BHP]

TA14 said:

asbestos?

Could well be. Shed is only 1.5m x 1.5m but this would still be a builder/roofer/handyman job.

I wouldn't have a clue where to start myself.

[Quhet]

First step is to identify exactly where it's leaking and then try to stop it. If it's just a couple of bolt holes or something then bodging with some bitumen paint or sealant will probably be a reasonably easy temporary fix. If more then it's probably worth doing the whole thing properly and perhaps re-roofing

[Belle427]

Depending on design you could do a shed style roof over it with some ply and felt, not particularly hard to do or expensive.
A picture would help.

[272BHP]

Quhet said:

First step is to identify exactly where it's leaking and then try to stop it. If it's just a couple of bolt holes or something then bodging with some bitumen paint or sealant will probably be a reasonably easy temporary fix. If more then it's probably worth doing the whole thing properly and perhaps re-roofing

This seems difficult as I cannot identify where it is leaking or indeed how many places it is leaking, one side of the shed remains fairly dry. When it first happened I spent 50 quid on 2 big cans of waterproof sealant spray and gave it 2 coats but it didn't help at all.

I really need a quick fix as doing it properly will undoubtedly have a stream of tradesman coming round and quoting in the thousands and we have more pressing issues to fix in the house itself.

I might just buy some of the EPDM rubber sheets and try and bodge it myself in the first instance.

Edit: but that needs a flat surface apparently, so I am back to square one

Edited by 272BHP on Wednesday 22 October 07:28

Edited by 272BHP on Wednesday 22 October 07:28

[Bill]

Belle427 said:

A picture would help.

This. Is it free standing or a lean to? Could be the flashing is the issue. If it's only one side and sealing the roof made no difference it'd suggest it's not the roof sheets themselves.

[Andeh1]

Probably a bodge, but wait for a dry period and apply 2 x coats of blackjack bitumen paint. That'll do it for a few years.

[272BHP]

Bill said:

This. Is it free standing or a lean to? Could be the flashing is the issue. If it's only one side and sealing the roof made no difference it'd suggest it's not the roof sheets themselves.

I will try and get a picture up later.

[POIDH]

In old structures like that it could be wicking along from the edges of the roof sheets - not necessarily leaking through the material or attachment holes.

[TA14]

272BHP said:

TA14 said:

asbestos?

Could well be. Shed is only 1.5m x 1.5m but this would still be a builder/roofer/handyman job.

I wouldn't have a clue where to start myself.

Re-roof: single rafter, say 4" x 2", board it and a covering of your choice. (You may need a lintol at the front for the rafter to rest on, say a 4" x 3".)

[Skyedriver]

beedj said:

+1 for Onduline

Unless you're in a windy spot, I use it on an open fronted shed and the wind can get under one corner and rip it up.

[Furbo]

TA14 said:

272BHP said:

some kind of corrugated material

asbestos?

If not iron then that, is my guess.

[baconsarney]

Step
1, get an assistant and water hose (with water)
2, remove e-bike from shed
3, stand inside shed
4, get assistant to liberally soak roof
5, establish source of water ingress
6, determine next step based on 5 above

Oh, 7, put e-bike back in shed

[OutInTheShed]

272BHP said:

This seems difficult as I cannot identify where it is leaking or indeed how many places it is leaking, one side of the shed remains fairly dry. When it first happened I spent 50 quid on 2 big cans of waterproof sealant spray and gave it 2 coats but it didn't help at all.

I really need a quick fix as doing it properly will undoubtedly have a stream of tradesman coming round and quoting in the thousands and we have more pressing issues to fix in the house itself.

I might just buy some of the EPDM rubber sheets and try and bodge it myself in the first instance.

Edit: but that needs a flat surface apparently, so I am back to square one

Edited by 272BHP on Wednesday 22 October 07:28

Edited by 272BHP on Wednesday 22 October 07:28

What was the 'sealant spray'?
This may have consequences for attempting to seal with any kind of paint.

If the roof is corrugated cement board (which can contain asbestos, or not), then painting with a water-based bitumen emulsion can be very effective, but if you've slathered the thing in silicone, you may have doomed that. The water based or solvent free types can be applied to damp stuff.
I've used a flavour with aluminium in, it dries to a silvery colour and reflects some solar heat.
Silicone may stop paint penetrating or adhering.

A good approach would be to cover the roof with boards like 'OSB', then your choice of waterproof covering, which could be felt or EPDM rubber.
Shed-grade felt would be cheap and probably last 10 years.

Another approach would be to replace the current roof sheets with new steel (or other) roof profile sheets, there is a wide range including translucent and insulated if you search on FB market place or ebay.
Around here there are a few suppliers who will cut to length.

[OutInTheShed]

All the above assumes the roof has a sound structure and a decent pitch to it so water doesn't pool, especially in any joint areas.