General Houston Roofing Terms For The Informed Property Owner

IGC Roofing and Exteriors tries not to overwhelm consumers with unnecessary information.  That being said, we also try to inform consumers about your Houston Roof.  Many of you have asked us for a list of basic terms so that you can make an informed decision about choosing the right Houston Roofing Contractor.  Below is a list of common roofing terms used every day in the Houston Roofing industry.

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Algae - Rooftop fungus that can leave dark stains on roofing.

Angled Fasteners - Roofing nails and staples driven into decks at angles not parallel to the deck.

Apron Flashing - Metal flashing used at chimney fronts.

ARMA - Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association. Organization of roofing manufacturers.

Asphalt - A bituminous waterproofing agent used in various types of roofing materials.

Asphalt Concrete Primer - Asphalt based primer used to prepare concrete and metal for asphalt sealant.

Asphalt Plastic Cement - Asphalt based sealant material, meeting ASTM D4586 Type I or II. Used to seal and adhere roofing materials. Also called mastic, blackjack, roof tar, bull.

ASTM - The American Society for Testing and Materials. Organization that sets standards for a wide variety of materials, including roofing.

Back Surfacing - Granular material added to shingle’s back to assist in keeping separate during delivery and storage.

Blistering - Bubbles or pimples in roofing materials. Usually moisture related. In shingles blisters are caused by either moisture under the material or moisture trapped inside the material.

Blow-Offs - When shingles are subjected to high winds, and are forced off a roof deck.

Buckling - When a wrinkle or ripple affects shingles or their underlayments.

Closed Cut Valley - A shingle valley installation method where one roof plane’s shingles completely cover the other’s. The top layer is cut to match the valley lines.

Counter Flashing - The metal or siding material that is installed over roof-top base flashing systems.Crickets - A peaked water diverter installed behind chimneys and other large roof projections. Effectively diverts water around projections.

Cupping - When shingles are improperly installed over an existing roof or are over-exposed, they may form a curl or cup. May also be due to a manufacturing defect.

Deck - The substrate over which roofing is applied. Usually plywood, wood boards, or planks. 

Dormer - A raised roof extending out of a larger roof plane.

Drip Edge - An installed lip that keeps shingles up off the deck at edges, and extends shingles out over roof and gutters, and prevents

Eaves - The roof edge from the fascia to the structure’s outside wall. In general terms, the first three feet across a roof is termed the eave.

End Laps - When installing rolled products in roofing, the area where a roll ends on a roof, and is overlapped by the next section of rolled material.

EWA - Engineered Wood Association. Tests and sets standards for all varieties of plywood used in the U.S.
Exposure - The area on any roofing material that is left exposed to the elements. 

Fasteners - Nails or staples used to secure roofing to the deck.
FHA - The Federal Housing Authority sets construction standards throughout the U.S. 

Fiberglass Mat - Fibers condensed into strong, resilient mats for use in roofing materials. 

Flange - Metal pan extending up or down a roof slope around flashing pieces. Usually at chimneys and plumbing vents.

Flashing - Materials used to waterproof a roof around any projections.

Flashing Cement - Sealant designed for use around flashing areas, typically thicker than plastic cement. 

Gable Roof - Traditional roof style; two peaked roof planes meeting at a ridge line of equal size.

Granules - Crushed rock that is coated with a ceramic coating and fired, used as top surface on shingles. 

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.

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

"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 and are 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. Shingles cannot be installed at slopes less than 2/12.

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.

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.

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.

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

Overexposed - Installing shingle courses higher than their intended exposure.

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

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

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

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. 

Self-Sealant - Sealant installed on shingles. After installation, heat and sun will activate sealant to seal the shingles to each other.

Selvage - The non-exposed area on rolled roofing. Area without granules. Designed for nail placement and sealant.

Shed Roof - Roof design of a single roof plane. Area does not tie into any other roofs.
Side Laps - The area on rolled material where one roll overlaps the rolled material beneath it. Also called selvage edge on rolled roofing.

Side Walls - Where a vertical roof plane meets a vertical wall. The sides of dormers etc.

Soffit Ventilation - Intake ventilation installed under the eaves, or at the roof edge.

Starter Strip - The first course of roofing installed. Usually trimmed from main roof material.

Steep-Slope Roofing - Generally all slopes higher than 4/12 are considered steep slopes.

Stepflashing - Metal flashing pieces installed at sidewalls and chimneys for weatherproofing.

Tab - The bottom portion of traditional shingle separated by the shingle cut-outs.

Tear-Off - Removal of existing roofing materials down to the roof deck.

Telegraphing - When shingles reflect the uneven surface beneath them. Ex: Shingles installed over buckled shingles may show some buckles.

Transitions - When a roof plane ties into another roof plane that has a different pitch or slope.

Underdriven - Term used to describe a fastener not fully driven flush to the shingles surface.

Underlayments - Asphalt-based rolled materials designed to be installed under main roofing material to serve as added protection.

Valleys - Area where two adjoining sloped roof planes intersect on a roof creating a "V" shaped depression.

Vapor - Term used to describe moisture laden air.

Warm Wall - The finished wall inside of a structure, used in roofing to determine how far up the deck to install waterproof underlayments at eaves.

Warranty - The written promise to the owner of roofing materials for material related problems.

Waterproof Underlayments - Modified bitumen based roofing underlayments. Designed to seal to wood decks and waterproof critical leak areas.

Woven Valleys - The method of installing valleys by laying one shingle over the other up the valley center

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Cordially,

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