How To Repair Shingles Roof

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Damaged shingles tin seriously cut into the life of a roof. To keep your business firm secure, it's important to regularly evaluate and replace damaged shingles to brand sure your home is safe and dry out.^[ane] You tin can acquire to properly evaluate, remove, and replace damaged shingles efficiently.

1
Use the proper safety precautions. Any time you're getting up on the roof you demand to practise roof safety. Wear protective eyewear, heavy-duty gloves, and gripping boots appropriate for walking on the roof. Preferably, y'all'll too install roof jacks to have something to stand on, and harnesses to protect yourself. Never exercise roof work lonely.^[ii]
- How you access the roof volition depend upon the roof itself and the location of the damage. Always use a secure, sturdy ladder when you lot're climbing upwardly on the roof, and have a helper to secure information technology at the base. When walking on the roof, e'er walk slowly and secure your footing before taking another footstep.
- If you're just trying to assess the harm and supersede a few damaged shingles, it might seem like overkill to install roof jacks and harnesses, but depending on the complexity and the height of your roof, it might be the safest pick. Roof piece of work isn't something to rush.^[iii]
2
Appraise the damage. Notice the damaged area of shingles and make up one's mind how many new shingles you'll need and the extent of the harm underneath. Look at the corners on the shingles surrounding the damage. Are they curled and pulled up from the roof?
- Cheque the damaged surface area for harm to the moisture bulwark or flashing, and check the damaged area for signs of seepage. If the surrounding shingles aren't doing the work of keeping moisture out, y'all'll demand to supplant everything in the square around the damaged area.^[4]
- In some cases, it might be better to remove all the shingles from a roof in urgent demand of repairs and re-roof the business firm instead. If the shingles in the surface area surrounding the damage are old, brittle, and dry out, it's probably not worth taking the intendance to re-secure them to the roof.
- Croaky or separate shingles may exist repaired without removing them, provided they're yet in expert condition. You can learn more well-nigh securing the shingles in the post-obit section.
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3
Remove shingles in absurd atmospheric condition. Cobblestone and asphalt sealant will heat up in hot weather, making information technology moldable and much more difficult to remove. It's a lot easier to remove shingles that are cooled down and slightly more brittle than the moldable, and then do the work of removing them commencement thing in the forenoon, before the sun has beaten down upon them considerably.
- Wet shingles to cool them downward before removal, if you must work in the heat. Wetting them down with a modest amount of water will help them to tighten and business firm upwards, making them much easier to remove, if necessary.
4
Loosen the adhesive under the tabs two rows above the damage. Removing all the shingles on the roof is usually done with a big hayfork , or rake-sized scraper used for removing shingles. Since you're only removing a portion of shingles, though, it's normally amend to utilise a smaller tool. A pry bar, crow-bar, or the hook of a hammer works perfectly at getting nether and carefully prying up shingles, separating the adhesive and revealing the nails of the shingles underneath.
- A expert rule of pollex is to remove at least v tabs in the 2nd row above the damaged "3-tab" shingle. Pull upwardly plenty shingles to reveal the nails of all the damaged shingles that need removed below.
- The end seams should exist lined-up about a foot off to one side of the damaged i. In other words, you'll want to brand sure that yous pull off shingles in a radius around the damaged portion, to make sure you become everything.
v

Loosen the exposed nails. Slide your apartment pry-bar under the shingles around the damaged portion. Work around the blast, pulling it upwards. Carefully lift each surrounding tab almost 45 to 60 degrees. Go very slowly, but pry firmly, and try not to crack or break them. If the surrounding shingles are in adept shape, you tin reattach them when you're finished replacing the damaged shingles, saving you coin and effort.^[5]
6

Keep loosening the agglutinative and nails closer to the damaged shingles. Piece of work your manner progressively closer to the damage. Lift the tabs in the showtime row higher up the damaged shingle and withdraw the loosened nails from that shingle with the pry-bar by using the aforementioned process.
7
Loosen and remove the damaged shingles. Loosen the adhesive underneath the tabs of the damaged shingle, then pull them free and discard. If the shingles are severely damaged, don't try to save them. Just remove them and replace them with new shingles of a similar fashion to the rest of the shingles on the roof.
- Proceed removing the damaged shingles until you've cleared out the shingles that will need replacing. It'll be easier to remove everything before you become started replacing them.
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one
Go the necessary replacement materials. To replace shingles, yous'll obviously need shingles to supersede the ones you remove and the materials necessary to secure. Most shingles that are in need of replacement are three-tab asphalt shingles. If your roof involves some other variety of shingles, you'll need to match your new shingles to the old. To complete the chore properly, y'all'll need:
- Replacement shingles. Buy more than than you'll need at the dwelling repair shop. Yous should be able to count up how many damaged shingles volition need replacement and buy accordingly. It's adept to have replacements on hand.
- Shingle cement or agglutinative. Some shingles come with adhesive strips pre-installed,^[6] making this unnecessary. If you lot buy unbacked shingles, though, you might need to purchase additional adhesive to secure them to the roof before nailing them. It's a expert idea to purchase it to secure other loose shingles anyway.
- Roofing nails. Most three-tab shingles will be pre-cutting with guide holes that volition make the installation process very elementary. To secure them, yous'll need roofing nails, which are heavy-duty, and about two or iii inches long.
2

