Bitumen mastic: types of mastic and their characteristics + rules of use

Here at "All About the Roof," we cover all the information you require on roofing materials and methods. This article explores the world of bitumen mastic, a weather-resistant and durable material that is frequently used in roofing.

There are several varieties of bitumen mastic, each designed for particular uses and circumstances. In order to improve its qualities, bitumen—a viscous, black, sticky material made from crude oil—is typically combined with fillers like sand or limestone. These fillers may have an impact on the mastic’s adhesion, flexibility, and thermal stability, which may vary depending on the demands of the roofing application.

Polymer-modified bitumen mastic is one of the more noteworthy varieties. These compositions contain artificial polymers such as atactic polypropylene (APP) and styrene butadiene styrene (SBS). These additions increase the mastic’s elasticity, which is important in areas with variable weather since it makes it more resilient to temperature fluctuations and cracking.

In order to guarantee long-lasting roofing and effective results, bitumen mastic application involves adhering to certain guidelines. In order to improve adhesion, surface preparation that includes cleaning and priming is crucial. Achieving a long-lasting and waterproof seal requires applying the mastic uniformly and at the proper thickness.

To maximize bitumen mastic’s effectiveness and extend the life of your roof, it’s important to comprehend each type’s unique properties and adhere to the application guidelines. Keep checking back for more articles as we delve deeper into bitumen mastic and its uses.

Types of Bitumen Mastic	Characteristics and Rules of Use
1. Cutback Bitumen Mastic	Thick consistency, suitable for vertical surfaces, used for waterproofing and sealing cracks.
2. Emulsion Bitumen Mastic	Water-based, easy to apply, dries quickly, ideal for small repairs and patching.

Bitumen mastic today: Types and news of the market

In the Russian Federation, bitumen waterproofing is currently one of the largest and most well-liked market niches. Furthermore, far more important than the markets for polymer compositions, cement, and even universal liquid rubber. It all comes down to bitumen’s unique qualities, which include total water resistance and outstanding adherence to practically any material.

All of this is because the bitumen sealants are applied incorrectly, which prevents the water from penetrating anywhere in them. In addition, bitumen exhibits excellent elasticity and durability under dynamic load conditions, such as when a seam slightly compresses and expands to accommodate temperature variations.

They can now manufacture putty, primer, sealant, and bitumen mastic because of modern technology. Furthermore, a novice user may be perplexed at first when making a selection and may not understand what the task is meant for. Consequently, we suggest that you begin watching this video, which will assist you in understanding how to differentiate mastic from its derivatives:

Currently available bitumen mastic for roofing is an organic and synthetic waterproofing material mixed with additives. They withstand heat and frost well because modern chemical and organic compounds have altered their composition.

The bitumen mastic for waterproofing was always different from its counterparts in that it could be applied to a wet or rusted surface. Furthermore, the main reasons premium mastic is beneficial are its quick drying time and reinforcing fiber content. For what purposes are they necessary? Permit you to make up for sharp variations.

Each type of bitumen mastic that is supplied to the market is separated into the following categories:

• According to the source material, the mastic is divided into bitumen-resident, bitumen-emulsion, bitumen-polymer or purely bitumen.
• According to the diluting composition, mastic is divided into water, with organic solvents or liquid organic substances.
• By the nature of the curing – on cured and incontinuous.
• For its purpose – for the arrangement of roller or other types of roofs, and for waterproofing.
• By application method: hot (or pre -heated) and cold, which do not need to be heated, t.To. They have flying emulsion compositions. Such compositions use fuel oil, different oil oils, kerosene, gasoline and ligroine.

Not just professionals need to know this information; regular homeowners who buy mastic to fix their roof should too. Ultimately, it all depends on how mastic is applied, what kinds of environments it works well in, and how precisely it performs going forward!

Types of mastic according to the application method: cold and hot

The mastics of bitumen are "hot" and "cold." The latter are applied directly to the surface without any prior preparation, while the former must first be heated over fire. Additionally, the applications for each mastic are distinct:

The most common uses of heat are for tar, bitumen, and roll materials. Moreover, such mastic is used to glue together a roofing carpet with multiple layers. As a result, the composition has two crucial needs of its own: it must be perfectly homogenous and solid throughout the usual temperature range.

In addition, it is crucial that the mastic maintains its compositional homogeneity and does not foam at 100 °C. When heated to the recommended 160–180 °C during installation, it spreads readily over the surface and forms a layer as thick as 2 mm.

It is evident that the hot mastic does not pour on the roof’s vertical components. Cold mastics are needed for this task. They are created using liquid binder and bituminous pastes as their foundation. This is water for asphalt mastics and kerosene or lignin for roofing oils.

Cold mastics can also be separated into those that are chemically or physically cured. In the first scenario, drying occurs as a result of solvent or water evaporating, whereas in the second scenario, internal chemical processes are to blame. What impact does it have? Regarding the smell, since a solvent that emerges from the mastic will permeate the surrounding area.

Mastic on water and solvent can be used right away and is particularly valued for coating and waterproofing applications. They are thought to be impervious to fire.

