Wood Flooring Articles

MATERIALS
Thatching makes use of materials that are naturally available - grass or reed.
The stalks of thatching grass are normally hollow and about 3 mm thick. Dekriet stalks, however, are solid and about 3-4 mm thick. The quality of the material improves with cultivation and regular cutting. Some thatchers consider that the quality of material that is cut by hand is superior to that of material cut by mechanical means. Hand cutting will produce about 50 to 100 bundles a day. A mechanical cutter and binder will process about 6000 bundles a day.

PREPARATION
After cutting and loosely bundling, each bundle is shaken briskly to dis¬lodge all loose material. The bundles are then cleaned by passing a sickle through them. This removes the remaining leaf growth from the lower two thirds of the stalks.

The grass is then remade into bundles. These bundles are each tied with a thong of twisted grass or with twine and packed in heaps about 2m high and 3 m in diameter at the base.
When the thatch is to be used for the area immediately above the thatching battens, where the underside will often be exposed within a room, the material should be combed to ensure that the stalks are perfectly clean. A comb is made by driving a number of round wire nails into a approximately 300 mm length of horizontal pole.

THATCHERS TOOLS
The thatcher in general thatch construction normally uses five tools:

Sickle - This is used for hand cutting as well as for cleaning the cut bundles.
The thatching spade - This is usually a home-made implement consisting of a board with a handle on one flat side, rather like a plasterers float. Several metal blades are secured to the other flat side. This tool is used to dress and shape the thatch in position.

A straight needle - When it is possible to have an assistant work¬ing on the underside of the thatch, a straight needle, about 300 mm long, is used to 'stitch' the thatch to the roof battens.

A curved needle - It is used to 'stitch' the thatch to the roof battens when it is not possible to have an assistant working under the roof surface.

A climbing hook - S-shaped climbing hooks are used to give the thatcher a foot rest when working on the roof slope.

WORKMANSHIP
A typical small thatching team consists of four men; one to pass material from ground to roof level, two thatchers working on the external roof surface and one working under the roof to assist those working on the outside. Such a team can be expected to lay about 10 m2 of thatch in a day. Before each bundle is passed to the thatcher on the roof it is butted against a butting board, or on level ground, to ensure that the butt end is even and that any sharp ends are blunted. The bundles are normally thrown up to the thatcher. The grass is used in bundles as cut and laid on the roof with the butt end lowest. As each bundle is laid on the roof the thatcher cuts through the twisted grass or twine that secures it. He lays the first bundle on the corner, at an angle of at least 45°, thus exposing the butt end at the eaves and at the verge. Each bundle in the first course at eaves level is secured to the second batten with tarred sisal cord ¬thatching twine at 75 mm inter¬vals.

In this process of stitching the straight needle is used, where one man can work under the roof. If it is not possible to work under the roof the curved needle is used. Subsequent courses are secured, either with a poplar stick or with a length of 4 mm diameter gal¬vanized steel wire. The thatch is laid, two bundles thick, to a total minimum thickness of 150mm. Each successive layer con¬ceals the poplar stick or wire that secures the previous layer. As thatching proceeds a layer of selected stems is spread evenly on the roof battens to a thickness of about 12mm. This gives a neat appearance inside the roof. On top of this layer a laminated foil of aluminum and building paper reinforced with fiberglass is laid as a protection against fire. Thatching then proceeds, course by course, to the ridge level until complete.

RAINWATER DISPOSAL
Thatched roofs are generally constructed with dripping eaves; rain¬water gutters and downpipes are not normally provided. Eaves overhangs should be at least 600mm and some provision should be made at ground level, around the building, to prevent erosion due to water dripping from the eaves. This can either be in the form of a concrete apron or paved surround.

DURABILITY
A thatched roof will normally last for about 25-30 years if properly laid. Aesthetic advantage of using a thatched ridge has been mentioned previously. A disadvantage of using such a ridge is that it will require renewal every 4-6 years. As maintenance of a thatched roof invariably results in dust and pieces of straw being dislodged from the roof, the provision of a reinforced cement ridge, suitably waterproofed and colored, may be preferred.

Corrugated metal roofing is rippled metal sheets used for roofing applications. It is commonly used in commercial, agricultural and industrial purposes though nowadays it is recognized as an excellent form of residential roofing. Corrugated metal roofing has been in use since the 1840s. Through technological developments, it is rust free and has other attributes that has enhanced its qualities.

