Shingle repair is incredibly important to get done right, as poorly installed shingles can and will lead to leaks and other damage to your home. Luckily, a properly installed shingle will last decades and provide all the protection your house needs. So, do it right the first time, and you won’t have to worry for a long time.
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Step 1: Assess The Damage
Depending on the age of your roof, a leak could mean a small group of shingles to be replaced or it could mean it’s time for a new roof. Therefore, it is important to assess the damage before planning any repairs. Before climbing onto any ladders or roofs, you need to call in a professional to do it for you. Checking a roof is extremely dangerous and requires extra safety precautions that professional roofers are equipped to handle.
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Step 2: Full Roof vs Section
Once the damage has been assessed then it is time to decide how much is getting replaced. If it’s only one or two shingles which have cracked, then you could replace them and be done with it. But if it’s a large group of shingles then a full roof replacement might be needed. This is highly dependent on the age of your roof. A large group of damaged shingles could also mean that the decking has been damaged and that is a big problem, because rotting decking will not hold new shingles for long.
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Step 3: Remove Damaged Shingles
Removing shingles is a relatively simple process, it is mostly removing nails and sliding them out, but it is important to do this in moderate weather, because if it’s too hot then they will stick to the roof, and you could break the undamaged shingles you are working around. Shingles have eight nails, four along the centre line and four at the back, underneath the shingle above it. To remove the nails at the back, the shingle behind it needs to be lifted, and is best handled by a professional because it is a delicate job.
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Step 4: Assess Decking
Once the problematic shingles have been removed, the decking should be checked for damage. If it is damaged then all the shingles above that section will need to be removed, and then decking can be replaced. Even if the decking is not damaged, it’s a good idea to check that all the nails are still in place, because if they aren’t, then your neat repair will warp within weeks. The professional eye of an experienced roofer will be able to spot damage that goes unnoticed by novices, and will save you time and frustration as well as money in the long run.
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Step 5: Install New Shingles
Before installing the new shingles, you may want to add water-proof sheeting, which becomes important in Florida thunder showers and hurricane season. When installing the shingles, they need to be rounded off on the back corners to make it easier to slide them in. Once they are in the right position, there is a particular process to securing them correctly. If not done properly this could result in a costly mistake.
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Step 6: Clean Up
Now that the shingles have all been replaced, it is important to clean up any mess. Though that may seem obvious, one thing to be especially vigilant for is all the stray nails that are pulled out of the roof. They can be dangerous for anyone walking in your yard, and they could ruin your new set of tires on your car. Nothing beats a professional clean by people who know how to spot those fallen nails!
While this outline gives a good understanding the shingle repair and replacement process, the actual task is far easier to read about than actually perform. Aabco Roofing is here to handle all your questions on shingle repair – call us today.
