Do-It-Yourself Instructions for Roofing

You can do your own roofing with a bit of patience and self-education.

If you know what you're doing, it is not difficult to re-shingle your roof. The challenge is to know all the steps and tricks that lead to a leak-proof and durable roof. Read all you can on the subject before you begin the job, and if you know any professional roofers, ask them for some tips. Remember that the roof is the most important part of your home; if you shingle it improperly and it leaks, the rest of your house is at risk.

Things You'll Need

• Drip edge
• Roofing nails
• Hammer
• Tar paper
• Flashing
• Roofing tar
• Caulking gun
• Asphalt shingles
• Tin snips

Instructions

1. Strip away the old and worn-out shingles using a shovel, pitchfork or shingle remover. A shingle remover looks like a flat bladed shovel but has teeth cut into the end that catch and pull out roofing nails.

2. Install a drip edge at the eaves. A drip edge is a long plastic strip that helps to move water away from the fascia as it comes off the roof. Nail the drip edge to the roof sheathing with roofing nails.

3. Cover the roof sheathing with tar paper. Begin with a horizontal strip of tar paper at the eaves of the roof, then work your way up the roof, overlapping each row of tar paper over the one below it by at least 10 inches to ensure good coverage.

4. Install flashing around chimneys and vents and in valleys between different angles of the roof. For chimneys and pipes, bend the flashing into a 90 degree angle so one side fits onto the side of the chimney or vent and the other lays flat on the roof. Apply roofing tar to the underside of the edges of the flashing, then nail it to the roof with roofing nails and to the chimney or vent with masonry nails. Bend valley flashing to fit the profile of the valley and secure it to the roof with roofing nails through the edges. Never drive a nail through the center part of the valley flashing, because this is where the water will be. Flashing needs to be installed underneath the shingles that are above it and over the shingles that are below it. Leave the bottom part of any flashing unsecured until you do the shingles so you can slip the shingles underneath it.

5. Nail a row of asphalt shingles to the roof, beginning at the eaves. Install this first row upside down, with the slots between the tabs pointing up. This keeps water from leaking between the tabs of your next row of shingles. Attach each sheet of shingles to the roof with four roofing nails -- one on each side and one above the end of each of the two notches between the shingles.

6. Install a second row of shingles directly on top of the first one, with the tabs pointing down. Begin the row by cutting a three-tab sheet of shingles in half and nailing it on at the edge of the roof. By doing this, you stagger the joints between the first row and the second row, reducing the risk of leaks.

7. Install a third row of shingles so that the bottom edge is even with the top of the notches in the second row of shingles.

8. Continue installing rows of shingles until you reach the peak of the roof.

9. Shingle the peak by cutting three-tab shingles into single tabs. then turning these tabs 90 degrees from the other shingles, bending them over the peak and nailing them down on each side. Install each shingle so that it covers half of the previous shingle as they run along the peak.

References

• Ask the Builder: Do It Yourself Roofing
• Home Addition Plus: Shingling Roofs, Roofing Materials and Installing Roofing Shingles Advice