Understanding the Basics of Replacing Roof Shingles

There are many different jobs that people enjoy doing around the home themselves, and replacing roof shingles may be something that comes up from time to time. Understanding how to repair the roof underneath the shingles may also be a necessity, as well as understanding how to replace the shingles, should they happen to be damaged in the process. As far as when to take care of this project, it is as soon as you understand that there is a problem as these things can quickly multiply if they are left to go. Here is a bit about the basics of replacing roof shingles, enough to get you started on the project.

The first thing that you are going to need to do is to get up on the roof and to identify where and why the problem is occurring. Carefully lift the lower flap of the shingles in the problem area in order to look at the nailing pattern that was used whenever they were installed. Believe it or not, this is where the problem often lies. Typically, the nail will either be put to far up on the shingle and you will have some lift taking place during high winds or they may have used too much pressure in the nail gun and shot the nail right through the shingle into the roof.

You begin the project of replacing roof shingles by taking off the highest shingle that needs to be removed. There are specific tools that are available to help you to do this without damaging the shingle itself. As you remove the shingles, from the top to the bottom, you should set them off to the side carefully so as not to damage them. Once you have the area of the roof uncovered, you can generally see how to repair it fairly easily.

The next thing that you need to look into is how to replace the shingles once the roof repair has taken place. This is actually done in the opposite fashion as how you took them off. Begin at the bottom, making sure to line up the shingles properly before nailing them. Stick with any local regulations as far as the nail pattern is concerned, and only after you get one nailed in place, is when to move on to the next one. As the last shingle is put into place, you will need to lift the lower half of the upper shingle in order to nail it in securely. It may also be necessary for you to nail one more shingle above in order to secure it properly.

Replacing roof shingles is something that many people tend to hire a contractor for, and knowing when to do so typically calls for you to understand your limitations in do-it-yourself home repair. As long as you understand the basics of how to repair the roof underneath the shingles and how to replace the shingles once the repair has taken place, there is no reason why you should not be able to do this yourself. It's an excellent weekend project, and one that you can be proud that you did yourself.