A Guide to Preparing your Rockville, MD Roofing Against Strong Winds

Roofing in Rockville, MD is a serious matter as the state is known for having high and strong winds that literally blow a lot of things away. After all, one of the things that should never be blown off, aside from people, is your roof. Whether it is in your home or your commercial business, the truth is that everyone needs to prepare their roof from hurricanes and other high-velocity wind occurrences because it is the biggest part of your home’s defense against the elements.

An article on the website of FLASH (Federal Alliance for Safe Homes) suggests a few tips to help keep your roof deck gale-resistant. However, you are not advised to do these precautionary measures on your own; they must be done by a Northern Virginia roofing company like Roof Masters since the steps can be rather complex for the untrained:

-Install a roof deck of 5/8” thick solid plywood with 10d or 8d ring shank nails spaced at 6 inches along the panel edges, ensure they penetrate the decking directly into the roof framing.

-When re-roofing, check the attachment of the roof deck to the roof framing and ensure the nails are spaced at 6″ on center or add fasteners to strengthen it.

-Create a secondary water barrier by installing self-adhering flashing tape or modified polymer bitumen strips over the joints in your roof deck.

-Install one layer of #30 felt paper over the roof decking. Seal it to drain the water from the roof covering.

-All nails at the roof sheathing must penetrate the underlying roof trusses

-Apply a bead of construction adhesive using a caulking gun on both sides of the intersection of the roof decking and the rafters or trusses.

Home improvement, especially when it comes to improving your roof, is so much more than boosting the value of your home. It’s about keeping you safe and sound at all costs.

(Article and Image from “Hurricanes: Roof – Protecting Your Roof Deck”, FLASH.org)