Roof Repair
The severe storms that bring wind and rain to the Baton Rouge area can be very damaging to your roof. A Baton Rouge roofing contractor should examine your roof a minimum of once a year and more often when there has been damaging storms.
The pictures of the aftermath of hurricane Gustav in 2008 show how Mother Nature can attack your home. In many cases when a tree has toppled onto your roof you know you will have to call a Baton Rouge roofing company to repair the damage. However many times wind and water can attack your roof without obvious signs of damage. A professional inspection of the roof may turn up problems of sagging, damaged flashing, missing shingles, curling, blistering, buckling, rotting, and algae growth.
The professional Baton Rouge roofer will check for loose material or wear around chimneys, vents, pipes, or other penetrations. They will look for cracks, gouges, or tears to the shingles caused by flying debris. They will check for signs of shingle granules that look like large grains of sand in the gutters. They will examine the gutters and downspouts to insure that they are draining well. They will ensure that the caulking around these areas is in place and doing its job. Moisture, rot, and mold can invade the roof deck and the attic. These professionals can help you avoid the damage from tiny leaks in the roof, mud and leaf clogged gutters, ill-fitting downspouts, and loose and crumbling mortar joints.
If more than a third of your roof is damaged it will probably need to be replaced. However if the damage is less than this and your roof is not more that 15 to 20 years old it may be possible to repair it. When the roofing contractor assesses your roof he will take these things into consideration. He will also consider the type of roof that you have – wooden shakes, asphalt shingles, tiles, or metal.
If your roof material is asphalt shingles it is usually relatively easy to fix. After checking all the areas around chimneys and vents they will determine if inadequate flashing or deterioration of the shingles is causing the problem. If curled, damaged or missing shingles are discovered they can be replaced. An asphalt shingle can be uncurled if it is warm. If the shingle needs replacing this can be done by removing the nails of the old one, placing in a new one, then nailing and cementing the new one in place.
Flat roofs present a different problem. They usually show an area of water pooling with a blister under the water. As flat roofs are a mixture of felt and tar the damage has caused the top layer to separate and damage the felt. The roof needs to be dried then the blister split and repaired. Torch down roofs are more resistant to damage.
Wood shakes are more difficult to repair that asphalt shingles. For split wood shakes a shim of galvanized metal needs to driven under the shingle. If the shake needs to be replaced the old one needs to be removed with care to avoid damaging the adjacent shingles. The new one should be nailed in place with its base overlapping the one below it.
Often the problem with the roof has nothing to do with the shingles but rather it is a problem with the flashings and the roof valleys. Metal flashings seal out water around the chimney, at vent pipes, and along roof valleys where two roof pitches meet. These flashings can develop tiny holes that allow water to seep under them. They can also pull away from the mortar of the chimney. The roof valleys are usually made from aluminum or copper. Filling small holes and joints with roofing cement can repair them. Protective collars around vent pipes can be coated with roofing cement to reseal these areas. All exposed nail heads should be coated with this cement.
Because serious damage from a leaking roof can cause problems from the attic to the basement of a home, action is necessary. The best way to deal with these problems is to consult a Baton Rouge roofing company. They will be able to track down the problem and repair it.
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