Nail pop

More roofing & materials terms

• Modified bitumen

  A roofing membrane made of asphalt reinforced with a polymer, sold in rolls and applied with heat, adhesive, or peel-and-stick backing, most often on low-slope roofs. It is priced by the square in Xactimate, and the application method and number of plies are separate line items.

• Nail pattern

  The spacing and placement of nails that fasten shingles or sheathing, set by the shingle manufacturer and the local code. It is checked during roof inspections, and an improper pattern is a common reason a carrier denies or prorates a shingle repair.

• OSB

  Oriented strand board - an engineered panel of glued wood strands, commonly used as roof decking instead of plywood. It is easy to spot by the flake pattern; it holds fasteners well while dry, but once it gets wet it swells at the edges and loses that grip, so it draws close attention on water and storm claims.

• Parapet wall

  The low wall that extends above the roofline at the edge of a flat or low-slope roof, often on commercial buildings and sometimes on homes. It gets its own flashing, coping, and sealant line items, and those details are commonly missed when a scope is written from photos.

• Peel-and-stick membrane

  A self-adhering roofing membrane, often used as underlayment on steep-slope roofs or as a cap sheet on low-slope roofs, that seals around nails and resists ice dams. It is priced by the square, and where it is required depends on the local code.

• Pipe boot

  The rubber or metal seal around vent pipes that stick through the roof.

Common questions