Duncantuna wrote:
I'd like some help identifying the roof on top of my garage, and how
one might lengthen its life.

It's flat, black, and .. "crispy". There are spots on the roof that,
if you touch/step on them, collapse like a flexible, crunchy bubble. It
doesn't feel rubbery, it feels "papery".

Am I correct in thinking this is a tar-paper roof? -- Can't say I see
any "tar brush strokes", so as a non-roofer, I am not sure what it is.

More Importantly: If it is a tar paper roof .. is there a product,
perhaps liquid, that one can spread on the roof to make it last
longer?
At the moment, there are no leaks

You keep walking on it there will be leaks.

that I know of, but because it's
flat, there's often standing water up there and someday, it'll fail.

Thanks in advance!

My advice is to leave it alone until it starts leaking. If you are
really hard up, try some patch stuff, but don't expect too much from it.
Once a flat roof starts to go, it is usually best to replace it. That's my
opinion anyway.

--
Joseph Meehan

26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math