I finally tried using rubber roof membrane instead of felt paper

Put a rubber membrane on my 8x12 shed last spring because I was sick of replacing rotted felt every few years. Three months later I had standing water pooling in a low spot I didn't notice during install. Now I'm tearing it off and going back to torch-down modified bitumen. What do you guys use for low-slope shed roofs?

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adam_butler383mo ago

Same thing happened to me about two years back. I put rubber on a little 10x12 lean-to and by winter there were puddles deep enough for the birds to bathe in. The stuff just doesn't hold up if your framing isn't dead level and perfectly smooth. I ended up going back to the torch-down modified bitumen too and it solved every problem. That rubber membrane is way too forgiving of small dips and low spots. Torch-down is a pain to work with but once it's on you're done worrying for a decade. I'd rather spend the extra afternoon getting a good torch-down job done than chase puddles every spring. Good call going back to what works.

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evangarcia3mo ago

Man, @adam_butler38 nailed it - that rubber stuff is great until your decking has even a slight belly in it. I've seen guys spend a whole weekend trying to get low spots out of old plywood just to keep that EPDM from ponding, and it's never worth it when torch-down just lays flat and stays put.

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