Sarking is an English word with multiple meanings in roof construction: * The use of wood panels, or "sarking boards", called ''sheathing'', ''sheeting'' or ''decking'' in American English, under the roof-covering materials such as the

shingles Shingles, also known as zoster or herpes zoster, is a viral disease characterized by a painful skin rash with blisters in a localized area. Typically the rash occurs in a single, wide mark either on the left or right side of the body or face. ...

of a

roof A roof ( : roofs or rooves) is the top covering of a building, including all materials and constructions necessary to support it on the walls of the building or on uprights, providing protection against rain, snow, sunlight, extremes of temp ...

to provide support. It is a common term in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

, Australia, and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...

. The shingles or slates are nailed directly to the sarking boards without timber

batten A batten is most commonly a strip of solid material, historically wood but can also be of plastic, metal, or fiberglass. Battens are variously used in construction, sailing, and other fields. In the lighting industry, battens refer to linea ...

s, providing a strong, wind-resistant roof. * An additional layer within a roof that insulates or reflects heat, such as a layer of

felt Felt is a textile material that is produced by matting, condensing and pressing fibers together. Felt can be made of natural fibers such as wool or animal fur, or from synthetic fibers such as petroleum-based acrylic or acrylonitrile or w ...

, reflective foil, or

polystyrene Polystyrene (PS) is a synthetic polymer made from monomers of the aromatic hydrocarbon styrene. Polystyrene can be solid or foamed. General-purpose polystyrene is clear, hard, and brittle. It is an inexpensive resin per unit weight. It is ...

. *

Roofing felt Bituminous waterproofing systems are designed to protect residential and commercial buildings. Bitumen (asphalt or coal-tar pitch) is a mixed substance made up of organic liquids that are highly sticky, viscous, and waterproof. These systems are ...

or other type of ''underlayment'' (Am. English) under the roof covering for extra resistance to leakage. * The word ''sarking'' is further used as part of the term '' scrim and sarking'', a method of interior construction widely used in Australia and New Zealand in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. * In modern usage of the term in Australia, ''sarking'' refers to a laminated

aluminium foil Aluminium foil (or aluminum foil in North American English; often informally called tin foil) is aluminium prepared in thin metal leaves with a thickness less than ; thinner gauges down to are also commonly used. Standard household foil is typ ...

layer, or reflective foil laminate (RFL), that is installed on the roof trusses, beneath the battens, supporting a tile or metal deck roof. It acts as additional radiative (

radiant barrier A radiant barrier is a type of building material that reflects thermal radiation and reduces heat transfer. Because thermal energy is also transferred by conduction and convection, in addition radiation, radiant barriers are often supplemented wi ...

) and convective insulation and provides a condensation barrier. In New Zealand, both corrugated metal and asbestos-cement shingle roofs were fitted directly over wooden sarking boards in the historical "bungalow" style of house construction.

References

{{Reflist Building engineering Structural system Carpentry

See also

References