Sarking is an English word with multiple meanings in roof construction:
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The use of wood panels, or "sarking boards", called sheathing, sheeting or roof deck in American English, under the roof-covering materials such as the Roof shingle of a roof to provide support. It is a common term in Scotland, Australia, and New Zealand. The shingles or slates are nailed directly to the sarking boards without timber , providing a strong, wind-resistant roof.
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An additional layer within a roof that insulates or reflects heat, such as a layer of felt, reflective aluminum foil, or polystyrene.
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Roofing felt or other type of underlayment (Am. English) under the roof covering for extra resistance to leakage.
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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.
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In modern usage of the term in Australia, sarking refers to a laminated aluminium foil 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) and convective insulation and provides a condensation barrier.
[For example, see http://www.homeimprovementpages.com.au/article/reflective_foil_sarking]
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.
See also
