A roof is the covering of a structure, incorporating all parts and structures required to support it upon the outer walls of a structure, or on uprights, giving protection from direct sunlight, rain, wind, extreme temperature, and other outside forces. Roofing is also a part of the total building envelope. It is made up of roofing materials, such as tiles, roofing shingles, metal, asphalt, slate, gypsum, glass, concrete, etc., with insulation, flashing, vents, roof racks, rafters, guttering, chimneys, etc. The roofing is often also called roofing shingles.
Roofing Works Only Under These Conditions
There are two kinds of roofing materials, granules and crystalline. Granules are thick, clear sheets of material that are applied to an existing roof, and crystalline are fine, thin sheets. In roofing, granules and crystalline are applying in repetitive units called ‘pieces’ to form a rough finished roofing product. Other roofing materials, such as asphalt, metal, etc., consist of larger granules of material that are applied in repetitive units called ‘catheters’ to form an effective roofing material for a particular application. Roofing is usually completed with a ‘roofing nailer’ to attach the various pieces of roofing material together.
The different roofing materials require different roofing techniques. The technique that is used to install the roofing depends on whether the roofing is to be a do-it-yourself job or to hire a roofing contractor to install the roofing for you. Generally, roofing contractors are better equipped to install the roofing materials correctly than do-it-yourselfers since experienced roofers are trained to work in large spaces, often over long distances, and have access to specialized tools and products that do not have widespread use in the home-owners’ marketplace.