How To Repair A Torn Shingle

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Damaged shingles tin can seriously cut into the life of a roof. To proceed your business firm secure, information technology's important to regularly evaluate and supersede damaged shingles to make sure your home is safe and dry.^[one] You tin learn to properly evaluate, remove, and replace damaged shingles efficiently.

i
Utilize the proper condom precautions. Any fourth dimension you're getting upward on the roof y'all need to practice roof safety. Wear protective eyewear, heavy-duty gloves, and gripping boots advisable for walking on the roof. Preferably, you'll also install roof jacks to have something to stand on, and harnesses to protect yourself. Never practise roof piece of work lonely.^[two]
- How you admission the roof will depend upon the roof itself and the location of the damage. E'er utilize a secure, sturdy ladder when you're climbing up on the roof, and have a helper to secure it at the base. When walking on the roof, ever walk slowly and secure your footing before taking another step.
- If you're just trying to appraise the harm and replace a few damaged shingles, information technology might seem like overkill to install roof jacks and harnesses, but depending on the complication and the height of your roof, it might be the safest option. Roof work isn't something to rush.^[3]
ii
Appraise the harm. Discover the damaged area of shingles and determine how many new shingles yous'll need and the extent of the damage underneath. Wait at the corners on the shingles surrounding the damage. Are they curled and pulled upwardly from the roof?
- Cheque the damaged expanse for harm to the moisture barrier or flashing, and check the damaged expanse for signs of seepage. If the surrounding shingles aren't doing the work of keeping moisture out, you'll need to supplant everything in the foursquare effectually the damaged area.^[iv]
- In some cases, information technology might be better to remove all the shingles from a roof in urgent demand of repairs and re-roof the house instead. If the shingles in the surface area surrounding the harm are one-time, brittle, and dry out, it'south probably not worth taking the care to re-secure them to the roof.
- Croaky or dissever shingles may exist repaired without removing them, provided they're even so in good condition. You tin learn more about securing the shingles in the following department.
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3
Remove shingles in cool weather condition. Asphalt and asphalt sealant volition heat up in hot weather, making it moldable and much more difficult to remove. Information technology'southward a lot easier to remove shingles that are cooled down and slightly more than brittle than the moldable, so do the piece of work of removing them get-go matter in the morning, earlier the sun has beaten downwards upon them considerably.
- Wet shingles to cool them down before removal, if yous must work in the rut. Wetting them downwardly with a small amount of water will assist them to tighten and business firm up, making them much easier to remove, if necessary.
4
Loosen the adhesive under the tabs two rows to a higher place 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 lot're only removing a portion of shingles, though, it'due south usually better to use a smaller tool. A pry bar, crow-bar, or the hook of a hammer works perfectly at getting nether and advisedly prying upwards shingles, separating the adhesive and revealing the nails of the shingles underneath.
- A good dominion of thumb is to remove at least v tabs in the second row to a higher place the damaged "3-tab" shingle. Pull upward plenty shingles to reveal the nails of all the damaged shingles that need removed below.
- The end seams should be lined-upward about a pes off to one side of the damaged i. In other words, you'll desire to make certain that you pull off shingles in a radius around the damaged portion, to make certain you get everything.
5

Loosen the exposed nails. Slide your flat pry-bar under the shingles around the damaged portion. Work around the nail, pulling it upward. Carefully elevator each surrounding tab most 45 to 60 degrees. Go very slowly, but pry firmly, and try not to crack or pause them. If the surrounding shingles are in good shape, you can reattach them when you're finished replacing the damaged shingles, saving you money and effort.^[v]
6

Continue loosening the agglutinative and nails closer to the damaged shingles. Work your style progressively closer to the damage. Lift the tabs in the first row higher up the damaged shingle and withdraw the loosened nails from that shingle with the pry-bar by using the same procedure.
vii
Loosen and remove the damaged shingles. Loosen the adhesive underneath the tabs of the damaged shingle, then pull them complimentary and discard. If the shingles are severely damaged, don't effort to salvage them. Just remove them and supersede them with new shingles of a similar mode to the residue of the shingles on the roof.
- Proceed removing the damaged shingles until yous've cleared out the shingles that will need replacing. It'll be easier to remove everything before you go started replacing them.
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ane
Get the necessary replacement materials. To supervene upon shingles, you lot'll obviously demand shingles to replace the ones you remove and the materials necessary to secure. Most shingles that are in need of replacement are 3-tab asphalt shingles. If your roof involves some other multifariousness of shingles, yous'll need to lucifer your new shingles to the old. To consummate the job properly, you'll need:
- Replacement shingles. Buy more than you lot'll need at the home repair store. Yous should be able to count up how many damaged shingles volition need replacement and buy accordingly. It's good to have replacements on paw.
- Shingle cement or adhesive. Some shingles come with adhesive strips pre-installed,^[six] making this unnecessary. If you lot purchase unbacked shingles, though, you might need to buy additional adhesive to secure them to the roof before nailing them. It's a skillful idea to buy information technology to secure other loose shingles anyway.
- Roofing nails. Most iii-tab shingles will exist pre-cut with guide holes that will make the installation process very simple. To secure them, you'll need covering nails, which are heavy-duty, and virtually two or three inches long.
2

