Also known as drywall and wallboard, gypsum board is a panel made of gypsum plaster between thick sheets of paper and used on interior walls and ceilings. It has been widely used in houses since the 1940s and for good reasons like roof insulation in Kansas roofing. Unlike other panel-type products such as plywood, fiberboard and hardboard, gypsum board has a non-combustible core.

Using gypsum board in Kansas roofing presents many concrete advantages. We listed some of these:

1. Fire Resistant

An outstanding quality of gypsum board is its excellent resistance to fire. It is in fact the most commonly-used interior material in areas with required fire resistance classifications. Exposed to high temperature, its core – made up of 21% chemically combined water – is gradually discharged as steam. This quality slows the transfer of heat and spread of fire. Even after the water has been released from the core, the board continues to act as an insulator.

2. Sound Retardant

A key consideration in the construction of buildings is managing sound transfer between rooms. Unwanted sound must be controlled and prevented from going into adjoining areas especially in buildings with multiple occupants doing diverse activities. Using gypsum board on ceilings and walls effectively retards the transmission of sound to adjacent areas.

3. Cost-Effective

Compared to other products, gypsum boards can be installed at much-lower labor costs. They are also ordinarily available at local supply stores and can easily be applied during construction. Their availability and fire-resistant quality make gypsum boards very cost-effective to use.

4. Easy to Install

Gypsum boards are very lightweight and can easily be handled by two workers to cover a large area in a short time. The application techniques can be learned in a few hours by installers. Assemblies require only a few tools for their construction. The board can be cut using knives or saws, and attached with different fasteners including nails, screws and staples. You can also use adhesives to attach the board to substrates.

5. Versatile

A great feature of gypsum boards is their ability to satisfy most architectural design requirements. Taking into consideration the other qualities of the product such as availability, performance, ease of use and repair, fire resistance, adaptability to different finishes and decorations, we can say that gypsum boards is a versatile product unmatched by most alternate systems.

6. Durable

Gypsum boards are widely used to construct strong walls and high-quality ceilings. They offer superior durability and stability compared to other products. Decorating and refinishing gypsum boards can be made with ease.

A blizzard is defined as a severe snowstorm accompanied by strong winds that last for several hours. The strength of the wind is what differentiates a snowstorm from a blizzard. A blizzard must have sustained winds of at least 35 mph for a prolonged period of time. This could really take a toll in your roofing Wichita, KS.

The snow dumped by a blizzard accumulates so fast that your entire roof will be covered by a thick coating of snow without you realizing it. By that time, you will be worrying whether your roof has the capacity to support that much snow. Attempting to shovel it off your roof could prove hazardous because of the risk of slipping and falling from the roof.

Preparation is the Key

The best protection against blizzard in your roofing Wichita, KS is preparation. Prepare your home both inside and out. To do so, pay attention to weather warnings on impending blizzard. Give yourself plenty of time to prepare your home against an oncoming onslaught of wind and snow.

A house’s first line of defense against bad weather is the roof. Since it absorbs all the force of the weather, it should be tough enough to withstand all the pounding of the wind and weight of snow and ice.

A fresh snow can add up to 20 pounds of weight per cubic feet. Partially thawed or refrozen snow adds as much as 60 pounds per cubic feet. Most roofs are, in fact, built to withstand this additional load. Homes located in snow-prone areas are fitted with roofs that can support even more weight.

Determine the combined weight of your roof in Wichita, KS and snow after a blizzard using these guidelines:

1. Freshly-fallen Snow

One foot of new snow weighs around 5 pounds per square foot on the roof. Assuming that your roof can handle up to 20 pounds per cubic feet, your roof can support up to four feet of snow before you start worrying about the load.

2. Old or Packed Snow

Packed or old snow about 3 to 5 inches thick is more or less equal to one foot of fresh snow. Your roof’s load limit will be at 2 feet thick of old or solid snow.

3. Ice

An inch thick of ice is roughly equivalent to a foot of fresh snow. The threshold limit for ice on the roof is around four inches.

Remember that the higher the pitch or slope of your roof, the lesser is the snow accumulation. Be wary if you have a flat roof because snow and ice buildup is imminent. Be always on the lookout for these load limits on your roof.

Tornadoes are the biggest threat to houses and pose the greatest danger to homeowners in the United States. They pack wind strengths with up to four times more destructive power than hurricanes and earthquakes. Normal housing construction methods are generally inadequate to resist the devastation brought by the strong winds of tornadoes, but it is not difficult to fortify your house against this destructive force of nature.

Every time a tornado hits, the first thing that goes off a house is the roof. A tornado exerts upward pressure against the roof and either inward or outward pressure against the walls. Once the roof lifts off it will leave the walls weak and unstable because the lateral stability provided by the roof is gone. That is why the importance of reinforcing your roof cannot be overemphasized.

Of course, different roofing Kansas City materials have distinct durability and toughness. Wood-framed houses are admittedly weaker compared to concrete buildings.

Reinforced Concrete Roof Decks

The roof systems that have been observed to consistently withstand tornadoes and hurricanes are those constructed with structural reinforced concrete decks, which are similarly connected to structural reinforced concrete walls.

Concrete walls are required to be reinforced to withstand the horizontal and vertical pressures of the wind as it beats on the roof. These walls are referred to as shear or bearing walls. For the entire structure or building to become fully resistant to the destructive winds, the roof structure must act as a solid and dependable structural diaphragm.

Reinforcing Non-Concrete Roof Decks

If you have a roof other than concrete decks, there are variety of ways to reinforce it and increase its resistance against the strong winds brought by tornadoes. One solution is to use hurricane clips on the roof. The clips attach the trusses or rafters to the top plate, thereby strengthening the link between the two parts. The reinforcement of the connection is amplified and could withstand far greater wind pull compared to the typical connection used on houses, which is a toenail hammered at an angle that lacks the protection provided by the hurricane clips.

Depending on the clips used, hurricane clips provide uplift protection from 400 to 1500 pounds or possibly more. In ordinary areas, a clip designed for uplift protection of 500 pounds may be installed on every other trusses. However, in hurricane-prone areas, using the strongest clip and attaching them to every truss is highly recommended.