Roof Decking Repair in Newport News, VA

How is the damage found before the covering comes off?

From the attic. The underside of the sheathing shows staining, soft wood and daylight, which tells the roofer where to look on the roof.

The attic is the best place to start. Water that has soaked the sheathing shows on its underside, and soft wood gives under a probe. Daylight through the deck is a clear sign of a failed sheet.

The roofer matches each area to the roof above, so only the affected sheets are opened.

• Staining and soft wood underneath
• Daylight through the deck
• Marks matched to the roof above

Can new covering go over damaged decking?

No. A new covering over a soft deck fails at the damaged points, because the nails have nothing sound to hold.

A new covering over a soft or split sheet will not hold its nails, and the first strong wind lifts the new work at the same points. The damaged sheets are replaced first, and the quote says so.

A homeowner offered a new covering without a deck check should ask for the check in writing.

• Nails do not hold in soft wood
• Replace the damaged sheets first
• Ask for the deck check in writing

What belongs in the decking record?

The sheets replaced by position and reason, the framing repairs, and the photographs taken before the covering went on.

A decking record lets the next roofer and the insurer see what was done under the covering. Photographs taken before the covering goes back on are the most useful part, because the deck is hidden afterwards.

Keep the record with the roof file and any storm inspection.

• Each sheet by position and reason
• Framing repairs with photographs
• Photographs before the covering goes back on

How a deck is dried before it is closed in

Wet decking is dried, and its moisture is read with a meter before new sheathing or covering goes on, so the wood is not sealed in damp.

A deck that has taken storm water must dry before it is covered. The roofer reads the moisture with a meter at several points, and new sheets are not fixed over wood that still reads wet. Sealing damp wood under a new covering traps the water and starts the decay the repair was meant to stop.

• Moisture read with a meter at several points
• New sheets not fixed over wet wood
• Drying allowed before the covering goes on

Matching the nails and the spacing

The new sheets are fixed with the nail size and spacing the covering maker specifies, and the record notes the pattern used.

The nail size, the spacing and the edge distance are set by the covering maker, and a sheet fixed with the wrong pattern can lift in the next wind. The roofer records the pattern on the scope, so the next roofer can see the fixing used.

• Nail size and spacing from the maker
• Edge distance kept to the pattern
• The pattern recorded on the scope

Keeping this part of the record current

The record for this part of the roof is updated at each visit, with the date and the result, so the history stays accurate.

A homeowner who keeps this section with the roof file can compare it with the next season's check, and the change between the two is the most useful thing the record can show.

The roofer confirms each point on the day and writes the result down before leaving, so the record reflects the roof as it was found rather than as it was remembered later.