Bringing in a professional roofing team to perform repairs is a good way to get out in front of problems that can become increasingly expensive to fix over time. You may wonder, though, what are your options for dealing with a roof repair project? Here are four ways that roofs are commonly repaired.

Replacing Materials

If you got fairly lucky, such as spotting missing shingles right after a major windstorm, you may be able to just replace what came off. A roofing professional can inspect the affected area, remove any damaged shingles, and put in new ones. Hopefully, you kept at least one bundle of shingles from when the roof was last done so you can get a close match. If not, you may still be fortunate enough that new products will be near-enough matches to work.

Cutting a Hole and Fixing Everything Down to the Decking

At the opposite end of the luck spectrum, there may be a big enough amount of damage that underlying structures were affected. In this scenario, the contractors will cut out all the damaged wood, felt, and roofing materials. A clean section of wood that fits into the hole will be applied, with new felt and materials going on top of it. It may also be necessary to seal the edges of the hole with caulk.

Roof Tar

Smaller bits of damage might be addressed using roof tar. This is a product designed to seal cracks and small holes. Using tar is especially helpful in areas at the edges of the roof, such as where a chimney meets the peak of the roof.

In some instances, swabbing tar over a large section may be worthwhile. That approach, however, is mostly used on flat roofs, especially ones made of rubber.

Applying a Patch

Large patches, usually made of rubber, can be applied to some types of roofs. The material is stretched out over an affected area to cover a hole. The patch is then fixed into place using a cement compound on a shingled roof. On flat roofs, especially rubber ones, the patch may be heated up and sealed using a torch.

In cases with extreme damage, this might only be a temporary fix. Many contractors will do quick repairs on holes in such situations for customers in cold regions during the winter, for example. When the weather improves, they'll come back to do more extensive roof repair work.

Share