Roof Replacement in Wallington, NJ

Decking, Layers and the Age of Wallington’s Homes

About 73% of Wallington’s housing units were built before 1970, according to the 2023 Census estimates in the borough’s Housing Element. That means most roofs in town have been replaced at least once, and some have been covered over rather than stripped. A replacement is the chance to start clean.

What tear-off reveals, era by era

• 1939 and earlier (1,034 units): plank decking, sometimes with gaps, old nail holes and soft spots around chimneys. Many need sections of new sheathing or a full plywood overlay.
• 1940s and 1950s (1,484 units): a mix of boards and early plywood. Look for delamination at the eaves where gutters have overflowed for years.
• 1960s (1,240 units, the borough’s biggest decade): mostly plywood, now well past 60 years old. It is often sound in the field but tired at the edges, around vents and wherever an earlier leak went unrepaired.

We remove every layer down to the deck, photograph the decking, and replace only what is damaged. If extensive decking work is needed, we explain it with pictures before going ahead. Our roof replacement page shows the full process.

Permits, Paperwork and Planning in Wallington

New Jersey treats replacing the roof covering on a detached one- or two-family house as ordinary maintenance. That covers a detached single-family or two-family in Wallington, as long as no structural work is needed. Everything else needs a permit:

Flat Roofs on Apartment and Commercial Buildings

With more than a quarter of the borough’s housing in buildings of five or more units, and commercial buildings concentrated along Paterson, Locust and Main Avenues, flat and low-slope roofs are a big part of roofing in Wallington. Replacing a low-slope roof is a different job from a shingle tear-off.

• Membrane choice. Low-slope roofs need a continuous waterproof membrane rather than shingles. The right system depends on the building, its drainage and what sits on the roof.
• Drainage. Ponding water shortens a flat roof’s life. We check that drains, scuppers and leaders are clear and correctly sized, and that the roof slopes toward them.
• Parapets and edges. Many older buildings have parapet walls, and the flashing up those walls is where flat roofs most often fail.
• Tenants and businesses. We plan staging and noise around occupied apartments and open storefronts and keep debris off sidewalks.

See our flat roof repair and replacement page for more.

Shingles, Ventilation and Ice Barrier on Wallington Houses

Architectural shingles

On pitched roofs we install architectural asphalt shingles. They are thicker than older three-tab shingles and resist wind better.

Ventilation that matches the house

A 1960s house and a 1920s two-family breathe differently. We size intake at the soffits and exhaust at the ridge to suit the attic, and if the soffits are solid wood with no vents, we can open them up as part of the job. Better airflow means a cooler attic in summer and fewer ice dams in winter. Our attic ventilation page explains the options.

Ice barrier

New Jersey’s code requires an ice barrier membrane only where the January average temperature is 25°F or below, which the state’s DCA defines as Sussex County. Wallington is not in that zone, so it is not required here. We recommend it at the eaves and in valleys on houses that have had ice dams, on low-pitch sections and over heated rooms, and we explain where it is worth it on your roof.

Roof Replacement Questions from Wallington Owners

More Roofing Help in Wallington

Our Wallington roofing contractor page gives an overview of our work in the borough. You can also browse the Bergen County service area or our statewide New Jersey roof replacement page.

In Wallington we also offer roof repair in Wallington, Wallington siding installation and repair and gutters in Wallington, often scheduled alongside a new roof.

Nearby, see roof replacement in Garfield, roof replacement in Passaic and roof replacement in Lodi. To budget before calling, try our roof cost calculator.