Your roof deck is essentially the foundation of the entire roof. If something is wrong with the roof deck, it can result in the need to replace the entire roof to fix the problem. Here are a few things that you need to know about your roof deck so that you can understand it better.
What Is A Roof Deck?
The roof deck is the wood surface that the shingles are nailed onto. There are two types of materials that are used for the deck, which are sheet and plank decking. The difference between the two is that plank decking is long and thin strips of wood, while sheet decking is made in very large panels. Sheet decking also comes in the form of plywood and OSB. A roofing contractor may determine that one form of sheet decking is preferable to the other based on the spacing between your roof rafters and the thickness of wood that is necessary.
Which Roof Deck Material Costs More?
Be aware that plank decking is going to be more expensive than sheet decking. This is because the planks are typically thicker, so the wood will be denser in general across your entire roof. In addition, the installation cost for a plank deck can be more expensive due to the smaller size of each piece and it needs to be manually secured to your home.
When Does A Roof Deck Need To Be Replaced?
A big concern when getting a new roof installed is if the roof deck needs to be replaced. If you are getting a tear-off roof, the residential roofing contractor will be able to evaluate the condition of the roof simply by looking at it. If it looks like the roof deck is rotting and weak in places due to water damage, then replacement of the roof deck may be necessary.
If you do not plan on tearing off the existing shingles and performing a layover roof, the roofing contractor will try to evaluate the roof deck from inside your attic. It's often possible to see damaged roof deck material from the underside because any rot or damage will have come through the boards.
A roof deck may need to be replaced simply due to how old it is. If a roof has been replaced on an older home several times, it may be time to replace the material because it has had many shingles nailed into the roof deck and removed, which weakens the roof.
Once you watched someone put a roof on a home, you have a much deeper understanding of what's involved in this sort of work. Roofing is not easy. There's a big mental component since the roofers need to decide how how many shingles to use, how to best lay them out, and so forth. Then, there's the physical aspect of roofing. Lugging packages of shingles onto the roof is not easy, and nailing them down take a lot of work, too. With that in mind, we welcome you to read more about roofing on this blog. Let the articles inform your opinion of the profession.