Install the new shingle. Place a new shingle in the aforementioned position every bit the shingle you removed. If the shingles are backed with an adhesive strip, remove the covering and push button them into place, then blast them to secure them. Most shingles have pre-cut holes for nails, usually three per shingle. Follow the directions of the shingles that you purchase, or use the other shingles on the roof as a guide.
three
Reseal under edges of all three shingles. Lift each tab slightly on the shingles every bit y'all install them, and utilize a 1" (2.5 cm) bore spot of shingle cement nether each tab. Printing tabs downwards into the cement firmly and secures the shingle into identify. Continue installing shingles and securing them with adhesive accordingly, until you've installed all the damaged shingles along the row.
- Afterwards y'all've finished the impairment portion, you can start working your way dorsum up the roof, retailing the loose shingles into identify, equally long equally they're in expert shape, and using the adhesive to secure them back onto the roof.
four
Secure other loose shingles while you're at it. While you're up there working, information technology'due south a good thought to keep an middle out for other areas that await like they may become problematic in the future. Keep an eye out for curled or weathered-looking shingles that might let water to seep in underneath. Using your adhesive, lift the tabs gently and re-secure them.
- Shingles become damaged when water gets in underneath and starts rotting from below. If y'all rescuer loose or weathered shingles on a regular basis, you'll become a considerable amount more life out of them. Regular touch on-ups can extend the life of a roof immensely.
5
Set up cracked or dissever shingles instead of replacing them. If shingles go croaky or otherwise split, considering of falling branches or other types of damage, consider using adhesive to repair them equally best you can, instead of removing them completely. Line the cleft with a liberal amount of adhesive and stick information technology dorsum together to repair it. Hold it in identify for several seconds and allow information technology seal.</ref>
- Shingles will ever need to remove when they're breakable, curled, and difficult to pin back down. If the shingle is crumbling as you work on it, that'south a sign that the shingle, about of the shingles in that area, and possibly the rest of the roof may need to be redone.^[7]
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Question

How can I forestall shingles from becoming damaged?

David Bitan
Roofing Contractor & Maintenance Professional

David Bitan is a covering professional person, licensed contractor, and the possessor and founder of Bumble Roofing based in Southern California. With over 12 years of construction industry experience, David specializes in restoring, repairing, and maintaining residential, commercial, and industrial roofs. With over 60 years of combined experience, Bumble Roofing provides easy, friendly services to structures including residential, commercial, industrial, multi-family, and government buildings forth with hospitals, hotels, and churches.

Roofing Contractor & Maintenance Professional

Skillful Answer

Make sure your gutters are cleaned out every couple of months. Having gutters that are clogged causes water and debris to pool in sure areas of your roof, which tin lead to damage.
Question

Can I reuse shingles that have been carefully removed?

Information technology is difficult to re-install old used shingles in one case they are removed. They are usually damaged and the nails have pulled through them. If nil else, you have to apply NP1 or equivalent sealant to re-seal the tabs since the sealant will no longer be any good on used shingles. You have to re-seal the tabs and so the wind does not blow them up and cause further damage.
Question

Tin I re-shingle a roof without taking off the onetime ones? And if all shingles are to exist replaced, what else should exist done when redoing a roof?

Yous can get out on the old shingles, simply really shouldn't. Every layer of shingles adds weight, which your rafters must now hold up. It's code in most places to not have more than than two layers of covering materials. If yous have to redo your roof, you should also inspect the soffit and gable flashing, eve troughs, and flashing effectually whatsoever chimney, plumbing vent, cranium vent, etc and consider replacing those likewise. Especially if they are the plastic blazon, as they may look okay but exist decayed by the sun to the point of being breakable.
Question

How exercise I replace the shingles at the top where the roof peaks?

The ridge cap shingles are but regular three tab shingles that are cut and turned sideways. They are nailed downward then that the nails are not exposed. Accept a stack of regular three tab shingles and cut piddling v notches at the top edge of the shingles between the tabs. This also keeps the ridge shingles from being completely square and the corners constrict in nicely.
Question

Can I reuse the shingles on my roof later replacing some plywood?

It depends. Almost shingles have a 15-25 year lifetime guarantee, so information technology depends on the age and condition of the shingles if they can be used over again.

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Video

In cold weather, avert excessive bending of the shingles as it could cause smashing
If you are unsure nearly annihilation, don't risk your well-being; please consult a roofing professional.
In hot atmospheric condition, absurd shingles with a water hose to permit easy separation of the shingle tabs

About This Article

Article Summary X

In gild to replace damaged roof shingles, you demand to remove the damaged shingle, install the new i, and seal the edges. Utilise the claw of a hammer to loosen the agglutinative under the tabs two rows in a higher place the damaged shingles, and then loosen whatsoever exposed nails with the claw. Work your way downward to the damaged shingles, loosening adhesive and nails so y'all tin pull the damaged shingles costless. After that, place the new shingle in the aforementioned position and use shingle cement to reseal the edges of all of the shingles. Hammer in any exposed nails that you loosened and then the shingles are secure. To learn how to fix cracked or carve up shingles instead of replacing them, proceed reading!

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