What You Need To Know About Commercial Roofing

Commercial roofing protects the business structure beneath it in multiple ways. While this building component is very similar to a residential roof, it is even more important to keep it functional. While a leaky home rooftop will be inconvenient and damaging to the family abode, a problematic commercial structure will be inconvenient, suffer damage to property and to business reputation. Having a leaky rooftop at any sort of company would be damaging to its image with customers and employees. If a restaurant, store or day care center has a building in poor repair, workers as well as diners, shoppers or students and parents would begin to wonder what else was slipshod in the organization. It's crucial to keep a facility in tiptop shape as proof to employees and customers that it's a well run and reliable company.

Here are some things to know about your roof:

4 parts of the structure: It's not just a layer of shingles up there. There are, in fact, four layers that contribute to the tight ship of this uppermost part of a building. 

Deck: The deck is plywood or other timber that is nailed to the rafters of the structure. Sometimes, reflective material is attached, as well, to ward off excessive sunlight that would heat up the building.

Underlayment: A layer of waterproof felt underlayment is placed on top of the deck to add another level or leak resistance.

Shingle: Shingles are often made of asphalt and are sometimes called 3 tabs. They are sold in bundles for large repairs and re-roofing or separately for patching.

Aluminum edging: The aluminum metal edging is also called flashing. Flashing is placed around eaves, corners, chimneys and other edges to keep it leak-proof.

Materials: While asphalt shingles are popular, there are other types of roofing material that are used including clay tile, metal or timber such as cedar. The choice will depend on architectural design, strength of rafters, personal preference and budget. Certain products will require more upkeep than others such as the timber products. These will require sealing and refinishing periodically to keep the wood from breaking down. Tile is often chosen in desert regions because tiles absorb heat and withstand intense summer temperatures.

Downspouts and rain gutters: Not only does the quality and maintenance of a roof matter, it will also be necessary to have rain gutters and downspouts that are highly functional. Without these items, water will pool during storms and create invitations to leakage.

Maintenance staff: A well run business will have a maintenance staff to call on when needed for all major building components including commercial roofing, HVAC systems, landscaping and more. This is part of keeping up the facility and providing a topnotch place to work or do business.

Commercial roofing is one more item on a company owner's "to do" list. Maintaining a facility will be another way of making sure a business is successful with its customers and employees.