Freeze/thaw no trouble for DaVinci Composite Roofing

By DaVinci Roofscapes.

Don't let the weather freeze you out of work. Learn the best tips and tricks for working through winter weather conditions.

25 degrees in Nashville. 28 degrees in Atlanta. Sometimes winter’s deep freeze stretches far deeper into the South than usual. That’s just one good reason to consider installing DaVinci composite roofing.

When temperatures heat up to the 20’s and 30’s, roofers — whether they’re in the South or Midwest — can be back outside installing DaVinci Roofscapes composite slate and shake roofing tiles on residential and commercial projects.

Keep your business growing

What some roofers might not know — because they don’t always experience temperature extremes — is that DaVinci composite roofing materials are designed to be installed in areas where freeze/thaw conditions are common.

These hard-working imitation slate and synthetic shake roofing products don’t absorb water. Because of that, they don’t experience the same freeze/thaw issues that some roofing materials do. This means that even if a DaVinci composite roof has moisture on it, there will be no damage during freeze/thaw cycles like cracking or splitting of tiles.

And, DaVinci tiles can comfortably be installed even when the temperatures dip down to 20 degrees. 

Brrrr… Baby, it’s cold outside!

Many manufacturers will not allow their roofing materials to be installed when the outside temperature is below 40 or 45 degrees F. This is a big problem for roof installers throughout the country during the winter months. For those roofers who work in high mountain country areas where temperatures can reach 45 F at night in August, it’s a problem year round.

DaVinci products are designed so that the composite roofing tiles remain flexible in cold temperatures and can usually be installed in temperatures as cold as 20 degrees F. So, if the forecast is for freezing weather, then add another layer… it’s time to get serious about cold weather roofing installation projects.

Installation tips for cold weather roofing

If you’re working through winter weather conditions, here are a few tips from the DaVinci Tech Team to make it easier to install DaVinci lightweight composite roofing materials this winter:

Tip 1 – Acclimation is your friend. Don’t leave a caulking tube outside overnight and expect it to work the next morning… it will freeze! So, keep your supplies (including self-adhering membranes, caulk and other items) in a warm environment before using to get maximum efficiency and fewer headaches.

Tip 2 – Store your DaVinci composite slate and synthetic shake roofing tiles in the warmest area available to you when working at low temperatures. This conditions the product to allow for easier cutting and increased flexibility.

Tip 3 – Keep your DaVinci composite roofing tiles lying flat before installation in cold weather. If they are not flat because of the way they’ve been stored or shipped, then take time to flatten them before installing.

Tip 4 – During cold weather roofing installations, make certain there’s a minimum of 3/16″ space between DaVinci tiles.

Tip 5 – Using a pneumatic roofing nail gun to speed up your installation? That’s great, but make sure to adjust the pressure in colder weather. It shouldn’t be set too high. And, if it’s really cold outside and you’re having difficulties with your air compressor, go back to hand nailing composite roofing pieces in place.

Tip 6 – Watch out for “black ice” on ladders and on the roof. Even light moisture can freeze up and make being a roofer in the winter months potentially dangerous. Make sure you and your installation team use fall protection devices and appropriate footwear, since winter makes the roof more slippery and icy.

Tip 7 – Need to keep your hands nimble for the installations? Invest in disposable HotHands hand warmers. Slip them in your gloves (or your shoes for that matter!) for eight hours of toasty warmth.

Tip 8 – Don’t forget the snow guards. If you’re installing in a cold weather region, make sure to recommend and install suitable snow guards that will help reduce the chance of “avalanches” of melting snow from composite roofing.

Tip #9 – When cutting DaVinci products in colder temperatures, it’s better to score the lightweight roofing tiles with a straight blade and then break the tile along the score. You can also use a saw blade with smaller and finer teeth.

Recipe for success

Made of virgin polymer resin, composite shake slate tiles from DaVinci don’t react the same to colder weather conditions as natural roof products. For example, a real wood shake roof goes through freeze/thaw cycles constantly in some weather environments. This means that it is common to see cracking and splitting on some cedar roofs. In some areas of the country, the daylight to nightfall temperature swings alone can cause damage to cedar shake roofing.

In addition, DaVinci polymer roofing materials are very thermally stable. A 12″ polymer slate roof tile expands just 1/8″ with a 100-degree temperature swing. Thanks to this engineering feat, roofers don’t get the buckling or movement with a DaVinci tile that can put strain on fasteners as with some other products.

So roofers, add another warm layer of clothes. Then get back outside to install DaVinci roofing tiles this winter. Keep your business growing through even the coldest weather this year!