Roof and Roofing Materials

Engr. Lito I. Mauro

Roof – the top covering of a building that
serves as a protective covering from
the weather.
Roofing materials refer to the kind of
materials used in the construction of
the roof.
Roofing material is the outermost layer on the
roof of a building, sometimes self-supporting,
but generally supported by an underlying
structure.
The roofing material of building provides shelter
from the natural elements.
The outer layer of a roof shows great variation
dependent upon availability of material, and
the nature of the supporting structure.
Roofing materials may be placed on top of a
secondary water-resistant material called
underlayment.
Roofing is an industry where one works
on roofs.
This industry is a high risk industry due to
the injuries that one can sustain in this
job environment.
Roofing is focused on the upper layer of a
house or building.
Roofing on a house is considered
residential and building as commercial.
What to Look for in a Roof
• How long will it last?
• Does it hold up during natural disasters such as
wildfires or hurricanes?
• Is it too heavy for the existing roof framing?
• Does the roof have enough slope?
• Will the look complement the style of the
house?
• Are the materials eco-friendly and recyclable?
• Is the type of roofing allowed by local building
codes?
• And finally, how much does it cost?
Pros and Cons
Slope of the roof and strength of the framing
could limit the choices for roofing
materials.
In areas prone to wildfires or typhoons, look
for a product with a high fire rating or
good wind resistance.
Steps can be taken during the installation of
many types of roofing to improve their
resistance to fire or wind.
Forms of roofing classified according to
the materials used
1. Fiber 2. Reinforced concrete
3. Wood 4. Tiles
5. Metal 6. Fiberglass
7. Slate 8. Plastics
The roof is not just a structure over our
heads but it is also known as the
“spine,” or the backbone of the
structure – the one that protects or
shields the home‟s “vital organs.”
Galvanized iron sheets
Galvanized iron roofing is either plain or
corrugated.
The thickness is measured in terms of “Gauge”
from numbers 14 to 30.
The sheet becomes thinner as the gauge number
increases, gauge 20 is thinner than gauge 18.
The price of G.I. sheets varies per unit length
depending upon the thickness.
Gauge 26 is the most commonly used for roofing
although gauge 24 is sometimes preferred by
those who can afford it.
Corrugated G.I. sheet is the most
common and extensively used
roofing materials.
Galvanized roofing is popular because of
its cost, availability, durability and
ease of installation.
The standard commercial size width is
32” (.80m) with length that ranges
from 5’ to 12’ (1.50m to 3.60m)
Prepainted products can last up to 15 years
against corrosion.
They also perform better against leaks, being
cut according to the length required, thus
avoiding horizontal overlapping, which
is one of the causes of leaks.
They are also installed using a special type of
screw called the „tekscrew‟ with rubber
washer, which is water tight.
Pre-painted long span metal roofing is
practical and economical.
Less joints mean less chances of leaks.
Long-span metal roofing is better to use than
commercial-length roofing sheets to
eliminate overlapping joints and
minimize the potential for leaks.
Long-span sheets cover more area, requiring
less joints.
Both ordinary and long span sheets are readily
available in the market.
In the Philippines, prepainted long-span
metal roofing made of GI sheets are
the most preferred.
Being prepainted, the GI sheets are already
factory-painted (and usually coated
with zinc-aluminum to make it more
durable and rust resistant).
GI roofing sheets is what is referred to when
the term „bubong na yero‟ is used.
Corrugated G.I. roofing fasteners
1. Riveting – Required are G.I. rivets, lead
washers and G.I. washers. Two
tinsmiths do the job.
2. Nailing – Simplest and most economical
method where G.I. roofings are
anchored to the purlins by the use of
roof nails and lead washers.
Advantages of G.I. rivets
1. Rigidity – The entire roofing acts as one
solid covering on top of the roof
frame with all parts connected by
rivets and washers.
2. Flexibility – The anchorage on the
purlins by G.I. straps allow free
movement of the materials brought
about by the thermal expansion and
contraction.
Disadvantages of G.I rivets
1. Expensive – due to the various accessories
involved aside from the high cost of
labor.
2. Difficulty of repair or replacement of
defective parts which include
dismantling of the ceiling underneath to
give access to tinsmithing activities.
3. Statistically, roof damage caused by
typhoon are mostly of the riveted types.
Advantages of G.I. nails
1. Economical because only nails and
washers are involved.
2. Easy to repair or replace defective parts.
3. Failure of roof in case of typhoon will
not result to total damage of the
entire roof and framing structure.
Disadvantages of G.I. nails
1. Water might leak into the nails if not
provided with roof cement during
the fastening operation.
2. Loose nails allow roof-play and
movement which usually invite
water to penetrate into the hole.
Lapping
1. Side lapping is either 1 ½ or 2 ½
corrugations.
2. End lapping ranges from 20cm to
30cm depending upon the slope of
the roof and the number of sheet in
a longitudinal row.
Roof gutter
Roof gutter uses Plain G.I. sheet with
gage #24.
Gutter is either concealed or exposed
type in various forms and designs.
It runs level in appearance but should be
sloped at 5mm/m run for effective
drainage.
Flashing
Flashing makes intersections and other
exposed parts of the house watertight.
It provides a smooth border line giving
beauty to the structure considering the
unlimited variety of designs.
Ridge and Hip roll
Ridge and hip rolls are unlikely to leak
because of the slope that water
tends to slide down. Because of its
prominency in the structure, it is
important to have it well done.
Valley roll
It is always concealed underneath between
the intersecting angles of the roof.
The design is limited to a semicircular, U-
shape or square type.
The gutter needs careful attention to avoid
overflow or leak of water.
Downspout
Downspout conveys the water from the
gutter down to the storm drain.
The most common size of G.I downspout is
the 2” x 4” (5cm x 10cm) ready made
commercial standard.
For residential works, allow 6sq.cm.
downspout to every 10sq.m. roof area
with a minimum spacing of 6m apart
and a maximum distance of 15m.
Roof shingles