The galvanizing of corrugated roofing protects it against corrosion in air and water. This has resulted in this roofing system to become one of the most durable roofing materials in the market. It has an expectant life span of over fifty years, is weather proof, non combustible, fire resistant and is the safest roofing option for lightning prone areas. It is completely recyclable and is environment friendly. As it is a good reflector of heat, it reduces energy charges. Being lightweight it puts less stress on the underlining walls and materials and does not require much frame work and allied support. This makes installing corrugated metal roofing simple and inexpensive.

Corrugated metal roofing insulation conserves energy as the insulation materials inhibit the flow of energy which influences heat loss or gain of the structure. The five main insulation materials are poly methane foam, blankets, rigid fibers or plastic foam boards and fiber pellets. Roof insulation should always be installed according to industry standards, safety requirements and optimal functional conditions. Professional services provide installation, repair, replacement, cleaning and maintenance. For this there are corrugated metal roofing contractors to ensure that roofing installation and restoration brings long lasting comfort of the highest quality within budget.

For metal roofing restoration, an acrylic binder is incorporated as a roof refurbishment application. Other roof restoration materials include specially formulated primers, sealers and top coats. At times, most technologically advanced roof coatings including Tileflex 2000, enhanced with Teflon, increases the longevity of the valued roof. The corrugated roofing repairs include locating sources of leakage and preventing further spread of water. The acrylic roof coating provides complete water proof protection to the roof.

Metal roofing and metal siding systems are the choice of building owners and architects since they offer a wide array of corrugated metal roofing design options. Metal roofing that is easy to work with and economical are available, both in standard and custom specification modules. For industrial roofing, the Type B Wide Rib is the preferred choice. The Wide Rib allows for a narrow top opening which is desirable when rigid insulation is to be used on top. The roofing contractors provide corrugated metal roofing instructions and corrugated metal roofing guide to the home owners. This ensures that optimization of performance of the roofing system can be adhered to depending on the location of the residence.

Advanced corrugated metal roofing shingles are specially designed to prevent hail damage and high wind uplift. Such design flexibility is inherent in this novel roofing shingle concept allowing the material properties to be used to its fullest capacity.

The drainage system plays a vital role in the maintenance of a building. There are various types of gutter systems, of which the half round gutter system is steadily gaining popularity among installers as this variety has certain advantages. The aluminum half round gutter product is available in different colors. They are also very cheap. It is now possible to make a mid range house look like an upscale one.

The advantage of half round gutters is that they are suitable for all kinds of buildings, whether old fangled or modern. Along with the gutters the accessories are very attractive too. This is why the sale of the half round gutter is going up and forms a considerable portion of the total national market.

The various manufacturers are busy with their production as the cash box is ringing steadily. Each part of the half round gutter system is decorative. The hangers, heads of conductors, brackets, outlets, caps and even the half round gutter drain is well crafted and sturdy. Business is brisk nowadays because the age old designs are still a favorite with the people.

The half round gutter system is the oldest type of drainage system existing .This is why some of the designs are over a hundred years old. The most common drainage was the half round one before 1950. It was in the sixties that the K style came into existence. For the houses built on the lines of ranches, these were befitting. The half round again became popular, when people realized that they had less seams and even lesser leakage. The durability of the half round gutters gained the confidence of the customers.

Experts feel that the ideal size of a half round gutter should be six inches. Copper being costly, making a round gutter is a waste of money. Instead, with the same amount of copper, two half round gutters can be made, thus saving precious bucks. The half round gutters have a convex trough that carries the water to the bottom easily and quickly. One does not have to depend on the pitch.

Market study says that the growth in sales of the half round gutter will increase as people are spending money on their custom made houses. These are also in demand for the drainage system of old churches and such other traditional constructions. The heritage buildings opt for this type of guttering. The easy half round gutter installation makes it a better choice apart from the fact that, options like hidden hangers and seamless guttering are not so simply done in the other systems. The original drainage system is back for good.

A roofing problem is a subject that invariably reveals itself at the worst time. After all, when are you going to notice when your roof has a leak? Unless you are lucky to notice it ahead of time, the answer is inevitably during a rain storm - the worst possible time.

The roof of your home is something that is out of sight, out of mind. That is until it leaks. Is there any way to deduce if there are problems with it before a storm proves there are? Yes. The pat answer is to get a roof inspection done. Many people, however, just aren't going to spend money on something that "might" be a problem. With this in mind, there are some other steps you can take. Specifically, watch out for these common problems.