Install the new shingle. Identify a new shingle in the same position as the shingle yous removed. If the shingles are backed with an adhesive strip, remove the covering and push them into place, then smash them to secure them. Most shingles accept pre-cutting holes for nails, unremarkably three per shingle. Follow the directions of the shingles that y'all buy, or employ the other shingles on the roof as a guide.
3
Reseal under edges of all three shingles. Lift each tab slightly on the shingles as yous install them, and apply a 1" (2.5 cm) diameter spot of shingle cement nether each tab. Press tabs down into the cement firmly and secures the shingle into identify. Go along installing shingles and securing them with adhesive accordingly, until you've installed all the damaged shingles forth the row.
- Subsequently you lot've finished the damage portion, you tin can first working your mode back up the roof, retailing the loose shingles into identify, as long as they're in expert shape, and using the adhesive to secure them back onto the roof.
iv
Secure other loose shingles while you lot're at it. While you lot're upwardly in that location working, it's a skillful idea to keep an eye out for other areas that look like they may become problematic in the future. Keep an eye out for curled or weathered-looking shingles that might allow water to seep in underneath. Using your adhesive, lift the tabs gently and re-secure them.
- Shingles go damaged when water gets in underneath and starts rotting from beneath. If y'all rescuer loose or weathered shingles on a regular ground, yous'll get a considerable amount more life out of them. Regular touch-ups tin can extend the life of a roof immensely.
v
Ready cracked or split shingles instead of replacing them. If shingles go croaky or otherwise divide, because of falling branches or other types of damage, consider using adhesive to repair them as best you can, instead of removing them completely. Line the crack with a liberal amount of adhesive and stick information technology back together to repair it. Hold it in place for several seconds and let it seal.</ref>
- Shingles volition always demand to remove when they're brittle, curled, and hard to pin back down. If the shingle is aging as you work on it, that'south a sign that the shingle, nigh of the shingles in that area, and possibly the residuum of the roof may need to be redone.^[7]
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Question

How tin I prevent shingles from becoming damaged?

David Bitan
Covering Contractor & Maintenance Professional

David Bitan is a roofing professional, licensed contractor, and the owner 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 threescore 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.

Covering Contractor & Maintenance Professional

Expert Reply

Make certain your gutters are cleaned out every couple of months. Having gutters that are clogged causes h2o and droppings to puddle in sure areas of your roof, which can atomic number 82 to damage.
Question

Tin can I reuse shingles that accept been carefully removed?

It is hard to re-install old used shingles in one case they are removed. They are usually damaged and the nails accept pulled through them. If nil else, you have to use NP1 or equivalent sealant to re-seal the tabs since the sealant will no longer be any good on used shingles. You lot accept to re-seal the tabs and then the air current does not blow them upward and cause further impairment.
Question

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

You can leave on the old shingles, only really shouldn't. Every layer of shingles adds weight, which your rafters must now concur upwardly. Information technology's code in most places to not have more than two layers of roofing materials. If you take to redo your roof, you should also inspect the soffit and gable flashing, eve troughs, and flashing around any chimney, plumbing vent, attic vent, etc and consider replacing those likewise. Especially if they are the plastic blazon, every bit they may look okay but exist decayed past the sun to the point of being brittle.
Question

How do I supervene upon the shingles at the meridian where the roof peaks?

The ridge cap shingles are just regular 3 tab shingles that are cutting and turned sideways. They are nailed down then that the nails are not exposed. Take a stack of regular 3 tab shingles and cut lilliputian v notches at the summit edge of the shingles between the tabs. This also keeps the ridge shingles from being completely square and the corners tuck in nicely.
Question

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

It depends. Most shingles accept a 15-25 year lifetime guarantee, and then it depends on the age and condition of the shingles if they can be used over again.

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In cold conditions, avoid excessive bending of the shingles as it could crusade cracking
If yous are unsure nearly anything, don't risk your well-existence; please consult a roofing professional.
In hot weather, cool shingles with a water hose to allow easy separation of the shingle tabs

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Commodity Summary X

In order to supervene upon damaged roof shingles, you need to remove the damaged shingle, install the new one, and seal the edges. Apply the claw of a hammer to loosen the agglutinative under the tabs 2 rows above the damaged shingles, and so loosen whatsoever exposed nails with the claw. Work your way down to the damaged shingles, loosening adhesive and nails and so you can pull the damaged shingles free. After that, place the new shingle in the same position and use shingle cement to reseal the edges of all of the shingles. Hammer in any exposed nails that y'all loosened then the shingles are secure. To acquire how to fix cracked or split shingles instead of replacing them, keep reading!

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