Mastics on solvents can be used at negative temperatures as well, though this is not advised as bitumen becomes viscous and presents application issues. Furthermore, any surface that has been processed at a temperature below 0 °C already has ice on it, even though it isn’t always visible to the naked eye. This greatly exacerbates adhesion. And a lot more time will be needed for the mastic to dry.

The adhesion of roofing and waterproofing materials, as well as the coating of waterproofing, can be accomplished with cold mastics. Filling in the roof’s deformation seams is also convenient for them. Applying a 1 mm layer of cold mastic is different from hot mastic.

Is it worth mentioning how much more practical working with cold mastic is than with hot? Either way, though, mastic—hot or cold—forms a seamless, uninterrupted layer.

Because cold-use bitumen mastic is less harmful to the environment, it is more frequently used inside of homes without raising concerns about fire and explosion hazards. Nevertheless, the bitumen emulsion behaves unstable—that is, decomposes—at negative temperatures. Consequently, the only temperature at which you can work with it is above 5 to 10 °C.

Types of mastic in content: elasticity vs stability

The contents of mastic, such as resins, mineral oils, paraffin, carboids, or asphaltogen acids, that are added in addition to bitumen directly affect its quality. The most common kinds are:

First, let’s work with a bitumen-firing mastic, which has the advantage of not containing any solvents. It works better in garages and basements where light waterproofing is required than on roofs.

The unique anti-corrosion and anti-gravity properties of bitumen mastic are a result of the combination of bitumen and resin in its thicexotropic composition. In fact, it works so well at shielding the car’s underside from jagged stones!

The mastic won’t drain from vertical surfaces because of its thixotropic qualities. Therefore, a mastic with such qualities is used on an uneven and problematic roof surface.

The end product is a dense, elastic coating that, when compared to other options, is the most resistant to frost cracking. Additionally, thixotropic mastic to everything has the ability to "heal" or tighten the layer’s cracks up to 5 mm.

Thick putty called elastic bitumen-fan mastic is becoming more and more popular. It has an abundance of reinforcing fibers. This kind of mastic is perfect for compacting the cement between the roof and the roof, as well as for repairing scratches and cracks in the roofing.

Additionally, in accordance with European classification, it is employed for the so-called heavy waterproofing of the foundation. Additionally, the surface is elastic and can readily adjust for surface movement up to 5 mm because of the presence of rubber. An additional enjoyable perk is that the mastic dries in about 3–4 hours. Note the consistency differences between the thick mastic (on the left) and the regular (on the right):

Additionally, there is a type of material mistakenly referred to as "liquid rubber," or bitumen-polymer mastic (which has an entirely different chemical composition). Rubber and this kind of mastic have the same density. And excellent for handling the seams:

Even when applied in its raw form, bitumen-polymer mastic exhibits excellent indicators of stretching and elasticity.

And finally, a bitumen-aluminum mastic is the market’s novel offering. This is an excellent rubber emulsion that has aluminum pigment added to it.

It creates a lovely silver coating, but in addition to its aesthetic use, it also serves as 100% protective. This type of mastic heats up considerably less in the sun than any of the other options because it reflects sunlight, which is crucial for bitumen.

Quality questions: why sometimes mastic does not freeze

You’ve probably heard about the issues that roofers deal with: mastic can occasionally flow, smell terrible, and not dry at all.

The issue is that all bitumen mastics in our nation are conditionally split into three price ranges. In actuality, the pricing strategy and identity of the manufacturer have a direct impact on every aspect of bitumen mastic properties.

Products from both domestic and foreign manufacturers are included in the premium segment, which offers premium mastics that are long-lasting and resistant to frost. The SBS taceck has even altered a few of them. Because they are made using at least BN 70/30 brand bitumen, they dry quickly and hold well.

By the way, I’ll explain how to decode this value so that you have a basic understanding of the acquired mastic quality: Thirty is the temperature at which mastic can enter the needle (mechanical resistance); 70 is the heat resistance (softening temperature). Lastly, premium mastic contains oil solvents that are comparatively non-toxic.

Seven Russian manufacturers currently produce bitumen mastics in the average price range. To be honest, these are bitumen-based mastics of mediocre quality, ranging from BN 50/50 and sometimes including rubber additives. Because they employ inexpensive oil solvents, the surfaces they process take between 24 and 72 hours to dry for each layer. And the disagreeable, strong odor originates from these mastics.

However, the least expensive mastics have a bad reputation, which casts a negative light on the bitumen waterproofing industry as a whole. They look like regular mastics with color added, and they completely fail to meet any GOST requirements.

These mastics are the ones that nearly never dry and make the worst repair materials. They do, nevertheless, have a unique range of use. These mastics are composed of a single oil fraction known as a budron, to which a small amount of actual construction bitumen is added as an additive.

Because of this, the mastic flows with the surface at a 30° angle even after curing, dries for over a week without becoming hard, and needs to be updated for each season. Cheap mastics have a horrible smell, are poisonous, and don’t glue at all.

