H-R Roofing Glossary

H

Hand-sealing- The method to assure sealing of shingles on very steep slopes, in high wind areas, and when installing in cold weather. 

High nailing- When shingles are nailed or fastened above the manufacturer’s specified nail location. 

Hip legs- The down-slope ridges on hip roofs.

Hip roof- A roof with four roof planes coming together at a peak and four separate hip legs.

I

Ice Dam- When a snow load melts on a roof and re-freezes at the eave areas. Ice dams force water to "back-up" a roof and cause leakage.

L

"L" flashing- Continuous metal flashing consisting of several feet of metal. Used at horizontal walls, bent to resemble an "L".

Laminated shingles- Shingles made from two separate pieces that are laminated together. GAFMC Timberline® Series, Country Mansion® and Grand Sequoia® Shingles. Also called dimensional shingles and architectural shingles. 

Laps- The area where roll roofing or rolled underlayments overlap one  another during application (see also side laps and end laps).

Low slopes-Roof pitches less than 4/12 are considered low sloped roofs. Special installation practices must be used on roofs sloped 2/12-4/12.

M

Mansard- A roof design with a nearly vertical roof plane that ties into a roof plane of less slope at its peak. 

Mats- The general term for the base material of shingles and certain rolled products. 

Modified bitumen- Rolled roofing membrane with polymer modified asphalt and either polyester or fiberglass reinforcement. 

Mortar- Mixture of sand, mortar, limestone and water used in bonding a chimney’s bricks together.

N

Nail-guide-line- Painted line on laminated shingles, to aid in the proper  placement of fasteners. 

Nail-pop- When a nail is not fully driven, it sits up off the roof deck. 

Nesting- Installing a second layer of shingles aligning courses with the  original roof to avoid shingle cupping.

NRCA- The National Roofing Contractors Association. Respected national organization of roofing contractors.

O

Open valley- Valley installation using metal down the valley center. 

Organic mat- Material made from recycled wood pulp and paper. 

Organic Shingles- Shingles made from organic (paper) mats. 

OSB- Oriented Strand Board. A decking made from wood chips and lamination glues. 

Over-driven- The term used for fasteners driven through roofing material with too much force, breaking the material. 

Over-exposed- Installing shingle courses higher than their intended exposure.

P

Pitch-ratio of the rise of the roof to the span of the roof.

Power vents- Electrically powered fans used to move air from attics and structures.

Plastic cement- Asphalt based sealant. Also called bull, mastic, tar, asphalt cement.

Plumbing vents- Term used to describe plumbing pipes that project through a roof plane. Also called vent stacks. 

Prevailing wind- The most common direction of wind for a particular region.

Q

Quarter sized- Term for the size of hand sealant dabs, size of a U.S. 25¢ piece.

R

Racking- Method of installing shingles in a straight up the roof manner. 

Rake edge-The vertical edge of gable style roof planes. 

Release film- The plastic sheet installed on the back of Weather Watch® and StormGuard® underlayments. Used for packaging and handling. Remove before installation. 

Rigid vent- Hard plastic ridge vent material.

Roof louvers- Rooftop rectangular shaped roof vents. Also called box vents, mushroom vents, airhawks, soldier vents. 

Roof plane- A roofing area defined by having four separate edges. One side of a gable, hip or mansard roof.

 

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