Asphalt roofing contractors in Calgary generally sheath roof timbers with plywood, or oriented-strand-board panels. They do so because these materials are straightforward to work with, are easily available, and are generally trouble-free. Choose an installer who knows how to minimize buckling of asphalt shingles resting on badly installed sheathing.
Minimizing Asphalt Shingle Buckling With Sheathing
A home is only as solid as its foundations. Likewise, asphalt shingles can only be as even as the sheathing they rest on. If the boards below shingles warp or buckle, then the shingles will follow the trend.
We had a Calgary client who called and asked us to fix their buckled shingles at a few points. “Just lift them off and lay them right,” they said. We told them the problem was the sheathing, and the solution was more complicated.
When they asked us how this had happened, we explained their plywood panels should have been level and true when installed. What had happened, we surmised, was that the roof space under the sheathing did not have adequate ventilation.
The best way to minimize buckling of asphalt shingles in our experience, is to vent the warm humid air in the attic along the lines of this image. We can’t recommend the quick fix of replacing a few pieces of buckled sheathing, because the problem will likely return.
Installing Plywood or Oriented-Strand-Board Sheathing.
Don’t just leave the sheathing panels on the ground when you have them on site. Support them evenly on stringers in a cool dry place for a day, or until you are ready to install, so the air can circulate around them.
The Engineered Wood Association confirms the good practice of leaving an eighth of an inch (three millimeters) on all sides of sheathing panels when installing. This is because they may be low in moisture, which they may later absorb.
Avoid standing on sheathing when installing it, or later, unless a supporting beam is directly below. Accidentally bending it will cause a valley in the shingles above. Install the shingles according to the manufacturer’s advice.
Minimize Asphalt Buckling – Install Sheathing Correctly
Consider what Valiant Exteriors in Calgary has to offer, before you climb on the roof and install your own sheathing. A leaking house is not a thing to come home to, at any time. We know what is required to get the job done right the first time. That’s what every busy home owner needs today!
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