Once a year it’s a good idea to inspect your roof for cracked, curled, broken, or missing composition shingles, commonly known as asphalt shingles. Most roofing materials deteriorate over time and must be replaced. You can typically make simple repairs yourself if you are comfortable wandering around on your roof. For bigger jobs, you should call professional roofing contractors like Four Seasons Roofing.
Composition Shingles Repair Tips
It’s better to repair and replace broken shingles on a warm day so the shingles are more flexible. You want them to be able to lift and bend with ease. If it’s freezing outside, a propane torch can be used to warm them up.
Replace the shingles from the bottom up, with the top row going under the ridge cap. Nail each 3-tab shingle to the printed line on the shingle with 4-8 nails leaving a small gap between each shingle. If getting below the shingle to place the nails is difficult, use 1 ¼” exterior screws.
Pull out any shingles that are damaged by removing the nails and replacing them with new shingles. When changing shingles, you don’t have to be perfect, but you should aim to match the shingle thickness to achieve a fairly even surface.
- Use roofing cement to fill in cracks.
- Apply roofing cement to the curled edges of the roof.
- Pry out the nails and pull out damaged broken shingles for broken shingles; cut notches in the new shingle to match the nail tears in the old one. Place the new shingle in place and secure it with nails.
Tools required
- Long and sturdily constructed ladder
- Hatchet or hammer
- Sharp utility knife
- A pointed trowel is used to apply cement.
- 1” to 1 ½ “roofing nails
- Shingles made of composite materials
- Cement for roofing
If you’re replacing shingles in valleys or around flashings, use the damaged piece to make a pattern and use roofing cement to keep the shingles in place. Make sure you don’t prevent water runoff by blocking the valley’s path.
Please feel free to call us at Four Seasons Roofing if you need any assistance with your composition shingle roof. We’re here to help any homeowner or business in the Puget Sound area.