Montgomery Decor

Flat roofs are completely different from sloped roofs. Water can run down sloped roofs and go down to the drain. But that is not the case on flat roofs. The entire flat roof must have a layer of watertight seal so that water cannot come through the roof and cause leaks in the house. But like the sloped roof, flat roofs can get damaged and thus need roof repair. It’s a good thing that you can do roof repair on flat roofs, as long as you know how to. How do you do it? Here’s how.

The first thing you should do is to prepare the items you’ll need for the roof repair. Get a mallet, roofing nails, putty knife, utility knife, brooms and roofing cement. These are all the materials needed to repair your flat roof.

To begin roof repair, go to your roof and locate the problems. If you found peeled regions or fractures on it, then do the following steps: Get rid of the dust and dirt on the roof using the broom. Roofing cement cannot stick on surfaces with dirt, that’s why you need to make sure that the entire area is clean. Now cut a shape on to the area where the fracture or peel was discovered. If there are multiple fractures or peels, make use of the same shapes for uniformity. Use the cut shape to make a pattern on the replacement shingles. The size and shape that you create on the replacement shingle should be accurate. If you made a mistake on the size, create multiple replacement shingles so that the shingles can be on the same level as the area on it. Make another replacement shingle. This one must be at least 2 inches larger than the other shingles.

Put the putty knife in the area of the edges. Put roofing cement under the edges. Now, attach the shingle on the hole and nail it down. Cement the shingle. If you are going to use multiple shingles to level the area, the other shingles must not be cemented. Just hammer it down with nails. Tack down the larger replacement shingle on the area and put roofing cement on its edges for the seal.

If there are split shingles on your flat roof, then you need to do a different method. First, slash the shingle into two. Open the slashed area and put roofing cement on it. Use roofing nails to tack down the sides of the shingle. Add a replacement shingle using a similar method as described on the repairing of fractured areas.
Roof repair for your flat roof should now be done. You are now protected from water leaks in the meanwhile. Check your roof regularly to maintain it and prevent anymore leaks.

Justin is a home repair specialist who also writes about roof repair tips and flat roof repair.

When heated air builds up in your attic or the upper crawlspace of your home, it can cause damage and warping of the wood. On particularly hot days, the trapped heat can quickly reach temperatures of over 150 degrees. Combine the hot air with moisture and condensation that can form, and you’ve got the recipe for costly damage.

If you are not properly ventilating your attic or crawlspace, you can experience degradation ad warping of the plywood roof deck after only a few years. The wood may be susceptible to dry rot because of the condensation, and the adhesive glue used on the plywood will deteriorate over time due to the hot and humid conditions.

The metal in the attic will start to sweat and will produce condensation. This moisture will eventually cause the metal to rust. That means your plumbing, ductwork and even exposed nail heads can form oxidation and fall apart. This is more prevalent in humid climates, where rusted metal in the attic can break apart and cause pieces of the roof, the ductwork or the pipes inside the attic to collapse.

In colder climates or during the winter season, your attic and roof deck are susceptible to frost. Insulation alone will trap that moisture inside and eventually lead to your plywood roof deck to develop dry rot. The trapped moisture also can lead to the development of dangerous molds and fungi, which can cause serious health and respiratory problems.

These problems and expensive repair bills can be avoided by making sure your roof and attic have ventilation. There are many different types of household roof and attic ventilation systems, including ridge vents, turbine vents, gable vents, static vents and cupola vents. Each variety of ventilation system circulates air in your attic or crawlspace differently. Some systems are more effective than others, depending on the design of your roof, the climate you live in, and the size of your attic.

To ensure your attic is being ventilated properly, you must have intake and exhaust vents. Intake vents are located on the eaves of the roof and allow air to enter in from the bottom. Exhaust vents are located on the top, or the ridge, of the roof and serve as an escape for the air to leave the attic. Hot air rises and the exhaust vents on the roof coupled with the intake vents on the downside create a natural airflow that circulates air from the bottom up. This circulation prevents hot air build up and allows moisture to escape, thereby minimizing the risk of expensive damage to your home’s upper structure.

Installing a ventilation system in your home’s attic will ensure that you get the most out of your home’s roof. You won’t have to worry about the aesthetic value of the vents, because most ventilation systems can barely be noticed. Make sure you have a proper air circulation system installed to prevent damage and keep your roof in like-new condition.

Mr. Oliver is a marketing agent of Tallant Industries. The roofing repair and installation contractors are the premier manufacturer of superior building products, serving domestic and international customers. For more information on their Corrugated Roofing Building Panels please visit their website.

One of the most important parts of an establishment is the roof. It protects individuals from bad weather. It is very important that it is properly constructed to avoid any unexpected accident.

There are different designs that you can pick from depending upon the type of establishment that you are constructing. It also varies in shape, design and overall size. You can also paint it according to the surroundings of the structure that you are building it for.

It is also helpful and will make things easier if you have some knowledge of basic construction, battening, slating, felting and installing the set-up into place.

MATERIALS NEEDED IN CONSTRUCTING A ROOF

The materials needed are exterior wood, scaffolding, drip edge, asphalt shingles, metal flashing, 12 GA nails for roofing, tar paper, rafter ties, fasteners for metal products and clips.

TOOLS

The tools needed are tape measure, claw hammer, canvas nail belts, framing hammer, wrenches, combination square, carpentry level, screwdrivers, hacksaw, drills, chalk line, ladders, felt-tipped pencils and pens, string, hand saw, saw horses, plumb bob, finish hammer, staple gun, clam, nail gun, chisel, tin snip, caulking gun, insurance, blue prints and nail set.

