Understanding the Basic Elements of Roof Replacement in Louisville KY

Among all the substantial home repair jobs, installing new roofing is definitely a major one. Although it may sound more exciting to redesign your kitchen or create an in-home theatre room, roof replacement, if needed, must take precedence. Unless, of course, you don’t mind also paying to clean up water damage in that kitchen or theatre.

Roof repair is not something that can be postponed. When you think that your roof is close to the end of its workable life and you are ready to contact a roofing company Louisville KY, review the following and get familiar with roofing materials and terms. You will then be able to confidently communicate with your roofing company.

Below is the typical process for roof replacement Louisville KY.

• Tear off all the old roof shingles, tossing them into a roll-off dumpster. Remove worn-out or old valley flashing and drip edge. An experienced crew will use canvases to safeguard plants and shrubs around the foundation during the removal and will utilize magnetic tools to collect nails and metal objects from the site.
• Do minor repairs on the roof if the roof deck condition is good; If not, replace worn-out wood with fresh plywood sheathing or 1 x 6 sheathing panels, whichever applies to your roof.
• Install ice dam protection in areas that need it: The ice guard skin is an artificial waterproof barrier material made to stop melting ice from accumulating under the shingles and piercing through the sheathing, where the moisture can cause major damage.
• Place asphalt roofing paper over the roof sheathing: The coating of roofing paper forms an internal barrier that prevents water from penetrating into the house. Rolls of roofing paper, or felt, is installed from bottom to top in rows and usually fastened in place with staples.
• Add metal drip edge around the edge of the roof, both the eave edges and gable edges: The metal drip edge is fixed in place over the roofing paper or ice guard.
• Where required, apply new valley flashing in the dip, or valley, formed where two roof planes meet: The valley flashing is usually fixed to the roofing platform and secured with roofing caulk.
• Apply the tab shingles, beginning at the eaves and moving upward toward the top. Where roof vents are being placed, these may be installed as the shingle-installers reach the peak.
• Install new flashing around all penetrations on the roof — against the chimney, around skylights and stack vents, etc. Flashing installation may be done simultaneously with the shingle installation as the rows of shingles progress upward.
• Perform the final clean-up and remove all debris. Workers will pull out the magnetic tools again to clean up any stray nails. The best roofing company Louisville KY will do their best to leave no sign at all that they were there, except, of course, a brand-new roof!