The roof on a building is one of its most important facets. The roof provides both structure to the building and protects it from the vagaries of nature. This can be very important on newer buildings because of the materials they are made from. For instance, the roof on a residence is typically decked with plywood or OSB (Oriented Strand Board). If this material gets wet, the moisture can cause the wood fibers to swell and break the bond between them and the resins that hold the sheets together. Roof Repairs of this type can be difficult to fix because they tend to require a lot of demolition to access the damage.
One of the most common problems with residential and small business roofing is the destruction of the shingles that cover them. Shingle products are typically asphalt based and come in several grades. The most common grade is fairly thin with an average lifespan of about fifteen years. As the asphalt dries, the shingle begins to curl and the edges may become brittle. Damage like this allows water to seep under the shingle and leak down the decking. The problem can be worse if the roof doesn’t have a membrane such as roofing felt or tar paper.
Commercial Roof Repairs are a little different depending on the type of roof. Many commercial roofs use the BUR (Built Up Roofing) method. This is a layered technique that begins with a decking material which is covered by a membrane, usually roofing felt. Over the membrane will be one or more layers of tar and a final layer of aggregate such as gravel. The primary benefit to BUR is the lower cost of installation and simple repairs. In many cases, it is possible to add additional layers before the roof will need to be completely replaced.
No matter what type of roofing problems a building may have, it takes an experienced roofer such as to handle them. Simply attempting to patch a roof will usually result in further damage when the patch fails. Of course, some roof types are designed for easier repair. Most asphalt shingle roofs can have a certain amount of shingles replaced before it becomes cost prohibitive versus completely exchanging the roofing. You can follow them on Twitter.