Roofs and Roofing Materials

Roofs and Roofing Materials

Your roof is one of the most important elements of your housing system. Your roof is one of the least seen and thought about elements of your housing system, that is, until you have a problem. In the Puget Sound area the problems almost always manifest themselves at the latest and most problematic phase as some form of wetness getting through to the interior of your house. When was the last time you had a clean roof? Clean gutters? New roofing? Roof inspection? Learn to take care of your roof and it will take care of your house.

For gutter information look on my gutter page. For general roofing education and information provided by metal, wood, or asphalt roofing material manufacturing associations of see my professional groups page.

Understanding Your Roof

Roof Helper.com
Roofing. The word can send chills racing down your spine with images of contractors stalking across your property speaking a form of gibberish. Before you start thumbing through the phone book, let RoofHelper teach you the ins and outs of a roofing construction job.
GAF Materials present Key Danger Signals
Attic Leakage-Wet, Rainy Climates; Attic Leakage-Icy, Winter Climates; Blistering/Peeling Paint; Interior Stains; Exterior Decay; Cracking and Curling; Dirty-Looking Areas; Energy Costs.
The Rehab Guide: Roofs
This publication, The Rehab Guide: Roofs is one in a series of guidebooks produced by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to keep the design and construction industry abreast of innovations and state-of-the-art materials and practices in home rehabilitation. The focus of this series is on housing rehabilitation, which is different than home improvement. Rehabilitate means to restore to good condition, not necessarily to improve to a state that is signiﬁcantly different than the original. This is a ﬁne line, but it distinguishes this series from home improvement books written for the amateur.
Roofsmith.com
Do You Need A New Roof? Leaking roofs, poor drainage, and clogged gutters and downspouts can lead to significant water damage inside your home. Inspecting a roof from outside is very simple. All that is needed is a pair of binoculars and a viewing point that is unobstructed by other buildings or trees. This website provides a checklist of problem signs you can look for during an outside roof inspection.

Ventilating Your Roof

Air Vent Inc.
Attic Exhaust Vents. The first stage in effective ventilation is getting the hot air out. That's what exhaust vents do. See a variety of methods and products here.
O'Hagin's, Inc.
O'Hagin's, Inc. is known worldwide as a leading designer and manufacturer of top quality, state-of-the-art, attic ventilation solutions.
Cor-A-Vent
This site says: "You have reached the home of the most comprehensive shingle-over ridge attic and soffit ventilation manufacturer. Cor-A-Vent is the most complete provider of ridge and soffit ventilation products and applications for use on residential and light commercial buildings."

Metal Roofing

Wide Span Metal Roofing
Metal roofing products of old had two drawbacks standing seams were field-formed and panel attachment was through the roof deck, requiring screws, washers, sealant, and subsequent maintenance of these points of penetration. Some of this labor-intensivity has been eliminated with new cold-rolled steel roofing products. Panel edges have been designed with snap locking standing seams to accommodate a concealed fastener that saves installation and maintenance labor while enhancing the appearance and durability of the roofing product.
Metal Roofing Alliance
Click on the link called Metal Roofing 101. This will probably answer 75% of your metal roofing questions.
Nu-Ray Metal Products Inc
Website says: "We offer the finest in concealed-fastener Standing Seam, metal Shingle+Shake, and face-fastened metal roofing and siding systems." They have a plant in Auburn, Wa.
Millennium Tiles
This website says: "Our permanently-colored stainless steel roofing tiles will give your project and honest, timeless and classic look that will deliver a combine extreme durability with design versatility. Beautiful maintenance-free metal tiles are available in natural and color. We include a 50 year warrantyon all of our metal roofing tiles."

Wood Roofing

Wood Shakes and Shingles: Tips for Longer Life
From the Forest Products Laboratory Advanced Housing Research Center.
Fire Smart Roofing Treatment Inc.
Fire Smart Roofing Treatment Inc. is one of the few roof material manufacturers in the world to offer an effective chemical treatment procedure for cedar shingles and cedar shakes with a solution that protects homes and buildings against the combustible properties of cedar roof material. See the links here to cedar roof performance, benefits of cedar roofing and see how cost-competitive cedar roofing actually is.
Cedar Shake & Shingle Bureau
The Cedar Shake & Shingle Bureau is the non-profit industry association that represents Certi-label brand product manufacturing members, distributors, wholesalers, retailers, Approved Installers, Roof Maintenance Technicians and other associates. Founded in 1915, the Cedar Bureau administers a quality assurance program, lobbies for building code acceptance of Certi-label products, provides quality marketing services, and protects the viability of the cedar shake and shingle roofing and sidewall industries.

Asphalt Roofing

Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association
To view the overall benefits of asphalt roofing, click on the list below: Economics; Aesthetics; Maintenance; Installation; Life Cycle/Warranty; Performance; Variety.
DreamRoofs.com
Emco Building Products'- DreamRoofs takes you, step-by-step, through your roofing installation project. What makes a good roof? Which shingle design fits your style? Where can you find a dealer or qualified contractor? Do it yourself roofing, roofing instructions, information on how to install roofing, and more.
Owens Corning
Whoever you are, wherever you live, whatever your style, Owens Corning has a shingle line that is right for you. Products shown by zip code availability.
GAF Materials Corporation
This link will give you the chance to choose a home style, asphalt roofing style and color and see how it looks. Change style &/or color and look again. Click on product information and then quality shingles to see all the choices.
Certain Teed
Choose from a variety of siding and roofing colors in the comfort of your own home. Combine them with trim, shutter, window and door options to create your own custom exterior.
Pabco® Roofing Products
What is a fiberglass shingle? Asphalt shingles are made by applying a coating of asphalt and a surfacing of colored granules over a core material. That core material can be an organic based felt (composed of recycled paper, sometimes with wood fibers added) or it can be a porous mat manufactured from fiberglass. Both products are "asphalt" shingles. The advantages with a fiberglass mat core are improved fire resistance, lighter weight (the fiberglass is naturally much thinner than a paper based felt) and a longer expected roof life.

Concrete, Clay & Slate Roofing

American Slate Company
This website says: "Slate is the classic roofing material. In addition to its graceful appearance, it offers the following advantages: Fireproof (Slate will not burn). Low maintenance (moss or fungus will not grow, even in damp and shady areas). Water repellent (no waterlogged, crumbling tiles). Standard weight tiles available as replacement for conventional materials."
MonierLifetile
The nations leading manufacturer of concrete roof tile products. Click on the General Product info link to see the selection, "Myths of concrete roof tile", that will correct any misinformation about concrete roof tile that you may have heard.