7 Common Terms In Shingling A Roof

It is very advisory for homeowners, especially DIY ones, to learn to shingle a roof. However, before you start on doing this, you should learn some basic information about roofing. Here are 7 common terms if you want to learn how to shingle a roof.

• A Square. When measuring your roof, or ordering shingles, a square refers to 100 square feet of covered area. For example, if a single, sloped shed roof was 40 feet long by 30 feet long, you would need 12 squares of shingles to cover 1200 square feet of surface area (40x30=1,200).
  
  
• Roofer's Spade. Used to remove old roofing shingles and nails, this tool looks like a garden shovel with teeth at the front end.
  
  
• Drip Edge. A type of metal flashing that is installed along the edges of the roof and supports the overhanging shingles.
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  It is important to overhang the shingles so the rain water doesn't run down the house's siding or trim boards.
  
  
• Roofing Felt. Also known as tar paper, roofing felt comes in rolls and is the underlayment for the finished roofing material.
  
  
• Starter Course.Installed along the bottom edge of the roof, the starter course is made from trimmed shingles and is the first row of shingles to be put down.
  
  
• Ridge Shingles. On a gable roof, two roof surfaces meet at a high point known as the ridge. The prefabricated roofing shingles that cover the ridge, and sometimes a ridge vent, are known as ridge shingles.
  
  
• Ladder Jacks. These metal supports connect to extension ladders and support scaffolding boards to create a flat work space and a safe standing point for working on roofs.

There are many available resources for learning how to shingle a roof, and now you will be able to understand the instructions when they refer to these common roofing terms.