Unfortunately roof repairs are often made after the damage has be done. You could have a damaged roof after a harsh winter and before the spring rains come. However, if you keep up on routine maintenance you can avoid unnecessary damage.
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Think about it! Our home is the biggest financial investments we will make in our life, and the roof protects that investment. It is our decision if we repair the old one or we decide to install a new roofing system.
In fact a high performance roof takes more than just shingles. Any roof depends on an entire system of roofing accessory products working and performing together, including ventilation, hip and ridge shingles, underlayment, and attic insulation.
This roofing section explains what roofing styles and materials are more popular, how to apply new shingles, how to waterproof and winterize our home roof, how to make minor repairs or how to install a new system.
A properly installed roof :
1. Shingles – there are a lot of variety of high quality shingles
2. Leak Prevention – waterproofing underlayment
3. Underlayment – a secondary barrier against leaks
4. Ventilation
We need to understand how a complete roofing system works together. If we decide to install a new roofing system first we have to remove any existing layers of roofing shingles and expose the wood deck boards below to check if they are compromised. Some wood boards could be deteriorated due to water infiltration and the damaged section will need to be replaced.
A special attention to vulnerable areas where water and ice dams can do big damage to a roof like eaves, valleys, dormers and skylights. That is very important for areas that experience extreme weather. It could be solved by applying weather lock underlayment on slopes to prevent any leaks and ice dams.
Than we have to apply a secondary water shedding barrier for long term moisture protection. That is applied between the shingles and the entire roof deck to prevent damage from wind driven rain. For extend exposure (more than 6 months) a special application is required.
The next step is the installation of the shingles. The proper installation – a continuous sealant bead helps prevent blow-offs and water infiltration. The result of a proper installation is a clean look with a straight edge at the eave and along the rake.
We do not have to forget the ventilation. The ventilation products prevent excessive moisture and heat. And to add an attractive, finished look to our roof’s peaks – hip & ridge shingles. The gutter drainage allows for water shedding, increasing the life of the roof deck and shingles.
Shingles are made in a variety of materials and colors that can dramatically alter a house’s appearance. While some pose certain advantages over other materials, others may simply be most suited to your existing roofing design and style. Architectural vs. Traditional Shingles: What’s the Best Choice?
ARCHITECTURAL: Architectural shingles heighten the visual impact of our home. That’s one of the reasons they’re the most popular choice now. They also come with an extra-thick, laminated construction for longer life. They need special adhesives to seal each shingle very tightly and offer better wind resistance. That reduces the risk of shingles blowing off your roof.
TRADITIONAL: These fiberglass shingles offer value and longer lasting performance than standard shingles. They have a natural look and more curb appeal. We can find them in several colors.
1. Asphalt Shingles: Asphalt shingles are the most commonly used type of shingle. They’re reinforced with fiber glass or paper and range in durability (20 to 30 years). They have three sections or “tabs” per shingle and a length of 3′.
Repair: An upturned or cupped shingle can be repaired by sticking it back down with roofing cement. We can replace a missing or a lost shingle by gently bending back the shingles above it. After that we remove any nails and remaining scrap pieces. Than we slide and nail the new shingle in place and we glue down the raised shingles with roofing cement.
2. Laminated Shingles: They have gained a lot of popularity recently. Made of multiple layers of material, usually asphalt they are designed to add character and color to the roof.
Repair: Similar with three-tab asphalt shingles, but because they are thicker, they mare require longer nails.
3. Slate (stone): The most durable, more than 100 years, but 3 times heavier per square foot than asphalt. They are more difficult to work and they break easily but a good slate roof gives a colorful, hand crafted look of a house.
Repair: We need a special pressure cutter or pick hammer that splits the slate but we need to be careful because slate is easily damaged by walking on it.
4. Concrete Roofing: It is similar to slate, like durability, but very easy to damage during installation.
5. Wood Shakes &Shingles: Shakes are typically made of different kind of wood like: treated pine, cedar or spruce. They have a textured, rough look on the front and smooth on the back.
Wood shingles are smooth on both sides. Shakes are usually or brown or reddish in color but they turn in gray after one year. The distance between them has to be ¼” to allow for expansion.
Their durability is 30 years, after that they may shrink, warp or splinter.
Repair: First we have to remove the nails holding the damaged shake. After removing any scrap pieces we fit the new shake and nail it in place. It is a good idea to dab some roofing cement on the exposed nails head to prevent water penetration.
How to Maintain a Shake Roof | How To Build A House (howtobuildahouseblog.com)
Ceramic Roof:
-Ceramic Roof Tiles: The english word ” tile ” comes from the latin word ” tegula ” and its french translation ” tuile “, and the english word “ceramic” comes from greek word “keramos” meaning pottery and it is related with the sanskrit root meaning “to burn”. Ceramic has been made by man for 5,000 years.
We can find beautiful tiled surfaces in Sumer, in Egyptian pyramids, Babylon, ancient ruins of greek and roman cities. Tiled surfaces are everywhere in the world and from antiquity till our days.
Man used tiles to cover surfaces like floors, walls and roofs. Many thousands years ceramic roof tiles were hand made but today there are many large ceramic roof tile manufacturers and they are made by machine.
Ceramic roof tiles add a lot to a home’s appearance and the most important thing the color and texture of the ceramic roof tile does not fade. The most popular color, perhaps for its resemblance to the historic ceramic roof tile, is the terra cotta red. This color is due to iron oxide that is mixed in clay in a large percentage. However, now the use of color continues to expand.
Why to chose a ceramic roof? The list of pro is long. Ceramic roofs are Eco- friendly, a natural and durable roofing product. It gives character and a natural look to a home. This natural look is historical and contemporary at the same time.
There is no advanced science to installing roof tiles. Roof tiles are hung from the roof’s frame, typically in parallel rows. The parallel rows allow the roof tiles to overlap. The overlapping keeps rainwater out and cover the nails. Tails can be laid without professional help, but roof tiles removal may be a complicated issue.
Tile roofs can last decades maybe more than fifty years. We can choose from a large variety of style, color, shape of ceramic tiles. It will be a wise decision to install them because we can enjoy long years of aesthetically appealing and highly efficient roof.
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