Hicksville Roofing: Article About Installing Shingles Like A Pro
Shingles are flat, regularly shaped pieces of slate, flagstone, cement, metal, vinyl or even asphalt composites that protect vulnerable building materials. They're usually installed from bottom to top, and they overlap to prevent free-flowing water and debris from entering buildings.
Question answered for our Hicksville NY roofing customers: How can shingled roofs affect my property's value?Different types of shingle are associated with a rustic appearance, making them great ways to impart your home with a traditional feel that appeals to buyers. Of course, replacing old or decaying shingles on your building will also appeal to potential buyers who know they'll get more life out of your home before having to make their own upgrades.
Installing shingles on your home is definitely a job for reliable Hicksville roofing professionals, but there's nothing wrong with understanding how the process should ideally work. Here's a quick guide to what asphalt shingle installers do to get roofs covered efficiently and securely.
After inspecting the impermeable barrier layers of your roof for outstanding damage, specialists fit the surfaces with drip edges and moisture shields to block ice and water. Next, they lay felt paper down over the entirety of the roof using staples.
Employing chalk lines or other tools to keep things aligned, roofers lay the shingles in rows beginning at the bottom edges of your roof. Professionals employ a number of techniques designed to help line up each overlapping row, working in teams to ensure rapid installation and to avoid prolonged exposure of the underlying layers to the elements. Tiles are generally affixed to the roof using nails specifically designed for the purpose, and tar adhesives may also be employed in specific areas.
As they proceed up the slope, workers generally cut tiles to fit around protrusions, such as vents and chimneys. Similarly, they'll trim the top course of roofing tiles so that they don't extend past the ridge vent at the peak of your roof.
Trimming the top row ensures that the roof can vent properly, and a plastic vent cover is generally installed over the opening to prevent the passage of debris. This device is subsequently hidden with a special course of overlapping cap shingles that maintain the uniform appearance of your roof.
Have a question regarding EPDM rubber roofs or roof inspections? Ask Long Island Roofing of Hicksville NY.
At this stage, the gaps that were left for chimneys and other irregular structural features will be sealed with some form of leak-proof flashing.
This process seems simple when all the steps are laid out for you, but it's generally not a DIY project. Although some homeowners have the construction experience and safety equipment required to work at altitude, a lot is riding on your roof installation. For instance, a small mistake such as an improperly fastened shingle could easily result in a severe leak later on, but if you installed the roof yourself, you don't have any warranty recourse or durability guarantees, and your home may not be as valuable as a result.
There are many other issues that make asphalt shingle installation such a tough job. For instance, asphalt tiles are extremely heavy. The work can be tiring, and those who don't have ample skilled assistance find it rather difficult to proceed in a consistent, safe fashion.
It takes more than one experienced eye to create straight courses of shingles and perform an inspection of the underlying surface prior to the install. In addition, some ranch- and colonial-style homes require starter shingles near their eaves, making the work all the more complex. Variances in building styles generally mean that the judgement of professionals is essential during shingled roof repairs or installations.
