Cold flat roofs are typically avoided as you d need to install ventilation which can prove problematic for many reasons relating to space labour costs etc.
Warm flat roof insulation thickness.
Cold roofs and warm roofs.
The insulation for a warm roof will usually be boards of extruded polystyrene or rigid compressed boards of glass fibre or rock fibre.
Ventilation is required for these roofs.
It should be of the maximum available thickness.
The chosen insulation laid on top of this should be able to take the weight of anything put above it on the roof without compression or protected from compression by further sheeting.
Flat roof u value 0 18 w m2k 2 warm deck flat roof the type of insulation for this is usually of a rigid type and the thickness will vary depending on the manufacturer s specifications.
The insulation material for a warm flat roof should.
Saint gobain insulation uk manufacture and supply glass mineral wool slabs and rolls along with rigid polyisocyanurate pir boards that can be considered suitable for a wide range of applications across flat roofs whether you re looking to insulate at joist level or above the roof deck in your flat roof construction.
Cold deck this is where the insulation is placed between the joists rafters or in between the ceiling joists in the case of a pitch roof.
Insulation in a warm roof.
Flat roof insulation thickness.
Warm flat roofs do not need to be ventilated as the insulation is.
With a flat roof this issue does not arise but the u value constraint and the amount of insulation needed is just the same.
Achieving a u value of 0 20w m meaning your roof will be better insulated than your walls will need 120mm thickness of rigid foam or 200mm of mineral wool or natural insulation.
Inverted roofs are a type of warm flat roof where the insulation is above the waterproofing layer.
This is placed over the roof joists and a board normally external ply is laid on top.
Thickness varies according to the manufacturer s specifications.
Warm deck the type of insulation for this is usually of a rigid type and the thickness will vary depending on the manufacturer s specifications.
There are two types of flat roof.
A flat roof where the insulation sits below the waterproof membrane and above the structural deck is a warm roof deck.
These are can be supplied with rebated edges which interlock reducing the risk of uplift.
The typical u value of an existing uninsulated flat roof is 1 5w m2k.
This means that the insulation should be highly resistant to water absorption for example an extruded polystyrene based product which will not be affected by water or repeated freeze thaw cycles.