Tis’ the season for family, holiday cheer, and thankfulness. We’d like to take a moment in between glasses of eggnog and perusing of online shopping deals to list a few things you should be thankful for that your roof provides. Your roof provides a barrier to the great outdoors, warmth for your home, and peace of mind that your loved ones are protected.
We’d like to bring to your attention three roof components that make these attributes possible. Without these components, your roof can’t function properly, however, if they’re properly installed and functioning you’ve probably never seen or heard of them.
Fasteners – If your fasteners are done properly, you should never see them. Fasteners need to be installed so they are hidden from mother nature. These little nails, or staples, do the majority of the work by keeping the material attached to the roof deck. Each type of roofing material requires a specific application process and type of fasteners. Using the incorrect type of fasteners or incorrectly installing fasteners could cause the roofing system to fail prematurely.
Flashing – Flashings are one of the most overlooked items within the roofing system. Most roofing contractors will reuse old flashings to save time and money. Each area of the roof that requires flashing has a unique application and deserves proper attention to ensure weather-tight performance for years to come. Choosing the correct transition metal, roof-to-wall flashing, and step flashing is just a few of the types of flashings to consider when designing a roofing system. Allowing your roof to cut corners in the flashing department might save you some money upfront but with hurt you in the long run by increasing your roof’s exposure to problems in the future.
Roof Membrane – If you have a roof membrane installed on your roof it means you have the extra protection needed to ensure high water traffic areas stay leak free. This component is not used as often as you would think. All roofers should know where the highest volume of water will travel and build in extra protection to those areas. Building additional layers of protection into your roofing system can greatly reduce your exposure to disasters down the road.