Roofing supplies include a wide range of materials and items used for the construction and maintenance of a roof. This means not only shingles but molding, lumber, pipes and vents, roofing cements, ladders and all the necessary tools , even roofing nails.  

One of the most important roofing supplies is, of course, the top roofing material. This is considered the roof proper and includes wood shingles, ceramic tiles, asbestos shingles, metal roofing sheets and tiles, rubber roofing sheets and shingles and a lot of other types of materials. The roofing material should be chosen based on location, so that the roof will withstand the local elements and issues that impact a roof.

Lumber is used in a roof primarily as the support structure or frame. This generally consists of a triangular truss and a lattice of beams. The roof itself is then laid over the frame. Other lumber elements include the cornice, part of the frame that overhangs the wall, the fascia, or underside of the cornice, the eave, beam ends of the wood frame that allow water to drip away from the roof, and the soffit, or underside of the eave.

Pipes and vents stick up from the roof. They assist in the house breathing and are also the escape routes for smoke from a fireplace or cooking hood, as well as for hot air from the attic. The bottoms of pipes and vents are generally sealed with a boot, or metal strip, including a lead based or plastic sealant. These pipes and vents have one way rubber sealed shields so that the air or smoke can escape, but water doesn’t flow into the pipe or vent.

Now onto the roofing tools which include the ladder to climb up to the roof, as well as other items necessary for both installation and removal, as well as for regular maintenance. These include simple items such as a broom and bucket to hold waste shingles, a slater’s hammer that includes a hammer as well as an ax and blade, a slate cutter to cut through shingles, seaming pliers to hold shingles, and a hip runner to install the ridge cap, the portion of the roof that caps the seams.

Roofing nails must be long enough to extend through the shingles and go further to about 3/8 inch below the underside of the shingle. Anything that interferes with the nails biting into the wood could cause the nail to pop out and eventually the loss of shingles. This includes shingles with ridges, some under shingle materials, and of course short nails. A skilled roofer can drive a roofing nail with one solid hit. A homeowner doing it themselves should be able to drive most roofing nails with one hit within a few minutes of work.

Roofing supplies aren’t as simple as they first seem. But with a little planning, you’ll have everything needed for a quality roof.