Things To Do Before Laying Roof Shingles

Roof Shingles - Mar 15,2011 - No Comment

Roof shingles are important roofing materials as they form secure barriers against natural elements like rain, snow and moisture. Roof shingles guard your woodwork and roof frame against rot and damage. They protect dry walls and expensive interiors. And they prevent heat losses which minimizes energy consumption for air conditioning in summer and heating in winter.

Laying a shingle roof, or fixing a leaky one, is a priority for any home owner. But before jumping into laying roof shingles, there are some tasks to be managed first.

Understand that laying roof shingles is a painstaking and careful task that must be done by a well trained worker or a qualified prof. There are different types of shingles to pick from, the most popular being asphalt shingles. Their main attraction is longevity, with the typical roof lasting 20 years or longer.

A well done job of laying roof shingles will save you plenty of headache and worry over the years ahead. So take care about this while you’re building the house itself. You can learn more about the preparatory steps that will ensure you deliver a good result in this article here.

Installing Roof Shingles – A Simple Guide

Roof Shingles - Jan 08,2011 - No Comment

Installing roof shingles isn’t very complex or difficult. It isn’t easy or hassle-free either. If you’re thinking about installing roof shingles for your home or office, then this guide will be of some help and guidance in explaining the steps and showing you what you’re in for. Knowledge is power, and reading this will keep you well informed about how to install a shingle roof.

First of all, your current roof needs a close and expert inspection to identify areas of damage or rot. Applying a new asphalt shingle roof over a damaged roof frame will only lead to fresh problems down the road. Indications that the wood may be rotting are areas that sag and an uneven surface of the underlayment. When rotten wood framing is a possibility, the safest and least expensive solution is to tear off the existing cover and then install new roof shingles.

Another reason why you may have to tear off your old roof is if it has two or more layers already. In this case, adding a further layer of shingles over it may cause the load to become so high that the supporting infrastructure cannot support it, causing the roof to break or sag again.

Tear Off Before Installing Roof Shingles

In case you identified enough reason to tear off your older roof before installing roof shingles, then you will be exposing a lot of damage that’s hidden under the older shingle layer. The right tools will help get the job done swiftly and efficiently. Stripping tools including a roofing shovel with teeth, a heavy pair of gloves and safety equipment are necessary. Place a thick tarpaulin sheet to collect the old shingle pieces as they are ripped off the roof.

Gardens can be damaged during this tear off process, and it is worth taking some steps to safeguard them beforehand. If the tear off is only going to affect a part of your roof, then it can be a relatively simple and quick job. But if the entire roof needs to be torn off, then a sequential process must be followed. Workers who are engaged in a roof tear off need to wear a safety anchor and take other precautions against falls and injury. Knowing how to use the safety equipment is an important part of installing roof shingles.

If your roofing contractor attempts to do this job all alone, insist upon someone being along to help. While safety equipment can prevent serious injury, they may still leave you in uncomfortable and unusual positions (such as hanging upside down on the side of your house!) and will need help to get untangled from the harness. Having helpers can significantly enhance the safety of this work.

Installing Roof Shingles Over Tar Paper

Rotten parts of the older roof are removed and replaced. Long nails from the old roof deck must be meticulously extracted, or nailed back in. Tar paper is the next to be installed. Adding ice and water dams along the eaves is an important step. Tar paper is laid on with an overhang of around half a foot, extending all the way to the crest of the roof and over the ridge to the other side.

Roof trim and flashing come next. Using nails at regular intervals help securely fasten the roof framing to the wooden base. Vents and chimneys need special flashing and modifications while installing roof shingles. Doing all this correctly will prevent leaky roofs in the future.

How Much Asphalt Roofing Shingles Will You Need?

Before ordering bundles of roof shingles, you will need to make a rough estimate of the roof area. If you read our report about this, you’ll know that it roughly takes 3 bundles of shingles to cover a square of roof. When ordering your asphalt shingle packs, be sure to get a few extra because of the chance of damaging a few during installation.

While installing roof shingles, be sure to assemble and use the right tools. A nailing gun will simplify the task of fixing the shingles to your roof frame. Caulking guns make it easier to crimp and bend roofing caulk. Gloves for construction use protect against accidental injury. Eye and ear protection is important for workers who are constantly exposed to the noise from power equipment. None of these tools are absolutely mandatory for installing roof shingles, but they streamline and simplify the chore and make it easier to do.

How To Go About Installing Asphalt Roof Shingles?

To give some direction and orientation, the contractor will run colored string from one point to another and draw chalk lines that indicate where the rows of shingles will be fixed. Otherwise it is easy to get misled into laying the tiles in a crooked manner which gives a very ugly appearance to the roof. It also affects the degree of protection against water damage, as leaks can occur between imperfectly positioned shingles.

The first row of roofing shingles is important. Typically the work begins at the bottom edge of the roofing deck, with a full shingle placed with “feet up” and covering the gable and starter trim, in alignment with the string or chalk lines drawn up initially. The shingle is nailed into place, affixing each shingle with 4 nails. In high wind areas, this may be increased to 6 nails per shingle for better protection.

The next shingle is installed beside it, taking care that there is no overlap. The successive rows will overlap to provide a watertight seal, so there is no need to have the individual shingles overlap as well. Carry along until the other side of the gable is reached, and the excess (if any) may be trimmed using a knife.

The second row of installing roof shingles involves making a vertical cut of the shingle and removing 6 inches off it. This is to ensure the second row creates horizontal overlap over the first row, as well as vertical overlap that provides a tight seal against the elements. The other rows are done in exactly the same way.

