Plain-English definitions of the roofing terms Southampton homeowners come across most — from nail sickness to GRP. Call 0238 184 9628 for free advice on any of them.
The corrosion of iron roofing nails over 80 to 130 years, which causes slates to slip and eventually fall. It is the single most common roofing problem on Southampton's Victorian terraces in Portswood, St Denys and Bevois Valley, where original iron cut nails have reached the end of their service life. The fix is re-slating with stainless steel or copper fixings.
A dense, durable natural slate quarried in North Wales that was the dominant roofing material across Southampton between roughly 1860 and 1920. Correctly fixed, Welsh slate lasts 80 to 100 years or more. Its distinctive colour and texture make matching important on conservation-area properties, where Spanish or fibre-cement substitutes look noticeably different alongside original material.
Two different slate failures. Nail sickness is fixing corrosion causing whole slates to slip; delamination is the slate itself splitting into layers from age and frost. Southampton's damp coastal climate accelerates both. Delaminating slates crumble at the edges and sound dull when tapped, while nail-sick slates remain sound but slide out of position.
The bedding mortar that secures ridge and hip tiles along the apex of a roof. On Southampton's post-war estate housing in Thornhill, Lordshill and Calmore, original cement ridge mortar is now 50 to 70 years old and failing, allowing ridge tiles to rock loose in high winds. Modern practice uses flexible mortar or dry-fix ridge systems.
Sheet lead dressed into the junctions where a roof meets a vertical surface — chimney stacks, dormer walls and abutments — to form a waterproof seal. Correctly installed lead flashing lasts 50 to 80 years. In Southampton's coastal air, salt oxidises the surface faster but does not affect structural performance. Mastic is never an acceptable substitute for proper leadwork.
Glass Reinforced Plastic, a seamless fibreglass flat roofing system laid as a liquid and cured to a hard, jointless shell. GRP suits Southampton extensions, garages and dormers, lasting 25 to 30 years with no maintenance. It handles foot traffic and complex shapes well and vastly outlasts the old bitumen felt systems it typically replaces.
Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer, a single-ply synthetic rubber membrane for flat roofs, laid in large sheets with heat-welded or taped seams. EPDM flexes with building movement, installs quickly and lasts 25 to 30 years. It is a popular choice in Southampton for extension and garage roofs where a durable, low-maintenance flat covering is needed.
The small projecting lug on the underside of a roof tile that hooks over the batten to hold the tile in place. On Southampton's 1960s and 1970s concrete interlocking tiles, nib failure from age and weathering is a common cause of tiles slipping — a key sign that an estate roof is reaching the end of its service life and may need replacement.
We are always happy to explain what is going on with your roof in plain English. No jargon, no pressure, no call-out fee.
Call 0238 184 9628Covering Southampton and all Hampshire. Call for free, jargon-free roofing advice.
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