If you’re searching for a roofing company that specializes in all things concerning commercial roofing, contact us at Shencorp Inc, proudly serving Winchester, VA, Charlottesville, VA, Waynesboro, VA, Richmond, VA, Virginia Beach, VA, and other parts of the Mid-Atlantic region. Since 1977, Shencorp Inc. has specialized in commercial roofing and commercial protective roof coating services. Since then, we have become the leading choice for industrial and commercial roofing services for customers throughout Virginia.
In our last blog post, we defined several commonly used commercial roofing terms that may important to know if you’re working with a commercial roofer. Here are a few more:
FELT
Used in the creation of BUR systems, felt is a fiber-based, flexible sheet material meant to be layered. Felt fibers can be made from a wide variety of components including glass, polyester, wood, or even vegetable matter. Felt is absorbent and can be saturated or coated with materials like tar, asphalt, or bitumen for waterproofing.
FLASHING
Not a verb or action word in the roofing industry! Flashing refers to components used to weatherproof and/or seal the edges of roof systems at places where the covering ends (the edge of the roof) or is interrupted, such as at drains, valleys, expansion joints, or around rooftop equipment (see HVAC) and skylights.
GALVANIZED STEEL
When steel is galvanized, it means that it has been coated with zinc to make it more resistant to corrosion – the iron in steel will rust if not sealed with a coating. Metal roofing may be made of galvanized steel, or it may be made of higher-cost aluminum.
HVAC
These letters stand for Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning. What does that have to do with roofing? Because this equipment is often located on the roofs of commercial buildings, roofers have to work around it. Leaks can often form around places where HVAC equipment is installed, as well, since it connects to system components inside the building through the roof’s structure.
ICE DAM
This is the name for ice formations at the transition between warm and cold roof surfaces. Ice dams form when previously melted snow and ice refreezes during winter. Ice dams need to be prevented, as they commonly back up under roofing materials, which leads to leaks inside your building.
IBC – INTERNATIONAL BUILDING CODE
A model set of building standards published by the International Code Council (ICC), the IBC applies to all construction except low-density residential buildings (detached one and two-family dwellings and townhomes).
MEMBRANE
The flexible or semi-flexible roof covering material that primarily waterproofs a roof system. A membrane may be made of a single material or several materials laminated together.
PLANISHING
An advanced metalworking technique that involves shaping and smoothing sheet metal over a stake. While this is more of a specialty roofing term, commercial roofs can also be specialty roofs that require care and repair.