STEPS IN CREATING A ROOF

Check if the ends of the rafter are in correct position. Remember that the ends will not be in a good position if the walls are not parallel with one another. Start by reviewing your building map and laying out the materials and tools that you need. Steadily work upwards to the base of the roof.

The sheets must also be properly installed from the base up to the top. If it is not, raised in four inches increments, carefully divide the last roof sheet so that you can place it easily. The mark for the sheathing must be parallel to the rafters. It is advisable to utilize codes when you are already in the nailing part since it will guide you where you should place the nails.

Do not secure the rafters at the edges of the roof until you have nailed the adjoining sheets. This will enable you to change the location of the rafters if you wish to. You should stagger the joints of the roof sheathing for the different courses. Divide a portion into two parts and then utilize these roof sheaths.

Use metal clips to strengthen the set-up. You need to check once in a while if it the roof is properly aligned. Remember to check each slope individually. You now have a roof that will protect you at all times.

Please click these links if you want to know more about how to build a roof or how to build a roof in general.

If you have a fiber cement roof (e.g. Hardishake©, Maxishake©, Cemwood©, etc.) in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, you should read every word of this report. Find out why filing a Hardishake lawsuit claim is a waste of time for almost everyone.

Although HardiShake©, MaxiShake©, and Cemwood© were originally sold as lifetime roofing they now reveal their *alleged fatal flaw. In fact, your Hardi Shake roof may already be showing signs of failure: breaking, cracking, delamination, discoloration, or softening.

Layers of Trouble

In 1996, the marketing representative for HardiShake© trained a small handful of my colleagues to sell their product. As he explained it, the fiber cement shingles were made by rolling a wire mesh wheel through a mixture of sand, wood “cellulose” fibers, and cement. As the wheel turned, it picked up another layer of the mixture. When the collected layers reached 1/4″ thickness, they were stamped into shingles with either a “shake” or “slate” imprint. The shingles were laminated creating a moisture barrier.

Common Complaints

Within a few years of installation, customers in Colleyville reported chips of shingles falling from their roof. I’ve recently inspected homes in Dallas, Fort Worth, and Arlington where the shingles are cracked in two. Another common complaint is that it is impossible to hang Christmas lights without damaging the roof further. You may have noticed that your roof has changed color, become “dirty”, or possibly has started to grow algae.

Asbestos

In the past, concrete shingles were made with asbestos fibers that served to increase their strength and durability. Due to serious health concerns caused by asbestos, manufacturers were forced to find an alternate way to simulate these benefits. The alternative became wood “cellulose” fibers. While wood fibers initially did a good job of adding strength and durability to concrete shingles, many soon revealed their alleged fatal flaw. When it rains, unprotected wood fibers attract and hold water. As the temperature changes, the fibers expand and contract separating the shingle back into thin brittle layers.

Capillary Suction

One of the important dynamics to look at when studying premature shingle failure is “capillary suction”. Moisture can get into and behind the shingles because they sit tightly on top of each other. Water appears to defy gravity when it is drawn backwards (wicking) into the overlapping above fiber cement shingle. The way to defeat capillary suction is to perfectly seal each shingle (yeah right!). Another method is to ventilate the space between each shingle by creating a gap. Unfortunately, shingles work best at shedding rain water when you eliminate the gaps! It seems to be a proverbial Catch 22.

Bigger In Texas

Our damp climate causes the shingles to fail at a much faster rate than in other parts of the country. Each change in season reveals further damage… eventually leading to extensive interior water damage in your home. Unfortunately, most insurance companies will hold you responsible for those costly repairs due to your faulty roof. They will rightly claim that your policy does not cover manufacture defects. It will cost you thousands & thousands of dollars to replace your roof… not to mention what it will cost to repair your water damaged interior.

If you are planning to replace your old roof with new metal roofing, it would be very cost-efficient if you do it yourself. After all, anyone can learn how to install metal roofing. All you need is to learn the basics of tool-handling and pay attention to detail.

Now, to begin learning how to install metal roofing, we strongly recommend that you read through these very easy steps:

1. Get rid of the old material.

The initial task in how to install metal roofing is getting rid of the previous roofing, including all the nails. You can do this by using a pitchfork or shovel. Upon clearing the roof surface, you have to sweep the entire area with a broom to prepare it for the next step.

2. Roll out the roofing felt.

A 30-lbs. roofing felt needs to be laid out on the entire roof surface. Make sure the each sheet overlaps the previous one by a couple of inches, and that you leave about 3 inches hanging over each edge.

3. Create guidelines on the felt.

Draw parallel lines going from the crown of the roof to the gutter at two feet intervals from one another. You can do this using a chalk line. These straight lines will serve as guidelines when you are placing your metal sheets on the roof.

4. Attach the metal sheets.

If you feel you are confident enough and really know how to install metal roofing, then get ready because this is the biggest and most exciting part of the construction – installing the metal sheets. First, you have to cut a length of metal roofing equal to the distance from the crown to the edge of the roof, adding a couple of inches for the overhang. If you really want to learn how to install metal roofing, you also need to learn to measure accurately.

Lay down the first metal sheet on the leftmost side and attach it to the roof frame with screws every two feet. Repeat the same procedure for the next sheets until you have covered the whole roof. Make sure that each metal sheet overlaps the one beside it by about 2-3 inches.

5. Plug up the gaps.

Use a rubber strip to plug the lines where the metal sheets overlap. This will keep insects and other small animals from burrowing into your roof.

6. Attach the metal edging and cap.