Have you neglected your roof to the point where it has become incredibly filthy? If so, you shouldn’t wait any longer. Looks aren’t the only reasons why leaving your roof in a state isn’t a good idea. There is a fair amount of damage that can take place here as well. Thankfully, our team can prevent this. To do so, we offer the best services for roof cleaning in Ascot and beyond.

Lichen explained

Lichen grows on a plethora of external surfaces. Examples include outside furniture, siding, pavers, decking, and rooftops. It is particularly damaging to the latter. So, you must treat it correctly to prevent damage at all costs.

What you need to keep in mind is lichen is an invasive growth that’s created through a partnership between algae and fungus living together. Fungus is the primary component. It depends on algae to generate nutrients that let it spread and develop.

The lichen grows in a myriad of sizes and shapes. You can spot it in an extensive list of colours too. Some of them are white, grey, black, brown, red, orange, yellow, green, and blue.

The three primary kinds are crustose, fruticose, and foliose. The latter have two unique, bottom and top sides. They could be ridged, leafy, or flat. As for fruticose, they can shape like shrubs or coral, with flat or round batches. The structures of some are hollow at the centre. Others grow from their core. Crustose ones appear as patches that generate a sort of crust over an exterior.

Don’t leave lichen alone

If you do, it can result in permanent damage to outside surfaces over time. Besides the ugly growth, it can cause pitting. What you end up with are costly repairs.

Roofs are particularly vulnerable and can suffer significant damage. Lichen holds moisture in position against exteriors. This speeds up standard wear and tear. When the surface moisture freezes when it’s cold, it can cause frost damage to roof materials. This can lead to warping, bending, or separating from one another over time.

If the lichen does any damage on the roof, its life expectancy can go down considerably. You might need to replace it sooner. Plus, there could be big bills for repairing problems leaks cause. So, it is better to get roof cleaning in Ascot or anywhere else to tackle it.

One other huge reason to get rid of lichen is that your homeowner’s insurance might increase if you leave it. An insurance company can dispatch inspectors to look at your house and see if there are any changes. If they see your property has a dirty roof, it can cause them to increase rates. Your policy might even become void. Due to the damage lichen causes in particular, your insurer could ask you to clean it.

Algae and fungi’s symbiotic relationships

Thanks to this relationship, lichen can be a hard growth to remove. Many individuals attempt to do it by scraping and brushing using abrasive tools. This is a popular approach, but you must put in a massive level of work and time. Removing lichen completely with this strategy is almost impossible. It takes a lot of time too, particularly when working on rooftops. Not to mention, you risk the possibility of accidentally harming the protective top layer of your roof materials here.

Lichen is a hardy growth that attaches to exteriors firmly with a tough grip. It has a crusty, nearly concrete-like texture. You may be able to get rid of most of it by hand. Yet, there will be leftover growth that you can’t see with your eyes. It can result in it growing back with ease. For this reason, our establishment favours using a special biocide treatment. It prevents organic growths from returning quickly.

Let us handle your roof cleaning in Ascot and other areas

At Berkshire Roof Clean, our approach is to remove debris manually. Afterwards, we use the biocide treatment to produce long lasting results. We avoid jetwashing entirely due to the harm it can cause. Whether it’s moss, algae, lichen, or something else on your property, we can handle it.

So, let us know if you need the finest services for roof cleaning Ascot has to offer or want a service in the wider region. We provide exceptional results for all properties.