Americans love their televisions programs. Many of us are now buying satellite services so we don't skip a thing. After all, we really do watch those 900 channels, don't we?! Regardless, many satellites are being installed on roofs and damaging them. If you have to put the satellite on the roof, make sure it is properly waterproofed so the anchoring system does not become a water intrusion area.

Gutters. It is a better man than I who does not hate gutters. That being said, they serve a distinct purpose - water removal. The problem, of course, is they need to be kept clean so they don't back up. But why is this important? Most residential roofs are designed to use gravity to wick water down and off the roof. When gutters get clogged, water pools and comes back up under the edges of the roof. Water will actually move upwards, causing rot and problems down the road. Get out there and clean those gutters!

The simplest step you can take is to simply look up when outside. What do you see on the roof? Broken shingles must be replaced. Any warping is a sign of a underlying problem and needs to be repaired asap. Trees or other plant life lying on the roof must be removed as the scraping in the wind and simple growth patterns can cause roof failures.

I admit it. It is difficult to get fired up about saving your roof on a sunny day. Most of us are money conscious, so consider this fact/threat. If water gets into your home in a storm because of a roofing problem, it will ruin practically anything it touches. This means you will have to pay for roof repairs AND drywall, electric, insulation and perhaps carpet repairs and replacement as well.

In short, a little preventive work can save you big down the line.

Roofing is one of those construction areas that gets lots of bleed over from other construction practices. While many think they can provide roofing services, you are crazy to use anyone but a licensed roofing contractor.

A light rain storm rolls through your city one weekend. You are walking down the hall and step in something wet. You look up and groan. There is a stain on the ceiling and water is pooling there. Yep, you've got a roof leak.

Fortunately, the storm passes by without much more damage being done, but you know you need to get the roof fixed. You ask around and a friend knows someone who should be able to do the job. That person says it will be no problem and quotes you a price. The job is done and you think nothing else about it.

A year later, storm season hits again. Everything is fine for the first few storms and then, wham!, you're roof starts leaking again. You call the person that fixed it, but can't find them. You've got a problem. Alternatively, you find them and they tell you the work was done as is without warranty and they'll need more money to fix the repair they made!

So, what are your options? Well, you don't really have any since you didn't used a roofer licensed with the state. You could file a lawsuit against the person, but the fact they don't have a license usually means they don't have insurance or many assets. In short, you are going to have to find a real roofer to fix the problem and, of course, pay again.

Using a licensed roofing contractor is critical when it comes to roof construction or repairs. Why? A couple of reasons. First off, roofing work is not cheap. Do you really want to risk using a hack who might or might not do the job right? Paying for the job twice is going to be expensive.

More importantly, a licensed roofing contractor is very consumer oriented because there really isn't much choice. In a majority of states, a roofing contractor must be bonded and insured to get a license. If the roofer subsequently does bad work, you are going to get your money back or proper work done.

Licensed roofers do excellent work as well. Many are so confident in their skills that they will guarantee it in writing. As long as you don't get on your roof and start swinging an axe, they'll repair any damage for 10, 15, 20, 30 years or more depending on what they guarantee. Yes, they will put it in writing.

It is okay to use less formal options in many parts of our life. Roofing is one area where you really don't want to be cheap. Use only licensed roofers to protect yourself.

Going to the dentist. An IRS audit. Buying life insurance. For many of homeowners, cleaning gutters certainly falls within this group of misery. We all know cleaning our gutters is necessary, but few of us really know why those gutters must be clean.

The gutters on your home serve a very distinct purpose. They are designed to remove water in a particularly orderly way. That may sound obvious, but it is a bit more complicated than you think.

You have to remember that water is incredibly powerful. Don't believe me? Two words - Grand Canyon. It was carved out by water. If it did that to solid rock, what chance does your home have? To give it a fighting one, gutters are used to accomplish a couple of things.

The first goal, of course, is to get the water off the roof. With this in mind, roofs are usually angled in a slight manner to encourage water to collect in one area and move down to gutter spouts. Not all water will do this, however, which is why the top of gutters are open. This allows excess water to sheet off the roof into the gutter instead of down to the ground.

