Have you noticed your roof chipping away?

In 1996, the marketing representative for HardiShake trained a small handful of my colleagues to sell their exciting product.

As the marketing representative explained it to me, the Hardi Shake fiber cement shingles were made by rolling a wire mesh wheel through a mixture of sand, cellulose “wood” fibers and portland cement.

As the wire mesh wheel turned, it would pick up another layer of the mixture. When the collected layers reached 1/4″ thickness, they were stamped into shingles with either a “shake” or “slate” imprint. The shingles were then laminated creating a moisture barrier.

If you are the original owner of a Hardi Shake roof, you’ll remember that your roof had a glossy sheen when first installed.

Contact me today if you would like help with your Hardishake roof.

Pick up the phone and dial (817) 781-9982 now.

Michael D. Coday II
(817) 781-9982
Contact Me

No related posts.

One of the tell-tale signs of premature shingle failure is “capillary suction”.

Moisture can get into and behind the shingles because they sit tightly on top of one other. Water will literally appear to defy gravity as it is drawn backwards (wicking) into the overlapping above fiber cement shingle.

The way to defeat capillary suction is to perfectly seal each and every shingle. Obviously, this would be impossible to do. That’s why we are having problems today.

Another method is to ventilate the space between each shingle by creating a gap. Unfortunately, shingles work best at shedding rain water when you eliminate or shrink the gaps.

It seems to be a proverbial Catch 22!

If your shingles are breaking and falling apart, pick up the phone and call me right now (817) 781-9982 or use the handy online contact me form.

Michael D. Coday II
(817) 781-9982
Contact Me

Related posts:

1. Asbestos Fibers?

Old concrete shingles were sometimes manufactured with asbestos fibers that served to increase their strength and durability.

As you know, a person struggling with asbestosis cannot pass the fibers out of their body. The fibers are extremely resilient… holding on to the body and refusing to let go.

Due to the serious health concerns caused by asbestos, manufacturers were eventually forced to find an alternate way to simulate these resilient benefits. They needed a material that would hold the concrete together without the health risks.

That alternative for many manufacturers was wood “cellulose” fibers. While wood fibers initially did a good job of adding strength and durability to concrete shingles, many soon revealed their alleged fatal flaw…

When it rains, unprotected wood fibers attract and hold water. As the temperature changes, the fibers expand and contract separating the shingle back into brittle layers.

The Hardishake roofs did not originally reveal these problems because they had a glossy finish that protected the wood fibers from being exposed. However, as the shingles have weathered this protective shield has disappeared.

If you have one of these roofs, you can lean your ladder up to the edge of the roof and closely examine one of your shingles. You’ll notice little fibers sticking up out of the shingle like the hair on the back of your neck. 

A cement roof that is held together with these wood fibers will begin to break, chip and fall apart as water gets into the heart of the shingle - a process called capillary suction.

If you need help with your Hardishake roof, pick up the phone and call me now (817) 781-9982 or use the online form to contact me.

Michael D. Coday II
(817) 781-9982
Contact Me

Related posts:

1. Capillary Suction – The Catch 22