tar
A roof surface coated with tar, directly or on a fabric or felt carrier, with any underlying wood fully obscured.
Tar roofing includes any kind of roof surface with a coating of tar, a dark coating material used to seal the roof surface. The tar in a roof can be applied as an outer coating, or as a sheet of burlap, fiberglass, or felt coated with tar.
Although tar may be used as a sealant and preservative for wood boards, sheets, and shingles, a wood roof treated with tar is not considered a tar roof unless the tar coating entirely obscures the wood underneath.
The tar coating must be the exposed roof surface. Tar and gravel has an additional stone layer, while tar used only to treat still-visible wooden boards or shingles leaves the covering within its wood-material definition.
Related definitions
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aluminum sheeting
A roof covering formed from large sheets or slats of aluminum, commonly interlocked along their edges. -
asbestos sheeting
A roof covering of large asbestos-containing sheets, typically asbestos cement and often corrugated. -
asbestos shingles
A roof covering of small overlapping asbestos-containing shingles, typically made from asbestos cement. -
asphalt sheeting
A roof covering of large continuous membrane sheets coated on one or both sides with asphalt or tar. -
asphalt shingles
A roof covering of small overlapping asphalt-coated units, commonly reinforced with fiberglass or organic felt. -
brick
A roof covering with an outer layer of small fired masonry blocks, usually joined by mortar. -
ceramic tiles
A roof covering of baked clay or similar ceramic tiles, usually overlapping or interlocking on a sloping roof. -
concrete slab
A roof covering with a continuous, exposed concrete surface formed from precast or cast-in-place concrete. -
concrete tiles
Roofing made from tile or shingles of concrete, often reinforced with fiberglass. -
copper sheeting
A roof covering of large copper sheets or slats joined together, excluding small overlapping copper shingles. -
fabric
A roof covering formed from suspended cloth or a similar flexible, tent-like sheet material. -
fiberglass sheeting
A roof covering of rigid plastic sheets or panels reinforced with glass fibers, often formed with corrugations. -
glass
Roofing made of glass, either as an opaque coating or in the form of an extended skylight. -
iron sheeting
A roof covering of large iron sheets or slats joined together, excluding small overlapping iron shingles. -
metal shingles
A roof covering of small, overlapping rolled-metal plates arranged in successive courses. -
slate
A roof covering made from pieces of natural slate split into thin sheets, usually laid in overlapping courses. -
sod
A roof covering of living grass rooted in soil, including lawns over underground buildings. -
steel sheeting
A roof covering of large steel sheets or slats joined together, often corrugated or shaped to resemble tiles. -
stone slab
A roof covering of natural stone in large slabs or masses, excluding small stone tiles and shingles. -
synthetic membrane
A roof covering formed from sheets of plastic, rubber, or similar synthetic material joined into a watertight layer. -
tar and gravel
A roof covering with gravel or small stones laid over a tar layer, commonly used on flat roofs. -
thatch
A roof covering formed from thick overlapping mats of cut grasses or other plant stalks. -
wood planks
A roof covering of wooden boards fitted together, normally in parallel, with possible overlap at their joints. -
wood shingles
A roof covering of small wooden plates laid in overlapping courses, generally on a sloping roof.