Roofers install shingles, asphalt, metal, or other materials to make the roof weather resistant. Roofers replace, repair and install building roofs, using a variety of materials, such as shingles, bitumen and metal. Roofers work on the installation, repair and renovation of new and existing roofs. If necessary, roofers also replace old materials with new, solid structures.
Roofers work with many different materials, including metal, rubber, polymer, asbestos, and tile. All of them have widespread applications in both the domestic and industrial sectors. There are several types of roofing work, ranging from work estimation to the actual installation of roofing materials. Tile removers, shingle installers and tar applicators are some of the different roofing jobs common to most roofing work sites.
In some types of rubber roofing, one of the most strenuous jobs of all roofers is spreading pea stone, while some Green roof systems have workers who place grass on a waterproof membrane placed on the roof. They install materials, such as cement and clay, and repair damaged parts to ensure safety. They may specialize in residential or industrial roofing. Despite limited employment growth, an average of 15,600 roofing openings are projected each year over the decade.
Roofers can work privately as freelancers, start their own roofing business, or work full time or on contract for a construction company. This type of work will often require specialized equipment to remove the pea that is used to fasten the roof. Roofers start by installing a layer of insulation on the roof cover, and then apply a tar-like substance called molten bitumen onto it. The replacement and repair of roofs, as well as the installation of new roofs, will generate demand for roofers.
Roofers also determine the materials, substrates, and support accessories that will be used in roofing installations. Once it has been proven to be leak-free, roofers place a root barrier over it and then layers of soil in which trees and grass are planted. Some roofers specialize in waterproofing or moistening masonry and concrete walls, floors, and foundations. Workers who work as roofers, such as applicators and installers, cut and glue rubber sheets to the roof, making sure that the rubber is properly adjusted to all the characteristics of the roof, including chimneys, ventilation grilles and antennas.
The repair and renovation of roofs, the replacement of old roofs in existing buildings constitute most of the work of roofers. These roofing jobs include not only the removal of old shingles, shingles or metal roofing materials, but also the roofing material itself, usually plywood, which must be removed down to exposed beams. While most workers learn to roof as helpers for experienced workers, some roofers are trained through 3-year apprenticeship programs administered by local union management committees representing roofing contractors and the locals of the United Roofers Union, Waterproofers and Allied Workers. For jobs that involve shingle, shingle and metal roofing, roofers often have to remove existing materials before laying a layer of fresh tar paper and installing new materials with staples or nails.
The ability of the roofer to formulate an accurate and realistic estimate is extremely important for both parties, since if the estimate is too high, the roofing company may lose the contract to a competitor who makes a lower offer. .
