Roofing Materials and How to Roof
Roofing Basics
Your roof is one of the most important components of your home. It keeps you sheltered, protected and helps hold the structure of your home together. Before you learn how to roof, you need to know the basics of roofing, such as roofing materials and roofing supplies.
Roofing Structures
All roofs share a basic structure of several layers that work together as a system. These layers include:
Drip Edge: Made of strips of aluminum or galvanized steel, this helps block wind and rain from entering sideways.
Roof Deck: Made of plywood or oriented strand board, the roof deck is nailed to the rafters. In warmer climates, foil-faced reflective panels might be used to reflect heat away, allowing for reduced energy usage for air conditioning.
Shingle: The shingle’s core consists of a felt or fiberglass mat that is easy to cut and nail.
Underlayment: This sheet of No. 15 felt helps to catch any water that might seep through damaged shingles.
The overlap of these layers provides wind and water resistance to prevent weather damage to your roof and home.
Roofing Materials and Roofing Supplies
Roofing materials can vary, from the type of building to the region where the building resides. Typical roofing materials include:
Asphalt shingles
Clay tile
Metal (steel panel)
Slate
Wooden (cedar) shingles.
Roofing supplies are a necessity for installing roofing materials, and typically include:
Eaves drip (drip edge)
Fasteners
Felt shield or roofing felt (underlayment)
Hammer
Ladder
Nails
Plywood
Roof jacks (for a stable working surface)
Shingles.
Roofing Materials For Maintenance
While roofing repairs are inevitable for almost any building given enough time and wear, proper roof maintenance will help you avoid an excessive amount of reactive repairs in the future. Roof coatings and sealants help to defend against corrosion and weather damage.