How to Install Roof Shingles

How to Install Roof Shingles – You Can Do It Without All the Expensive Professional Services

Whether you are a new home owner or an experienced home improvement professional, you need to know how to install roof shingles. This is because your shingles are your window protection from the rain, wind and snow. They also keep out water and facilitate natural ventilation. When these two factors are missing, you will experience unbearable heat, unbearable humidity and the all to common bad smell.

In order to ensure that your roof is safe, you need to install flashing around the edges. In doing so, you will protect the edges of your shingles as well as the rest of the roof. Therefore, it is easy enough to gauge if you can just finish your roofing installation without any problem or re-roofing it in the future.

However, in most cases, inexperienced DIY homeowners find it hard to finish projects in spite of all the materials available to them. This is because they leave the edges bare, thereby exposing them to moisture, which weakens the protection of the new roof. If you want to avoid this, you should learn how to install roof shingles properly.

The first step to install roof shingles is to prepare for it properly

The first thing you should do is make sure that there is no moisture on the surface of the roof. If there is any, then you will have to remove the damp surface quickly to prevent any health issues and accidents. For this purpose, you need to check the drainage system and make sure it is working properly. You can help yourself by using a flashlight, and then look out for any drip or leak spots, which can indicate that there is a problem with the drainage.

Once you have checked the drainage well, you need to start on the roofing nails and underlayment. Start by laying down the asphalt shingles on the roof. Asphalt shingles give the best grip because they are dense and have excellent weather resistance properties. Next, lay down the underlayment, which will act as a shield and reduce the risk of water seepage into the attic. This underlayment should be water-resistant, yet flexible enough to mould into shape. Last but not least, install the starter shingles on the roof, following the same procedure as the previous ones.

When you are learning how to install roof shingles, make sure you use long-lasting nails

Although you may want to use short nails, longer ones will prove to be more damaging in the long run. Nails can either be driven hard into the asphalt shingles or through a special glue. To ensure that your new roof installation is solid and watertight, you should nail all the nails through the center of the shingles, which will help keep the moisture out. If you want to learn how to install roof shingles without the use of the starter shingles, you can also opt to buy prefabricated starter shingles from home improvement stores and online.

Once you are done with installing the old shingles, you need to install the new ones over the old ones. To begin, remove the old flashing from around your eaves, as well as the loose tiles around the edge of your home. After this, remove all the nails and screws that were used to attach them to your house. Now that you have all the old materials out of the way, you can begin laying the new roof shingles.

Next, you need to start nail the shingles onto the asphalt. Make sure that you nail them down all the way and then continue down until the bottom of your home. If you find that some of the shingles are getting caught on something, you can gently tap them off with a hammer. When you install roofing shingles the right way, you should be able to enjoy your home for many years to come.