Roof Replacement

Roof coatings play an important role in the long term preservation of the different types of roofing material. The coatings which are in form of a fluid are applied and can be bought for specific types of roofs for both residential and commercial properties. For satisfactory results, it is better to use a professional roofer to work on the restoration especially when the roof is large and leaking. However, for smaller roofs that are in a serviceable condition the restoration using coatings can be done as a DIY project by a homeowner.  The most important thing is that the coatings for the roof be used as early as possible to avoid damage that leads to roof replacement.

When selecting roof coatings for different types of roofs there are a number of factors that need to be considered to ensure that they are effective. Each coating has distinct features, benefits and also drawbacks that need to be looked into before making a decision to use them on the roof. Some of the important factors to consider in terms of the condition of the roof include current condition, chemical exposure, slope, UV exposure and location among others. Most times, the roof type is also considered as there are others such as flat roof coatings that are used on specific ones.

Benefits of Using Roof Coatings

The importance of using roof coatings should not be underestimated because of the numerous benefits that they provide to the roof and overall structure. Some of the advantages that are associated with these coatings include:

• Variety – The availability of different types of coatings used on the roof makes it much easier to choose the best one for your particular type of roof. Furthermore, there even some such as elastomeric roof coatings that can be used on different types of roofs to provide a protective layer. The materials used in their production may be similar but others are more effective than others. In addition, there are a number of companies that manufacture them thus making it easy to select the most suitable one for a property.

• Extended roof life – Roofs that are maintained using appropriate coatings are known to last much longer than those that are left bare. These coatings protect the roof from various weather elements that usually have a negative effect on them because of consistent contact. However, when these coatings are used the damage is minimized or even prevented from taking place. They are a form of long-term investment in roofing regardless of the type of roof installed.

• Energy cost reduction – The high cost of energy that homeowners with metal roofs sometimes face because of heat can be greatly reduced by using metal roof coatings. The coatings reduce the heat that gets into contact with the roof which leaves it cool thus reducing costs. Furthermore, the metal roof is also prevented from cracking when in contact with various weather elements.

• Fair price – Majority of the coatings used on roofs can be found in a number of stores that deal in roofing materials. These stores or shops can either be online or at particular locations and usually sell these coatings at affordable costs for the benefit of users. However, it is important to browse through a number of stores to get the best quality of coatings at a good price.

Overall, using roof coatings is recommended by roofing professionals everywhere. The installation of the coatings should be done as soon as the roof is put up for better results and increased longevity for the benefit of the property owner.

Having some information about roof flashing wherein most leaks originate can save you time and money. These types of materials are often crafted from galvanized steel, copper, aluminum or vinyl. Most flashing materials are made for simple and easy fitting. When installed correctly, they will last long and your roof top will never leak. You can only imagine the stress level that will happen when a roof is leaking. Frustrations are inevitable and the mood inside the house is overturned against them.

Maybe You’re Not Doing It Correctly

Faulty roof flashing is often identified as the source of approximately 80 percent of roof problems that may require extensive repair and roof replacement. The roofing problems is created because of the incorrect flashing choice for the roof. It is a great inconvenience in any imaginable situation and not to mention the cost for repairs. Probably the most common roofing issues that homeowners face because of incorrect roof flashing is roofing leaks. This is caused due to installation of inadequate amount of base-flashing piles.

Flashing is extremely important to stop water from entering under the roofing material. When the water could sink into, it will scatter around the shingles, after which cause problems. During winters, snow and ice will have accumulated on the corners of the shingles which is known as buildup of ice dam.

There is a higher probability for water seepage to build along the surface of the roof valleys, chimney, step flash and skylights. Hence, any place wherein there could be heavy water overflow is susceptible to pooling of water except if proper measures are taken to cover any cracks and treat any rust that might occur over time because of exposure to several elements of nature. To prevent poor workmanship at placing your flashing material, employ the services of the finest roofing contractor. You can even ask for estimates from several specialists to repair a poorly done flashing job.

Best Solution to Employ

Copper roof flashing is utilized whenever a wall intersects roofing. Such process is normally comprised of copper counter flashing as well as base flashing to complement roof composition flashing and coping. Couter flashing diverts water directly to base flashing, which will consequently diverts it to the structure flashing.

In terms of roof to wall flashing, the common situation can be something is missing but not continuous. The base flashing product must prevent the fluid from getting into the interior of the house. Counter flashing must turn the rain from the wall to the roof and base flashing. A detachable counter flashing is affordable for a suitable fix of all roof covering systems.