The second goal of gutters is to place the water in a desired spot where it will not do damage. What would happen if you didn't have gutters? Water would sheet off of all sides of the roof like so many waterfalls. This water would create burrows wherever it landed on the ground unless the area was paved. So much for your plants and landscaping! Of equally importance, the water would run back up against the wall and over load whatever system was being used to wick water from the wall. In short, a number of problems are created.

Instead of having all this happen, gutters are designed to defeat these problems in two ways. First, the gutter will have a downspout section that will take the water to ground level, robbing it of the powerful waterfall effect that can dig out the ground. Second, the gutters will move water horizontally to areas where it can be taken to the ground and dispersed without causing problems. These areas often include the driveway and drains.

Now that you know why gutters are important and how they work, you can probably deduce the reason they need to be cleaned. If they get stopped up with gunk, the water will back flow. When this occurs, the problems the gutters are designed to stop will rear their ugly heads again and you are back to square one.

Sooner or later, you are going to have the opportunity to pick a roof for your home. There are many choices. In the opinion of many, myself included, wood roof shingles look the best. There is, however, one serious downside to using them, particularly untreated shingles.

It seems to happen every three years or so. Parts of Southern California burn every fall. The news shows provide running feeds of fires racing across areas and apparently torching everything. When the fires end, however, the same conclusion is always reached. Homes with untreated wood shingles burn far more than other homes.

Why is this? Yes, they are wood, but does it really matter that much given the fact the walls of the home are exposed as well? Yes, it does. To understand why, you have to understand how fires typically spread.

A fire starts at point A and then spread out from there, right? The direction will be influenced by wind and such, but it will burn across the ground in an outward direction from the origination point, correct? Actually, this logical explanation is wrong.

The fires you see on television wiping out much of California do not spread across the ground. They spread through the air. When a big fire burns, it creates firebrands. These firebrands are embers. The massive amount of heat being created in the fire creates a vertical wind column that sucks the embers up. As they climb though the air, they are picked up by horizontal winds and can be carried as far as a mile or more. The real problems start when they come down.

A home presents one real surface to the embers path - the roof. If the embers land on a tile roof, they will scar it a bit but they will not create a fire. The same is not true for wood shingle roofs.

How do you light a fire when you are camping? Well, you create a small pile of wood, a bit of heat and blow on it to provide oxygen. That is exactly what happens when firebrands land on your wood shingle roof. They have wood, plenty of heat and usually there is some wind. The result is what we see on the news.

If you are considering a new roof, avoid untreated wood shingle roofs like the plague. Fire retardant treated shingles are an alternative, but avoiding wood all together might be your best move. This is definitely true in an area that gets fires regularly such as Southern California or wooded areas.

Choosing the right material for roofing is a very important part of constructing or remodeling a house. The suitable type of roofing enhances the attractiveness and beauty of the home while a wrong selection may make the house look awful and take away its attraction by the mismatch in looks. In order to be perfect, it is prudent to spend some time thinking about various options of roofing shingles available, before finally deciding upon the material of roof for your house.

One can start the search for right roofing shingles by having a good look around the neighboring houses in the community. One can get an idea of traditional roofing shingles by looking at the older houses while the latest materials can be found on recently build newer houses. By looking at these different materials one can imagine & visualize how his house will look with them and whether or not the material will suit their home's style and architecture, and also the style of the neighborhood.

Choosing Roof Shingles and Roofing Materials

Newer roofing shingles are bound to surprise anyone. Some of the best looking roofing materials are made from materials which none of us will expect. Metal roofing of various types are built as individual Shingles in design and shape which resemble tiles, slates or wood shingles to a great extent. Durability is also equally important as is the looks of the roofing. It is advisable to check the life span of various roofing materials. The material which you are choosing for your roofing must have a lifespan ranging from 20 years for composite shingle to 50 years for some kind of metal roofing.

Once having a clear picture of different types of roof shingle style and looks in mind one can look upon the cost of the same. Although the highest quality and most durable roof shingles are more expensive, it does not lead to an assumption that the highest quality products Roof Shingles will be most suitable for your home. Your tentative period of stay in the house will work as the deciding factor on choosing the quality of the material. If it will be a long stay then investment in the best quality roofing will make sense but for few years stay spending huge amount of money for top quality roofing will not be justified.

Some areas also have guidelines and rules about roofing materials which can be used and all such covenants and codes must be followed. Considering the roofing material upfront by spending some time will save much of your money, time and efforts in the future.