The Proper Maintenance of Asphalt Roofs in Vancouver

A prime consideration in the choice of roofing materials is weather. In the City of Vancouver, Canada, July and August are moderately dry seasons and the rest of the year is wet. With this in mind, Vancouver residents prefer asphalt as a roofing material. Asphalt roofs are durable, perform best in areas where water and wind are prevalent, and require low maintenance.

Asphalt is present in crude petroleum and other natural deposits. It is a sticky, black liquid with a thick or semi-solid consistency. It is primarily used to bind aggregate particles to create asphalt concrete, a substance used in road construction. It is also used as roofing material or as sealant for flat roofs.

Asphalt shingles used as roofing material are either organic-based or fiberglass-based. Organic-based shingles are made from recycled waste paper and wood fibers. These are coated with asphalt and topped with mineral granules to resist weather. Fiberglass-based shingles have a similar composition except that they have fiberglass of various lengths and orientations as base instead of organic materials.

Asphalt shingles can also be classified into strip, laminated, interlocking, and large format shingles. The length of strip shingles is thrice its width and is differentiated by the number of cutouts or tabs it has. Laminated shingles have more than a single layer of tabs to create extra thickness, and they are used to give visual depth to roofs. Interlocking shingles mechanically fasten to each other to resist wind, while large format shingles don’t have tabs and are shaped like rectangles and hexagons.

The most widely used asphalt shingles are the strip and laminated shingles. The three-tab strip shingles can last up to 50 years. These are easy to install with the help of roofing companies Vancouver residents hire. Laminated shingles are aesthetically pleasing because they give roofs a custom look.

Like most roofs, asphalt roofs are affected by weathering so inspection is recommended every six months. For residents of Surrey, British Columbia, they can ask from their nearest Surrey roofing company for asphalt roof maintenance services. Residential roofs that are more than 20 years are candidates for re-roofing.

To maintain asphalt roofs, Vancouver residents can remove algae that have grown due to water accumulation. They can paint rusty areas, use roof cement to secure loose shingles and fill cracks in the shingles with epoxy resin. You can ask a roofing company in Vancouver to maintain your roof for you, or you can read netplaces.com/home-fix-it/the-exterior-envelope/maintaining-roofs.htm for safety measures on cleaning roofs.

Brendan Gertner - About Author:
For more details, search roofing company in Vancouver, Surrey roofing company, and roofing companies Vancouver in Google.

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