What Tools Do Roofers Use During Roof Replacement?

Replacement of a typical asphalt roof doesn’t take very long at all. In most cases, the asphalt roof will be off in a couple of hours, and it will take between one and two days to put the new one on. There are many things that will influence the timing of roof replacement, including the weather, the size of the roof, the pitch of the roof, and the number of people on the crew.

Because it doesn’t take long, you might not even see most of the work being done. If you’re working from 8-5, those are generally the hours that roofing occurs as well. In fact, most people like to be away from the house during the roofing, due to the unavoidable level of noise. There’s hammering, shouting, scraping, and the sound of the compressors and tools. And if you’re away during our work, you might never even see those tools at work.

If you’ve ever been curious about tools and materials that roofers use, this is the blog for you. Let’s take a look at what we use on a daily basis.

Cameras

The roof replacement begins with documentation. A digital camera is used to take pictures of all of the damage that has occurred. Those pictures are also sent along to the insurance adjuster if you are making a roof insurance claim.

Shingle Scrapers

When it comes to removing the old asphalt roof, the most common way of getting rid of the old shingles is simply to scrape them off. The overlapping nature of the shingles that protected the underlying roof all those years now works against it, allowing the scrapers to get up under the shingles and pop the nails up with relative ease. Some people choose to use pitchforks, but their pointed tines often go through the underside of the single and get stuck.

Single scrapers don’t pop up every shingle nail. Any that stayed in the roof while the single came up will be removed with a crowbar or a hammer.

Roof Felt

Shingles are excellent at keeping the elements from reaching the plywood that makes up the roof, but it’s the roof felt that is the most waterproof.

Roof felt, also known as tar paper, is a bituminous waterproofing material that is tacked down directly to the plywood roof. (Roof felt can also be self-tacking.) If the wind blows water up under shingles, the waterproofing nature of roof felt will ensure that your attic stays dry and your roof doesn’t warp. Roof felt can either be synthetic or organic.

Find out more about the types of roofs we install

Drip Edge

The drip edge is a length of corrosion-resistant metal that covers the edges of the roof. This simple piece of roofing material performs three very important jobs. First of all, it helps to keep the edges of the roof felt in place, which improves waterproofing at the edge of the roof that might otherwise have windblown under it. It also sheds water by itself, as the name drip edge suggests. Finally, it works like trim on the inside of your home in that it covers the rougher construction material and makes it look “finished.”

Your Roof Of Choice

Just because we’re removing traditional asphalt shingles doesn’t mean that we have to replace your roof with more of the same. While an asphalt roof installation is certainly the most common type of roofing in the country, you have other options that you can read about here. Here’s a quick breakdown of the various types of roofs most commonly installed in Georgia in addition to regular shingles.

First of all, there are standing seam metal roofs, which are roofs made of lightweight steel or aluminum. These roofs can last for up to 50 years, but they require specialized roofers in order to install them. Though they’re more expensive than shingles, their longevity more than makes up for it.

Another option is getting a tile roof. Tile roofs look absolutely amazing and can last for 100 years or more. One thing to remember is that a roof might have to be structurally reinforced before a tile roof is installed because of the weight of the tiles.

Roofing Resources of Georgia also offers wood shake shingles. While they last longer than asphalt shingles, they do require additional maintenance over the years. But on the right house, it’s hard to beat the look of a shake roof!

Ridge Caps

A gable is the topmost part of the roof where the two primary sections come together. Something has to protect the place where the shingles start so that water isn’t getting under that top shingle, and the ridge cap is the answer. The ridge cap is nailed down to create the “cap” of the roof and act as the first line of protection against the elements. Ridge caps are often metal, though they can also be a layer of shingles that is bent over the ridge.

Valley Flashing

Few roofs are just an inverted V shape; most roofs have multiple angles to accommodate the rooms inside. Where these angles of the roof meet, valley flashing is often used. These metal pieces will provide additional protection to the roof by channeling the water quickly away to the gutters.

Other Flashing

In general, flashing is any metal piece that’s used on a roof in order to channel water or offer additional protection, and valleys aren’t the only places that need it. Another commonplace that flashing is used is around the chimney (if there is one). But even if there’s not a chimney around, there will be a myriad of other rooftop extras that require flashing, whether it’s attic fans, radon exhaust, bathroom exhaust, skylights, or furnace exhaust.

Ready For New Roof?

Whether you’re not there for the roof replacement or you’re sitting in the backyard watching us work, we hope you’ve enjoyed a little look into the tools and materials that we’ll be using when we take care of your new roof in Georgia. Ready to get an amazing new roof from the best roofers around? Contact us today!

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