Roofing, something that many people don’t even knows how to do. Many of you would call you directly contractors like roofing contractors in Royal Oak Michigan. But, hold on, you might think of fixing those small tasks yourself. But before you go and do anything to your roof you should know the basics of roofing.
What is Roofing?
Before you get all tangled up with terms, just start with the word roof. What is a roof? A roof is the part of a building envelope. It is the covering on the uppermost part of a building or shelter which provides protection from animals and weather, notably rain or snow, but also heat, wind and sunlight. The word also means the framing or structure which supports that covering. Basically, it is the top part of a building.
Now you get what a roof is. So, what is roofing? Roofing is the process of constructing a roof or roofs. It is when you are doing something to your roof. Either you are doing a renovation, a construction, or even a repair.
What do you need to know on roofing?
Here are some basic roofing components that you should know before doing that roof job yourself but if it gets harder for you, you better get in touch with that roofing contractor.
- Flashing — flashing on a roof refers to the metal pieces that are used to divert water from places where it might collect, such as hips and valleys. Flashing can be made from a variety of materials. You can use a galvanized flashing, a galvanized alloy, copper, lead coated copper or stainless steel. Each of these would work fine.
- Shingles or Tile — the shingles or tiles make up the outermost part of the roof. Sitting atop the underlayment, they form the outermost barrier against the elements. In residential roofing the same basic types of roof have been in sue for hundreds of years are still in use today. The shingle — or tile — has been in use for thousands of years, in fact. You can find intact tiles that have been in use 5,000 years. Despite their history, however, shingles and tiles are just two among many types of materials you can use to cover the roof. Others include concrete, wood shingles or metal.
- Underlayment — the underlayment of a roof is the black paper that’s laid over the plywood sheeting in order to seal the roof from damaging elements (snow, rain, ice, etc.). The use of a membrane is typically required, a waterproof membrane, a sweat sheet or vapor barrier — with the underlayment paper serving the triple function.
- Trim — the trim protects the seams anywhere there is a roof, such as a hip or a ridge.
