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Roofing Glossary

Learning about roofs or finding out why your roof is leaking can be overwhelming. To make it easier, we've compiled a list of common roofing terms and concepts to help you understand your roof better. Whether you're tackling a repair or planning an upgrade, this glossary will ensure you're well informed every step of the way.

Glossary of Roofing Terms

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.

CobraĀ®:Ā GAF’s respected brand name for ventilation products.

Counter Flashing: The metal or siding material that is installed over roof-top base flashing systems.

Country MansionĀ®: GAF’s limited lifetime warranty shingle.

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.

Deck Armor: Premium breathable roof deck protection. It provides a critical extra layer of protection between your shingles and your roof deck to help prevent wind-driven rain (or water from other sources) from infiltrating under your shingles and causing damage to your roof structure or to the inside of your home.

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 eaves 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.

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.

GAFCantĀ®: GAF cant strips for deflecting water away from flashing areas. Typically used on low slope roofs.

Golden PledgeĀ®: GAF’s strongest limited warranty for shingles. America’s strongest steep slope warranty.

Grand SequoiaĀ®: GAF shingle with wood shake appearance.

Grand Slate: GAF shingle with slate appearance.

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 ā€œback-upā€ under shingles and cause leakage.

ā€œLā€ Flashing: Continuous metal flashing consisting of several feet of metal. Used at horizontal walls, bent to resemble an ā€œLā€.

Laminated Shingles: Shingles made from two separate pieces that are laminated together. Such as GAF TimberlineĀ® Series, Country MansionĀ® and Grand SequoiĀ® Shingles. 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).

Liberty: Self-adhering low slope roofing. Liberty systems are applied without torches, open flames, hot asphalt, or messy solvent-based adhesives.

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 can not 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. 25Ā¢ piece.

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

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

Release Film: The plastic sheet installed on the back of Weather WatchĀ® and StormGuardĀ® underlayments. Used for packaging and handling. Remove before installation.

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.

Sawteeth: The exposed section of double thickness on Timberline® Series shingles – also called dragon teeth. Shaped to imitate wood shake look on the 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.

Shingle-MateĀ®: GAF’s shingle underlayment. Breather type with fiberglass backing to reduce wrinkles and buckles.

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.

Smart ChoiceĀ® Limited Warranty: GAFMC’s standard shingle limited warranty.

Smart ChoiceĀ® System
Plus Limited Warranty:
GAF’s next grade of enhanced warranty. Extended coverage for owners.

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.

StormGuardĀ®: GAFMC waterproof underlayment. Film surfaced rolled underlayment, 1.5 squares coverage per roll.

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.

TimberlineĀ® Series: GAF’s trademark name for laminated wood shake style shingles.

TIMBERTEXĀ®: GAF enhanced Hip and Ridge Shingles.

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 ā€œVā€ 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.

Weather StopperĀ® Integrated Roofing System: GAF’s complete roofing system and components.

WeatherWatchĀ®: GAF’s granule surfaced waterproof underlayment.

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

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