As you approach the ridge, you may need to trim the last row of shingles to fit nicely. Then repeat the process on the other side of the roof, until the shingles meet up at the ridge. If there are any vents in the way, you can install ridge ventilation to assist air outflow and avoid the build up of heat beneath your roof. You can cut out holes in a shingle to accommodate a single vent using a circular saw. Make sure the fit is snug and secure to prevent later leaks and water seepage.

Installing Roof Shingles At The Ridge Cap

Now that you’re at the apex of your roof, you can cover the ridge cap using pre-cut shingles that are shaped correctly, or modify your own shingles by cutting square sections. Start on the side of your roof that faces away from the wind. Bedding the ridge cap in cement can hold it in place and prevent leaks by sealing off gaps. Nails to hold the ridge cap in place need to be half an inch longer than the rest.

So installing roof shingles is a relatively straightforward process. However it requires special tools and training, and a certain degree of expertise and experience, in order to do it safely and well. For more detailed information about how to go about installing roof shingles, explore a few more online resources and consult with a qualified roofing contractor who will guide you right.

Five Steps To A Reliable Roof Shingles Estimate

Roof Shingles - Dec 17,2010 - No Comment

Have you ever wondered about what goes into making a roof shingles estimate that’ll tell you exactly how many shingles you’ll require for a roofing job? It isn’t too complicated. You can take either of two routes to estimating your roof’s surface area, and then apply a simple formula to arrive at your roof shingles estimate.

Roof Shingles Estimate – Determine The Number of Shingles Needed

Roofing shingles come packed into bundles. You can order them by the bundle, or the square. Shingles are wrapped in plastic or paper and bundled into sizes that are convenient for a single person to carry comfortably. Heavier shingles will contain fewer shingles per bundle, and therefore require more bundles per square. Three bundles of 3-tab shingles typically can cover a square of roof.

When you start a roof shingles estimate, the first thing to do is determine how much of your roof needs to be covered with shingles. This can be estimated using the measurement method, or others like the sheet-count approach. More complex projects and re-roofing require different approaches.

Roof Shingles Estimate by Measurement Method

One surefire way to determine how many bundles of roof shingles you’ll need is to hop up on the top of your building and actually measure each and every plane. If the building is made of rectangular planes, this is a relatively straightforward task. You’ll simply have to measure the length and breadth, and then multiply them together. But with steep roofs, you will not be able to walk on them to carry out the measurements and must rely on more indirect approaches.

First, compute the floor area of your building. Add in a little extra for overhang of your roof. Using a pre-determined formula, and making allowance for the slope (pitch) of your roof, you can multiply the area by a “correction factor” that’s dependent upon the slope of the roof and arrive at a reasonably accurate measurement of the roof area.

Roof Shingles Estimate by Shingle Count Method

If the previous shingles are still intact and haven’t yet been stripped, then you can estimate the roof area through measurements of the eaves on each roof plane. You may even choose to estimate that by counting tabs along the eaves and edges, and keeping in mind that each tab is a foot long.

Once you’re done, count the numbers of rows of shingles from eaves to ridge. Each shingle is exposed for 5 inches, which means a 5 course layer will measure 5X5 inches, or just over 2 feet. Knowing the length and breadth through this computation, you can tell how much of the roof needs to be fixed or installed.

For more about roof shingles estimate, don’t miss the full report here.

What Are Roof Shingles?

Roof Shingles - Mar 23,2010 - No Comment

Roofs are usually covered by roofing materials called roof shingles which are generally placed side by side to overlap and cover the whole top of the house. Normally roof shingles referred to wood which was the most commonly used roofing material for a long time. But, now we have a wide array of products used to make roof shingles like asbestos, composite, cement, asphalt and even metals. Wood is just one of the choices. The roofing shingles are rectangular and are placed row-wise starting from the bottom of the roof. As you go up the shingles are always placed with overlap on all sides. A lot of overlap is the most important lesson to be learnt in roof installations. This way misture and water can’t get through the top layer of roof into the underlayment and down into home below.

At the top of the roof, at the ridges roofers used to place metal caps made of copper or zinc. But, this used to stand out and mar the appearance of the homes though they performed an important task of preventing leaks into the home. But, today modified shingles with plastic backing are available which placed in place of metal roof caps perfrom the same task without damaging the homes appearance in any sense.

Asphalt, wood, cement, slate, metal are just a few choices when it comes to roofing shingles choices. Rated for fire resistance, wind resistance and imapct resistance these shingles come with variety of standards. As each state and local area have their own standards and requirements for safety you have a choice to pick the products that comply with your local council requirements. These standards have been arrived at with the safety of the citizens and community in mind. It is best to follow these stands for your own safety and security.

Wood and paper based shingles are largely out of favor now because they pose a serious fire hazard. The risk of accidental fires is high with these materials which can destroy life and property. Some manufacturers do offer wood that has been coated and impregenated with fire proof materials which makes is quite safe to use. If they meet the fire safety standards of your area then you can use this type of shingles.

Wood shingles are protected by natural oils in their cellulose structure. As the years go by and it is constantly exposed to sun, the oils get softened and leach out when it rains. This gradually corrodes the wood. Where this is more water flow there is more erosion which can be seen in valleys and gutters of the roofing area. Eventually, when oils get washed out the wood starts to rot, warp and curl. The nails underneath get exposed and rusted. This causes the water to seep through and leaks are detected on the underside.

While wood has its natural oil, asphalt has long chain hydrocarbons which keeps the asphalt protected. The sun and rain over long period of time cause the breakdown of this bonds and eventual shrinking damage to the asphalt shingles.

In the United States the most popular roof shingles are the asphalt roof shingles which are made by sandwiching asphalt between layers of fiberglass. This is safer when it comes to fire. It is affordable and durable. It is also easy to install. They are many different brands of asphalt roofing shingles to choose from. The wide array of colors, textures and designs make this one of most sought after shingles. Different asphalt based shingles have different