Why is it important to prep my plywood before re-roofing?
Plywood prep is another thing that many roofers skip, and shouldn’t. It’s one of the costs that gets cut out when a cheap roofer gives you your replacement roof cost. Most roofs have plywood decks that everything else is installed on top of. If it doesn’t get properly prepped before installation, you’ll start to see imperfections in the roof in just five to seven years.
When you tear off a roof, you’re moving the structure around, and you want to make sure that things remain secure. So when we tear a roof off, rather than just going for it, we prep the plywood. We remove nails and pound in ones that can’t be roofed; we smooth them out.
There needs to be a gap between the plywood that allows it to expand and contract. In older homes, that gap can close up over time. Sometimes they were too tight to start. We check all the gaps in the plywood. And if there isn’t a gap, we create one.
Next step: securing the plywood. Over the years, the plywood has moved around; lifted here, popped there, and curled here. We can re-secure it in most cases. We can also upgrade it to screws and make sure it’s not going to pop up at all. Once we re-secure all the plywood, we can go back with our paper, and install your roofing.
Prepping the plywood first will help your roof last and give you peace of mind. You’re not going to see plywood pops and imperfections just a few years later. It’s an extremely important part of re-roofing that you don’t want your contractor to miss.