Stormproof Roof: Design and Construction Advice

Overlapping tapes with gravity in mind keeps water out of the house
April 24, 2018
2 min read

Overlapping tapes with gravity in mind keeps water out of the house

One of the best ways a roof can resist high winds is to not be a gable roof. Wind can push against it like a sail. If there are gaps in the wall sheathing, wind can pressurize the attic and blow it off from the inside.

Hipped roofs are better at deflecting high winds over them.

On either type of roof, it is important to seal the roof panels, so that if the roofing blows off, the roof deck will remain fairly water-tight.

Step by step:

  • Begin at the bottom and work your way to the ridge.
  • To keep sideways rain out of the framing, seal the bottom edge of roof sheathing to the subfascia or fascia. Do this up the rake if you have a gable roof.
  • Next, you can seal the valley with tape or peel and stick membrane. If using rolls of tape, overlap the tape about an inch on either side of the valley.
  • Now, the lower vertical seams can be sealed so that they overlap the tape on the eaves.
  • Horizontal seams overlap the tops of the vertical tape, and then the upper vertical seams can be sealed along with the hips.
  • All of the tapes should be pressed into the roof deck to assure maximum adhesion.

Overlapping in the right sequence, and folding over the edges will keep wind-blown rain out of your roof.

—This BrandPartner video was produced with help from Huber Engineered Woods, Inc as part of a stormproof roof series of videos and animations

About the Author

Daniel Morrison

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