While it’s true that hurricanes Iselle and Julio didn’t cause much damage to Oahu, they did get some homeowners thinking: “What if Iselle hit Honolulu with the same force that it hit Puna?” The official hurricane season is still young. Don’t forget that hurricane Iwa and Iniki both occurred around Thanksgiving. Perhaps a little preparation now — in this El Nino year — can save a lot of expense down the road.
Here are some tips that can help in the next high wind storm:
Seal the underside of all your asphalt shingles with a good quality roof mastic. Older shingles dry out and get brittle over time, just like bones. As the sun beams down on them, the volatile oils escape, leaving the shingles susceptible to high winds. Once one blows off, the others tend to follow, creating a checkerboard pattern. One solution is to have Leakmaster Roofing glue down all the shingle tabs with a sealant approved by the manufacturer.
Another solution is coating all the shingles with a thick waterproof coating, like the Cool Roof Store’s Ceramic Coating. It glues all the shingles together, so wind can’t get underneath them and force them up.
These cool roof coatings have the added benefit of blocking 100 percent of the sun’s UV rays, so that they never age over time. There is a wide range of popular colors you can choose from, if you want to blend into the neighborhood.
You may never have to reroof again. Simply reapply a topcoat every 15 to 25 years using a fraction of the original material. If you choose the NXT silicone top coat, you can get a material warranty of up to 50 years from the manufacturer. NXT Silicone comes in white, tan and gray colors.
If you are getting a new traditional shingle roof, it is important to have your roofer nail six fasteners for every shingle strip installed. The old standard was four nails per shingle, but that will not do in a high wind area like Hawaii.
Don’t go for the lower-end shingles, such as the “3 tab” shingles, as the thin tabs are susceptible to high wind blow-offs. Instead, start with a hearty dimensional shingle, such as CerainTeed’s Landmark series or Malarky’s Alaskan line, which have enhanced wind warranties up to 130 mph. Ask Leakmaster for details.
Flat roofs can also blow off, and are especially vulnerable on the perimeter edges, where the roofing sheet can disband from the metal drip edge. Leakmaster has pioneered the practice of wrapping these edges with a reinforced roof tape that prevents wind or water from blowing underneath the metal flashing, which will rot out your fascia board. The company also believes that taping all your field seams will make your roof last much longer. 95 percent of all roof leaks start in a loose seam, not in the field of your roof. Why not put your reinforcements in those areas?
Leakmaster Roofing has been serving Oahu for more than 24 years. You can see its products up close at the Kakaako showroom at 575 Cooke St. Visit the company’s website at www.leakmaster.com, or call 591-1900 for a free estimate.
LEAKMASTER ROOFING
contact // 591-1900
address // 575 Cooke St.
web // www.leakmaster.com
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