The worst part is that this will have to be wiped clean if you choose to process everything again using a different mastic. Why is it impossible to leave? The new coating will not fill the space left by the old because poor mastics share the same poor adhesion.

A year after application, a mastic like this one looks like this:

Increased demands for frost resistance and atmosphere resistance are placed on roof bitumen mastic. That’s why an elastomer like SBS-butadien-stying rubber specifically modifies this category.

This prevents mastic from breaking over time, particularly during freezing temperatures. Do all these features consider the manufacturers of cheap mastic? Not really.

Application: where and when you need bitumen mastic for the roof

Let us enumerate the principal construction domains in which bitumen mastic is currently employed:

1. Seamless waterproofing. We are talking about waterproofing of foundations and piles, as well as the arrangement of a monolithic mastic roof.
2. Repair and sealing cracks in almost any roof, repair of roller coatings.
3. Gluing roofing materials, like bitumen tiles and roofing material, as well as fixing polystyrene foam to the foundation of the house.
4. Interior waterproofing at home: Damaged, bathrooms and screeds.

The device of a mastic roof

Once bitumen mastic is applied to the base in liquid form, it solidifies into a strong, seam-free waterproofing film. Such quality is essential for a roof. As a result, the roofs have great adhesion, outstanding waterproofing, and protective qualities.

Good mortar does not deteriorate over time from UV light and does not break easily in the cold:

Make a reservation right away because the majority of qualified roofers firmly believe that reinforcement is necessary for a bitumen roof to be dependable. The installation of a reinforcing grid is one of the most tested technologies.

To accomplish this, thoroughly clean the roof’s surface, prime it, install the mesh, and then apply two layers of mastic to it:

Using this technology, a roof membrane is laid using hot mastic made of bitumen:

• Step 1. The first layer of the membrane is laid on bitumen.
• Step 2. Make an incision in the seam site.
• Step 3. Attach a tape on top of hot bitumen, fabric inserts up. Press it so that these inserts on the bottom are completely soaked in bitumen.
• Step 4. Now lay the second layer, so that the membrane covers 10-20 mm of the tape. At the same time, under fabric inserts, membranes pour hot bitumen.

Personal safety is the most important consideration in all of this because hot mastic can cause severe burns.

Roof repair: Description of the process in details

Bitumen mastic is an absolute necessity for emergency roof repairs. In this situation, other materials typically cannot handle the problems caused by the continuous rain, so the leak must be stopped. For example, bitumen mastic, which is further reinforced with fiberglass, is typically used to precisely remove localized damage to ondulin.

This is how cold bitumen mastic is used to repair the damaged section of the roof:

• Step 1. Swolf up a swollen section and bend the edges with a spatula.
• Step 2. Inside the damaged place, apply a sufficient amount of mastic.
• Step 3. Press the edges of the cut to the center of the layer.

If required, apply a fresh patch and fortify it with an extra building grid:

In the event that you must repair a metal surface, follow these guidelines:

• Step 1. Clean the metal parts of the roof from rust, organic pollutants and oil spots.
• Step 2. Apply the first layer of mastic with a brush or a wide brush (better rough).
• Step 3. Now – the second layer, with a brush or spraying.

Ensure that every seam and crack is coated and filled simultaneously, but do not allow any one layer to be thicker than 4 mm.

Additionally, mastic is applied to the roof’s passage elements:

Because of its strength and ability to repel water, bitumen mastic is a versatile material that is frequently used in roofing. Different kinds of bitumen mastics are available to meet different needs related to roofing. Cold-applied mastics are easy to use and don’t require heat, making them ideal for small repairs and seam sealing. On the other hand, hot-applied mastics offer a stronger seal and are perfect for larger areas or situations requiring more durability.

It is crucial to take the environment and climate into account when selecting a bitumen mastic. Certain mastics are better than others at withstanding high temperatures or UV rays. Knowing the traits of each kind contributes to the durability and efficiency of the roofing installation or repair.

For bitumen mastics to provide their full benefits, proper application is essential. Making sure the surface is clear of debris, dry, and clean is essential. A seamless finish can be achieved and the material will adhere to the surface properly if the mastic is applied evenly and the right tools are used for the task.

To sum up, bitumen mastics are essential to preserving the longevity and structural integrity of roofs. Both roofing professionals and homeowners can effectively use mastics to seal, repair, and protect their roofs against the elements, helping to create a long-lasting and weather-resistant roofing system, by being aware of the various types that are available and adhering to proper application techniques.

In the world of roofing, effective roof maintenance and repair depend on having a solid understanding of bitumen mastic. There are several varieties of bitumen mastic, each with special qualities and uses. These mastics, which come in fiber-reinforced and solvent-based varieties, provide strength and adaptability to seal joints, cracks, and seams in roofing materials. Your roof will last longer and be more resistant to weather if you choose the right type and apply it according to the instructions. This article will assist you in making well-informed decisions to safeguard and improve the performance of your roof by examining the various kinds of bitumen mastics that are available, their salient characteristics, and crucial application guidelines.

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