Roofing Pros – Laredo, Texas

Roofs are essential parts of buildings. When you need to renovate your building or just starting out with the construction, roofing shouldn’t be taken with levity. We have, through our team of experts, come up with the best roofing types available. For all your roofing construction and repairs and maintenance, reach out to EDINSA Contracting & Renovations.

Types of Roofing

1.  Asphalt Roof Shingles

Asphalt shingles have gradually found their way into the hearts of the modern-day constructors. They are made of fiberglass and use asphalt for waterproofing. Their popularity is chiefly, due to being relatively light and easy to install.

The advantages of asphalt roof shingles include durability and good life span, ease of installation, the consummation of relatively low energy and an excellent cost-to-value ratio.

2.  Architectural Roof Shingles

Architectural Roof Shingles, also known as dimensional or laminated shingles, are a type of roofing known for their heavy fiberglass mat base and ceramic-coated mineral granules. The architectural roof shingles are carefully designed, refined and are water-resistant.

The benefits of the architectural roof shingles include their three-dimensional texture built into them. They are heavy, needs not to support and lighten the load on your roof. They also come in different colors and texture, giving you the chance to choose from a lot of varieties.

3.  Standing Seam Metal Roofing

Standing seam metal roofing is another interesting roofing to bank on. It comes with seams, and installing, each adjacent seam is crimped together into one join. Standing seam metal roofing installed in sequence but this is not possible before the underlayment has been placed.

There are four types of standing seam metal roofing. They are mechanically seamed, symmetrical mechanically seamed, one-piece snap-lock and two-piece snap-lock.

Major advantages of the standing seam metal roofing include durability; it has shown to be able to last at least twice the life span of roofing shingles. They also have fire resistant properties but might not be the right choice of roofing if you are on a low budget.

4.  Clay & Concrete Tile Roofing

Tile roofing is not new, but the debate is which is better between clay and concrete. Well, both have their unique advantage over the other, so your decision will most likely rely on your preference and budget.

Clay definitely hold color much better than concrete. If your roofing is concrete tile, be prepared to have the colors gone in 50 years max, but with clay, you can still have the color till around 70 years. In fact, with Terracotta, a kind of clay, you have your color unhindered even after 100 years of installation. When compared with price, it has been found out that clay tiles are relatively costly than its concrete counterpart.

Benefits of clay and concrete tile roofing include longevity, durability, water and fireproof and require almost no maintenance.

5.  TPO Roofing

Thermoplastic Polyolefin is a single-ply roofing membrane that is one of the fastest growing commercial roofing systems on the market. It is a type of membrane roofing suitable for flat and low-slope roofs. TPO roofing is installed in a single membrane application rather than multiple layers like most roofing types have. It can also be installed using different methods that include mechanical, adhered, ballasted and plate bonded.

Advantages of TPO Roofing include the opportunity of customers and homeowners to choose their insulating material. The chemicals that made up TPO roofing also allow the addition of fire retardant chemicals during the manufacturing process – a major reason why it is usually used for industries and warehouses. TPO roofing is also generally white and highly reflective.

6.  Built-up Roofing

Built-up Roofing is also called BUR and used commonly for low-slope roofs. And the reason is that it creates a continuous sealed surface. BUR is composed of layers of reinforcing fabric and asphalt and finished with a top layer of aggregate that can either be gravel or stone.

Built-up roofing comprises of three parts; the bitumen or asphalt material, ply sheets and the surfacing materials. BUR has an average life expectancy of 15 to 30 years.

Advantages of Built-up roofing are excellent waterproofing, ultraviolet protection, and fire resistance.

7.  Roll Up Roofing

Roll up roofing, or simply called roll roofing or Asphalt roll roofing is a roofing material commonly used for buildings with low slope roof feature. It got its name, ‘roll’ because it has to be rolled for shipment. Apart from the low cost when compared to other types of asphalt roofing, it can also be easily installed by homeowners.

Like other asphalt products, roll up roofing is oil-based, however, it is thinner, larger and less durable. Advantages of roll-up roofing include high resistance to wear and tear, inexpensive, and it’s the best for covering low-incline roofs.

Roofing Components

1.  Roofing Coatings (waterproofing)

Roofing or roof coatings serve as protection to roof membranes. They serve as top layer protection protecting the membrane from sunlight, rain, rail, and other physical damage. Roof coatings are therefore monolithic, fluid applied roofing membrane. After a building must have been roofed, the need might arise for added protection or in another case, changing the entire roof for a building might be a huge task, so roofing components to the rescue. Although roof coatings are necessary for flat roofs, they’re much less popular for sloped roofs.

When done properly, roofing coatings can add 25 years to the service life of a roof. Roofing coatings also help protect the roof from leaking and reduces the temperature of the membrane and ultimately reducing air conditioning bills.

2.  Sealants

Sealants are used to protect your roof from physical damage. Adding sealants to roofs are absolutely important to ensure there are no leaks in gaps between materials. The right kind of sealant depends on what your roof is made out of. For instance, a metal roof sealant might not be right for concrete, and vice versa.

Benefits of sealants include mold growth protection, increased fire-resistance, waterproof and roof surface protection.

3.  Flashings

Flashings are pieces of impervious materials installed to prevent passage of water into a structure. Today, flashing is used almost everywhere in buildings to prevent water penetration; from walls and windows to door openings and vent pipes. In earlier days, birch barks are used as a flashing material, but nowadays metal, plastic, rubber or impregnated paper are used.

Advantages of flashings are aiding durability in buildings and reducing indoor mold problems.

4.  Drainage

Roof drains, typically installed in large-sized flat roofs, are used to collect rainfall water, which travels to the sewage or drainage system through available plumbing lines. There are different roof drainage systems and each has a different advantage over the others. The flat roof drain is used for buildings with flat roofs. There is also the siphonic roof drain that drains water more rapidly than others are a more of a high-tech drain. The mesa roof drain is made with rubber and provides added flexibility. Another type of roof drainage is the Zurn roof drain.

In designing suitable roof drainage for your building, you need to consider a few things. How much rainfall is experienced in your region is chief of those things. The amount rainfall will determine your roof’s pitch and size, guttering, downpipes, and drains. While gutters needed for roof drainage are inexpensive, they are an important part of the system. Ensure nothing blocks passage of water in gutters and the downspout should have a direct opening into the ground.

Roof Maintenance

1.  Repairs

There are different reasons why roofs might need repairs. In the case of damage by physical forces like rain and hail, or old age, then repairs are inevitable. Repairs help you extend the life of your roof and also saves you money.

2.  Leaks

Roof leaks can occur anytime, and when they happen it is best to find a solution as soon as possible. Failure will only result in total damage to the roof. Determine the exact location of the leaks and take immediate action to repair all leaks.