Leak Free Roof

You can also try out a metal roof flashing kit that has adhesive underlayment. This product is made with any metal roofing elements. It is reasonably priced that is worth giving a try. Another essential point that needs to be recalled while fitting a flashing is you should have optimum results, and put the flashings in coordination with other protective sealant. This certainly guarantees a more secure leak free roof.

Therefore when you need to replace or repair your roof flashing due to water sippage, ensure that you call an authorized roofing specialist who can install it the correct way. Have it constantly inspected, properly maintained and cleaned. It is an easy task and most people can do it without the help of a skilled person. You can stop worrying a leaking roof that can potentially damage the structure of your roof when proper flashing is done. It is one of the most important home maintenance activity that can protect your investment for a long time.

The roof is one of the most essential parts of the house. It is what offers the much-needed protection from harsh weather elements such as sun, rain and snow. Over time, the roof will start to give in to wear and tear. At such a time the viable option would be to call in a technician to carry out the appropriate repairs. Calling a technician however, is not the best option. You might call on someone and have him or her charge you for a shoddy job. In addition, in the current economic situation, people are trying to save as much money as they can. With DIY roofing, you can conduct proper roofing repair and roof replacement while at the same time save money.

Merits and Demerits of Various DIY Roofing Materials

Before embarking on DIY roofing, you have to settle on a roofing material to use. These days, there are many kinds of roofing materials, each with its own benefits. You just have to find which ones suit you best.

• Wood– There are two main types of wood roofing, namely wood shake and shingles with asphalt composition. The latter has the advantage of being very affordable, and thus is used by very many homeowners. Its main demerit is the appearance. It has a dull appearance that looks quite unappealing. It is the roofing material of choice if you are conducting repair within a budget. Wood shake is every beautiful roofing material. This appearance however comes at a price because it is quite expensive to purchase and requires a lot of follow-up maintenance.

• Metal– If you opt to conduct DIY metal roofing, you will have to contend with the fluctuations in temperature. Metal is a good conductor of heat, thus the interior of the house will be really hot in hot weather and unbearably cold during cool weather. If you have the resources, you could use a layer of insulation under the roofing to keep the indoor temperatures stable. Metal roofing, though quite cheap, requires a lot of maintenance due to constant corrosion by rain and snow.

• Rubber– Rubber is the most common material when it comes to DIY flat roofing. The benefit of carrying out DIY rubber roofing is durability. Slates made from rubber are resistant to weather, fire and insects, thus can last for as long as five decades. If you are environmentally conscious, this is the best material for you as it is made from recycled rubber. It is also a great insulator thus eliminating the need for additional insulation.

• Slate– Slate roofing is used in most high-end constructions since it is very expensive. This roofing material is quite tough and withstands the harshest of weather elements. It needs very little repair and maintenance. When conducting repairs on slate roofing, you have to be quite careful, as slate tends to be slippery.

Handy Roofing Tips

Safety comes first. When thinking of mending your roof, you have to ensure that you will be safe. Do not rush into trying to fix the roof when the weather is not conducive outside. No matter how leaky the roof is, do not try and go out in the rain trying to fix it. Wait till it is calm and do a full repair. Put on shoes with rubber soles to prevent slipping. If possible, wear a harness to protect you in the event of slippage. If you are working with metal roofing, you should wear gloves to prevent cutting yourself.

Clear up the gutter. Sediment, rocks and leaves that collect on the gutter prevent rainwater from flowing freely out of the gutter and corrode the roof. This is one of the most common causes of leaks, so regular clearing of the gutter will reduce leaks occurring.

If you cannot locate the particular position of the leak, use a hose to track it. However, if the temperatures are cold outside, skip this process or wait until it is much warmer, since in cold weather some of the water might freeze and you could end up slipping on it. Sometimes, a leak may not occur due to corrosion, but due to uneven expansion. This is known as dry rot. To fix dry rot, ensure you leave adequate space in between roofing shingles to allow for expansion and contraction.

Fixing your roof by yourself needs knowledge and skills in determining the exact location of the leak or the area that needs fixing. These tips here will help you save from paying costly professional services and get it right with diy roofing steps.

Repairing a leaky roof is important because it prevents further damage that could cause an entire costly roof replacement. The roof is an important part of any home or business enterprise because it is one of the most noticeable features. It also protects the building occupants from vagaries of weather and intruders. The following are important factors to consider when repairing a roof that is leaking.

