Roof installation can be tricky business, especially when you have to think about all the things you need to do. For some, it can be extremely overwhelming, and for many others, they know that one wrong thing can lead to the entire structure of their house falling apart.
You need to pay attention to a handful of materials, equipment, and places if you want to perform top quality roof installation or repair to your home.
Before you start with your house, make sure you know the different roofing material types highlighted in the following:
- Felt – refers to a single-ply membrane that protects your roof against ice, snow, and rain.
- Tar and gravel – these two materials, when joined together, provide the necessary waterproofing and corrosion-resistant material your roof needs.
- EPDM – refers to Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer that consists of thick membranes and is highly recommended by most contractors.
- TPO – refers to a hybrid material with the name of thermoplastic polyolefin, which helps to strengthen the EPDM membrane. It’s thick enough to protect against ice, snow, and rain.
- PVC – Polyvinyl chloride refers to strong roofing materials that are very durable and long-lasting.
- Metal – easily one of the strongest roofing materials used by most contractors. However, they’re very expensive as well.
Make sure you also have the following tools:
Pry bars- Framing square
- Roofing hatchet
- Roofing shovel
- Chalk line
- Tin snips
- Saws
- Power nailer
- Hammer tacker
- Roof adhesive
Once you have the right materials and tools to start roofing your house, follow these seven effective steps:
Obtain permits and research on local building codes
Some rules and laws pertain to certain places. Before you start with your roof installation, make sure that you’re adhering to residential local building codes. You might ask yourself why there are building codes regarding roofs. This is to protect the community against unwanted incidents and ensure aesthetic continuity for every neighborhood.
Purchase the roofing material you require
You need to check your roof and list down the materials that are required. This helps you come up with a fitting budget. You also need to consider how difficult it can be to install some materials on your roof. Moreover, you have to ask yourself if you want to install the roof on your own or if you want to hire a contractor.
Remove the old roof if you have a pre-constructed roof
You can’t install a new roof if there’s still an existing one underneath. While some people may choose to cover old material with new ones, this can be detrimental in the long run. Therefore, you need to use tools such as pry bars to remove fasteners, nails, and staplers. A hammer is also required to loosen certain materials. Make sure to clean up after the work is done and dispose of the waste properly to avoid any accidents.
Install drip molding and flash roof valleys
It’s important to install drop molding because this is where the rainwater leads straight to your roof’s gutters. You can align the drip molds and mark the installation space with a chalk line. This is very helpful in nailing down the roof valley flashing manner.
Mark the spaces for your nails with chalk
To properly nail down the materials for your roof, you need to know where you’re nailing them in the first place. Similar to what you did with the drip mold, you can use chalk to mark down the areas that need nailing down in the first place. Make sure to leave at least 6 inches of space between them. When it comes to seams of your roofing material, make sure to have them overlap by half an inch. This helps to create a watertight barrier and allows for insulation.
Apply roof adhesive on exposed nails
You might notice that your nails will be exposed by the time you’re finished setting up your roof. To avoid them from getting uprooted or loose in the long run, apply roof adhesive on them. This creates a watertight seal that protects them against violent weather conditions.
Let your new roof dry.
Once your new roof has significantly dried, you need to inspect every aspect of it thoroughly. Look out for excess roofing seas, and loose nails, cracked adhesive and other areas that you need to fix. Once the issues are resolved, you can now enjoy your new roof.
If you need a quick and efficient roofing installation service, you probably should consider hiring professional roofing contractors to speed up the process.