Ondulin (cellulose-based bituminous tiles) is widely used in modern private construction. The long service life of ondulin, its low weight, good performance, such as water resistance and resistance to chemicals, make this material one of the leaders in the roofing materials market.
Ondulin structure
What is a roofing covering? ondulin?
This coverage includes:
- Cellulose base
- Filler (mineral granulate)
- Self-curing resin components
- Pigments (mineral-based dyes)
- Bitumen
In the production of ondulin, cellulose is impregnated with bitumen with the addition of resin pigments and granules. Impregnation is carried out under pressure at high (up to 140 degrees) temperature.
Next, the resulting base is rolled on a profiling machine and stamped, giving the ondulin a recognizable wavy profile.
Thanks to the use of an organic cellulose base andulin roofing acquires a characteristic texture - it not least affects its water-repellent properties.
Service life of ondulin roofing
As we noted earlier, one of the advantages of ondulin is its durability. According to manufacturers, the average service life of ondulin roofing is about 40-50 years.
However, given the low (compared to other equally durable roofing materials) cost do-it-yourself andulin roof - the benefit of using ondulin as a roofing becomes quite obvious.
Also in favor of ondulin is the fact that, unlike other roofing materials, often more expensive (the same metal tile, for example), ondulin is produced by one company.
And this means that for any batch of ondulin there are uniform warranty conditions - regardless of the place of purchase and the manufacturer.
In addition, a single technology for the production of ondulin acts as a guarantee of quality - which means that you can be sure of the service life of your roof.
Note! The manufacturer of onduline, Onduline SA, provides all buyers of its products with a 15-year warranty card for water resistance and a fire certificate. In addition, Onduline SA conducts mechanical strength tests for each batch of ondulin.
Installation of ondulin to extend the service life
An important role in how long an ondulin roof will last you is also played by the technology of its installation.
So that you do not have to take advantage of the warranty, and the ondulin roof lasts you as long as possible, you must follow the following rules for laying ondulin:
- So that ondulin does not deform or crack during installation, the roofing must be laid in a certain temperature range. It is best if the air temperature outside is from 0 to +30 degrees. This is due to the fact that when overheated, ondulin can soften and “float” somewhat, and in the cold this roofing material becomes very fragile. Therefore, if you want the ondulin roof to last for a long time, observe the temperature regime when laying.
- Despite the elasticity of ondulin (due to the use of cellulose and bitumen, the ondulin sheet can change its linear dimensions somewhat), it should only be laid in an unstretched state. Attempts to “stretch” the ondulin a few millimeters to the joint or the edge of the roof will not lead to anything good - sooner or later such a deformed sheet will leak.
- To significantly extend the life of ondulin, it is very important to fasten it to the crate. Firstly, you need to use special nails to fasten the ondulin (you can buy them in the same place where you get the roofing material itself).In this case, each whole sheet of ondulin must be fixed with twenty nails: the lower part with ten nails in each wave, and the upper part with five nails on the edge, and five closer to the middle. At the same time, we drive the nails to fix the upper part in a zigzag, through a wave.
- Ondulin is a fairly light material, which means that it is subject to wind loads. So that the ondulin roof does not fail ahead of time - due to the banal separation of the ondulin from the crate by gusts of wind - we must install wind and cornice strips on the ends of the roof and gables.
By following all of the above recommendations, you can be guaranteed to extend the life of the effective operation of the onduline roof. This means that you will significantly optimize costs (both financial and time).
Other benefits of ondulin
However, long service life is not the only advantage of Onduline SA products. Ondulin also distinguishes:
Mechanical strength – euroslate manufactured by Onduline SA is highly resistant to various kinds of deformations. On the one hand, ondulin is quite light and plastic, and on the other hand, it can easily withstand even the strongest loads.
High water resistance and water resistance - even a long-term wetted ondulin does not get wet, so even a prolonged downpour is not terrible for an ondulin roof.
Resistance to temperature changes - unlike hard roofing materials, ondulin (of course, properly installed) perfectly tolerates heat, cold, and also - rapid changes in temperature.
Environmental friendliness - due to the use of components such as cellulose and bitumen in the composition of ondulin, this roofing material can be considered one of the most environmentally friendly.
On the one hand, asbestos is not included in the composition of ondulin, and on the other hand, fungal plaque does not develop on ondulin. Consequently, ondulin roofing will not be subject to decay - and this is another argument in favor of its durability.
As you can see, ondulin is good for everyone: its service life is sufficient to cover the roof “once and for all”, and other performance qualities make the ondulin roof not only durable, but also reliable.
And in order for all these qualities to be fully manifested, it is enough just to choose and mount ondulin correctly.
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