The cost of repairs 

Roofs can be made from numerous materials. These include steel, aluminum, modified bitumen, asphalt shingles, EPDM and many more. The repair costs for roofing materials is not similar, which makes it necessary to budget properly before the exercise is commenced. The rates charged by a roofing contractor for labor has to be considered too because some charge by the hour while others charge per project. It is advisable to select a roofing contractor who charges a flat rate for the entire project because hourly charges can be costly if there is additional work needed on a roof than planned.

The roof’s condition 

All buildings should have an annual roof inspection to identify damaged sections and the extent of the damage. It is during these inspections that it’s possible to find that the leaky roof is damaged to a point that a replacement is the only viable option. There are numerous factors that contribute to damaging a roof. These include storms, hurricanes, heavy snowfall, prolonged exposure to strong chemicals, and proximity to a large water body resulting to exposure to salty air, age and impact. Roofing experts, thus, recommend owners of buildings to refrain from repairing their roofs where the damage exceeds thirty percent of the roof’s total surface.

The age of the roof and its expected useful life 

The number of years that a roof has been in use is a determining factor of whether to repair a roof or opt for a replacement. This factor presents challenges to owners of structures who bought buildings with a roof in place because they cannot accurately determine the age of the roof or its lifespan. It, therefore, becomes necessary to hire roofing experts to estimate the age of the roof and to give recommendations on the most appropriate action to take. Where building owners are sure about the age of the roofs, they are advised to conduct repairs every two to four years after installation to prevent any problems from enlarging, which could be costly.

Warranties during roof installation 

• Professional roofing contractors offer warranties after the installation of roofs. Roofing supplies manufacturers also offer warranties when purchases of materials are made. These are offered to protect the owners of structures from financial losses resulting from poor workmanship or defects in roofing supplies used respectively.
• It is, therefore, necessary for owners of structures to determine if the warranty period has expired before engaging in a leaky roof repair to avoid incurring costs that are covered by warranties.

The roof’s design 

A flat roof is prone to more damage than a sloppy roof. This is because a flat roof tends to retain rain water and snow that can damage the surface of the roof through rot, rust and excessive weight. A sloppy roof allows water and snow to flow down easily, which ensures that contact with these agents is minimized. It is, however, easier and faster to fix leaky roof if the design is flat because it is easily accessible to the roofing contractor than it is for a sloppy roof.

The roofing contractor’s credentials 

The roof is an emotional and financial investment to many building owners. It is, therefore necessary to hire a competent contractor to handle all tasks related to patching a leaky roof. The contractor should be qualified, licensed, bonded, insured and experienced. This is to ensure that the work carried out is done to the highest standards for a building owner to get value for money. They should also be certified by manufacturers of building materials to ensure that they are capable of handling the materials.

A leaky roof causes numerous inconveniences in a building, and should be repaired as soon as possible to prevent further damage. It is important to plan for the exercise to avoid repeated repairs resulting from the recurrence of the same problem.

The demand for concrete roof tiles keeps rising over the years and the reasons for this increase are plenty. One of the main reasons of preference of this roofing material over others the fact that concrete tiles offer a mixture of stability, durability and incredible sturdiness. The main reason why concrete tiles offer a blend of these main qualities is their composition. These tiles are made from a mixture of cement, sand and water. As much as some tiles may differ as a result of the materials used by their manufacturers, the above names materials are the main key. The resulting products from a good number of manufacturers are similar in color, shape and size.

There are very many manufacturers of roofing concrete tiles in the market today. 

• Main visual aspects – Depending with their profiles, concrete tiles for roofing have three main visual aspects. These are flat profile, low profile and high profile.
•  Flat profile – A concrete roof tile is flat. This means that you won’t see curves when viewing flat concrete roof tiles from the rear.
• Low profile – When you view a concrete roofing tile from the back, small curves are seen. These curves rise to a width proportion greater or less than 1:5
• High profile – This concrete tile has bigger curves when viewed from the back. The curves rise to a width proportion greater or less than 1:5.
• Features – As much as roofs across the globe vary in design, the main thing considered by a number of roofers is good quality roofing materials. Quality concrete roof tiles not only complete the look but also add incredible value to a given project. It’s evident that roofing tiles made from concrete come in different shapes, colors and surface finishes. The superior the tiles are, the better they’re for your roof. The surface finishes given to roofing concrete tiles result in rough or smooth textures. To make the roofing tiles effective, manufacturers use saturation instead of suspension method when coating the tiles.

Weight matters

The concrete tiles can be either lightweight or standard. It’s recommended that you avoid getting lightweight concrete roof tiles because they’re weaker. It’s hard to walk on these tiles without breaking them. Breakage of these tiles also happens as a result of hail or heavy snow load on your roof. Therefore standard weight concrete tiles are suitable for roofing. Lightweight concrete tiles cost more than standard weight concrete tiles.

