by Linda Cann Pearson

Created on: November 03, 2009

Replacing or adding a roof can be costly and usually requires a professional roofing contractor with the necessary skills and credentials. When considering roofing for your home or other large building, you want a long lasting, durable, weather resistant shingle. But if you are looking for roofing for a smaller outbuilding such as a shed, there is a less expensive, easy-to install "roll roof" option to consider.

Roll roofing is an asphalt roofing product which comes in a roll and is sometimes referred to as the "90-pound felt" - one roll covers 100 square feet and weighs about 90 pounds. Roll roofing is recommended for small roofing projects, and works best for "low-slope" and flat roofed buildings such as garages, car ports, sheds, porches and overhangs. Roll roofing can also be used as a base for other types of roofing. As roll roofing has a short life span compared to other roofing shingles, it isn't recommend as the sole roofing material for your home.

According to www:asphalt roofing.org; there are four basic types of asphalt roll roofing materials for residential use, each type with a specific purpose:

Smooth Surfaced Roll Roofing (coated felt) - used primarily as flashing to seal the roof at intersections and protrusions. Roofing is covered with ground talc or mica.

Saturated Felt (asphalt-impregnated, organic-based felt) - primarily used as an underlayment between the roof deck and roofing material.

Specialty-Eaves Flashings - (self-adhering, polymer-modified bituminous sheet material) - used for special flashing in areas where ice dams and water backups may occur.

Mineral-Surfaced Roll Roofing (imbedded with mineral granules) - this is the only one of the four types that should be used alone as a primary roofing material for smaller type outbuildings.

Advantages of roll roofing:

Roll roofing is considerably less expensive than other roofing types. It comes in large rolls, is easy to cut and install, and doesn't require professional knowledge or skills. You may want to attempt the installation yourself and not pay someone else to do it. Usually only one layer of roofing is needed, and most roofing jobs can be done in a day or less. If you want to do it yourself, there is a lot of information on the internet. A few sites to check out: www.realtor.com, www.homebuilding.thefuntimesguide.com or www.onlinetips.org for step-by-step information on materials and installation.

Disadvantages of roll roofing:

Roll roofing is not as attractive as other roofing,

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