Skip to content
Roofing Lake Oswego logo
Roofers securing a bright blue emergency tarp over localized roof damage

Lake Oswego Emergency Roof
Tarping

A secured tarp keeps water out of an open roof while the permanent repair gets scheduled.

Get a Free Estimate

Emergency Tarping Lake Oswego

When a roof has an opening — from a fallen branch, torn-off shingles, or a section that's mid-repair — the first priority is keeping water out until the real fix can happen. Emergency tarping covers the exposed area with a secured, weighted tarp that's built to hold through continued wind and rain, not just draped over the damage as a stopgap.

Tarping is almost always a bridge, not a destination. It buys time for materials, scheduling, or weather to line up for the permanent fix, whether that's a storm damage repair or a broader emergency roof repair. If your roof has an opening right now, call us directly rather than waiting for a scheduled visit. When a roof needs immediate protection, Lake Oswego Emergency Roof Tarping is ready to help.

Get a Free Estimate

Get a Free Estimate

What's Involved

What Emergency Tarping Covers

  • Sealing off a section of roof torn open by a fallen branch or wind
  • Covering exposed decking after storm damage removes a run of shingles
  • Protecting an area mid-repair when work has to pause for weather or parts
  • Weighing and fastening the tarp so it holds through continued wind and rain
  • Directing water away from the opening rather than letting it pool on the tarp
  • Checking and resecuring the tarp if conditions change before permanent repair

How Emergency Tarping Works

We look at the size and location of the damaged area to determine how much tarp coverage is needed and how it should be anchored given the roof's slope and the direction wind and rain are likely to come from.

Loose debris and damaged material around the opening are cleared so the tarp lies flat and doesn't catch on broken shingles or exposed nails.

The tarp is fastened and weighted along the roof structure, not just laid over the hole, so it stays in place through continued wind rather than working itself loose.

We check that water is being directed off the tarp and away from the opening, rather than pooling on it, before considering the area protected.

Request Emergency Tarping

When to Call

Situations That Call for Emergency Tarping

A Hole or Missing Section Is Letting In Rain

Any opening in the roof surface needs to be covered before the next rain, not after. Tarping stops the immediate water intrusion while the full repair gets scheduled.

A Repair Can't Be Completed the Same Day

If materials need to be ordered or the damage is more extensive than a same-day fix, tarping protects the opening for as long as it takes to get the permanent repair done right.

A Storm Is Still Active or More Weather Is Coming

Sometimes the safest move is a secure temporary cover now rather than a rushed permanent repair in unsafe conditions. Tarping buys time until the roof can be worked on safely.

Why Tarping Matters More Here

An open roof in a dry climate might be able to wait a few days without much consequence. That's rarely the case in Lake Oswego, where storm systems tend to arrive in a series through the fall and winter rather than as a single event followed by clear skies. An exposed section of decking left uncovered between storms doesn't get much of a break before the next round of rain arrives, and each additional exposure adds to the water damage the interior repair eventually has to address. A properly secured tarp closes that gap until the permanent work can be done.

Residential and Commercial Tarping

Tarping a pitched shingle roof and tarping a flat or low-slope commercial roof call for different techniques. A pitched roof relies on the slope to help shed water off the tarp, while a flat roof needs the tarp secured and weighted to handle standing water instead of runoff. We adjust the approach to the roof type in front of us, whether it's a single-family home or a commercial building.

Roof Open to the Weather Right Now?

Get emergency tarping in place to stop water intrusion, then a clear plan for the permanent repair.

Questions? Answers.

Emergency Tarping FAQs

It depends on the tarp's condition, how it was secured, and how much weather it's exposed to in the meantime. Tarping is meant as a temporary measure, and we'll talk with you about scheduling the permanent repair rather than leaving a tarp in place indefinitely.
A properly secured tarp is designed to keep water out of the opening it covers. It's a temporary protective measure, though, not a permanent repair, so the underlying damage still needs to be addressed.
Yes. Removing and disposing of the tarp is part of completing the permanent repair, so you don't need to handle that yourself.
Storm damage is the most common reason, but a fallen tree limb, a chimney that pulls away from the roof, or damage mid-repair can all call for the same temporary protection.
Yes, though the approach differs from a pitched shingle roof — a flat roof usually needs the tarp secured and weighted differently to handle standing water rather than runoff.