Life expectancy

The standard life expectancy of quality concrete roof tiles is commercialized at 50 years. Nonetheless, the batting and underlay structure may not last that long as much as genuine materials and high level of expertise is used during installation. It’s necessary to undertake roof replacement 30 or 40 years after installation. In the first 4-8 years it’s also imperative to replace the batting and underlay system. This is as a result of the substandard composition of the materials used for this system. Soon replacement of these tiles is important because they tend to lose surface texture and color after a number of years.

Natural conditions

A good number of tiled roofs absorb moisture from snow and wind driven rain. This happens more than other roofing materials. It’s for this reason that the batten system, flashing, underlayment and installation of the tiles should be considered carefully as they determine the lifespan of a tile roof. Concrete tiled roofs are of a single ply roof system as opposed to other materials that have two or more ply systems. Other than snow and rain, concrete tiled roofs also encounter other natural elements like dirt, small animals like birds, leaves and small insects like bees and wasps. With good installation techniques used, strong batten system and underlayment; the roof is perfect for all seasons.

Benefits of concrete tile roofing

There are so many and concrete roof tiles types in the market today. No matter the type you go for, there is plenty to benefit from this roofing material. Concrete roof tiles don’t corrode or warp no matter how long they’re used. They offer you great thermal insulation meaning absolute comfort all times of year and reduction of your energy bills. With a concrete tiled roof, you save more money and preserve your environment. It’s imperviousness to ice, excellent acoustic insulation salt safe nature make the roof suitable for colder, noisy and salty environments correspondingly.

There is nothing more important like having a good home. Homes provide their owners with good shelter making their lives to be a little bit more comfortable. However not all houses can provide us with the best shelter and comfort that we may wish to have. This can be so especially if these homes are constructed using bad and low quality building materials. We have all seen houses that are built using some poor quality materials like mad and grass right? Take for instance a house that is made of mad walls and a grass thatched roof; have you ever come across such anywhere? Well if you have never come across this, then you will sooner or later. The experience of living in these types of homes is not worth memorable, just imagine of how you would feel sleeping under a leaking grass thatched roof! Sounds unbearable right?

Well that is how some people are getting their shelter and accommodation in this world. It is very important for both of us to note that living in a bad house like the one mentioned above can be quite dangerous both physically and emotionally. No matter how hard it may be, we should all strive towards living in a good home remember shelter is a basic human requirement. A good house is basically that which is constructed using good materials, it should have nice doors, walls and even a nice roof. In fact the roof is even more important than any other part of the house as it is the roof that protects house occupants from bad elements like rain, hailstones as well as excess sunlight.

Aluminum roofing is the best option when it comes to the above issue. In fact today most buildings all across the globe have roofs made from this material.

However, most people do not always know that the aluminum roofing is the best alternative for even roof replacement. It is also true to say that the roofing materials made from aluminum for example the aluminum roofing sheets are always readily available almost everywhere regardless of where one is residing. If you want your house to look more stylish, try the corrugated aluminum roofing and see the result that you will get out of it.

What Are The Merits Of Corrugated Aluminum Roofing?

• The above type of roofing material is very durable that is it can last for up to one hundred years remember aluminum is also made of metallic elements which have long lasting properties.
• The corrugated roofing made of aluminum has a very high degree of resistance to rust making it the best roofing option for all regions including areas found within the coast.
• The roofs that are made of corrugated aluminum are lighter than those that are made from other materials like tiles hence making them to be the suitable roofing solution for all buildings.
• Installing a corrugated aluminum roof is far much easier and does not require more technical expertise as opposed to those that are made from other materials like tiles, in fact anybody can do this job.
• Corrugated aluminum is not combustible in fact it is a fire resistant roofing material, it is therefore more advantageous for you to roof your house with it as opposed to other materials.

As result of the above reasons, the aluminum corrugated roofing has become more popular with most home builders today. Another reason for this includes the fact that they can never get rusty even if they are non-coated. The cost of roofing a house with the corrugated aluminum is also relatively lower as compared to that of other roofing materials, this is a fact that most people do not know. There are numerous online stores selling the aluminum roofing panels at some very affordable prices. Therefore, it does not matter whether you are intending to re construct your roof or build it for the first time; all you need to do is to find a good hardware store where you can buy the materials that you will require in order for you to be able to construct a nice aluminum roofing for your crib, go ahead and make your home as comfortable as a palace for your own benefit.