How to Install Three-Tab Shingles

The most common type of shingles people install today are three-tab shingles. You can install three-tab shingles with warranties lasting up to 50 years, and adding shingles to your home is easy to do--all you need is some good weather and the right tools to add a new look and valuable protection to your home.

Things You'll Need

• Hammer or nail gun
• Nails
• Ladder
• Rope
• Carpenter's apron
• Roofing cement
• Measuring tape
• Chalk line

Instructions

1. Determine how many squares of three-tab shingles you need to purchase and install. A square is equal to 100 square feet of roof space. Add up the total square feet of roof space and divide by 100 for the number of squares needed. Add a 10 percent cushion.

2. Cut the tabs off enough shingles to create one row of tab-less shingles across the roof.

3. Measure the roof and place a chalk line in the middle of the roof from top to bottom.

4. Go to the middle of the roof at the roof's edge.

5. Lay down the start line for the shingles with the shingles you just cut. Center the first shingle on the chalk line. The uncut side of the shingles will need to hang over the edge of the roof by 5/8 inch.

6. Make sure the first shingle is perfectly aligned and then use four nails to secure the shingle. Place a nail approximately 1 inch from each side and then place the other two nails equidistant from each other in the middle of the shingle.

7. Work your way across the roof laying down the start line of shingles, making sure your line is perfectly straight. Shingles should butt up against each other.

8. Cut shingles to size when you reach the edge of the roof or a ridge.

9. Lay your first full shingle centered on the center line on the roof with the tabs facing down and lining up with the bottom of the starter line.

10. Use four nails to install the three-tab shingles. The nails go approximately 2 inches above the tabs with one nail near each side and two nails equidistant from the outside nails.

11. Lay the shingles across the roof along the first line of starter shingles.

12. Start the second row of shingles at the chalk line in the middle of the roof with a shingle just to the left or right of the chalk line. The tabs of the second row should lay directly in the middle of the gap in the tabs on the preceding row.

13. Finish the row of shingles.

14. Continue laying rows of shingles starting at the center chalk line and alternating between placing the first shingles directly on the line and just to the side of the line.

15. Add the ridge caps.

Tips & Warnings

• Wear soft-soled shoes to avoid damaging the roof while working on it.

• Protect yourself from a dangerous fall by using a strong rope as a tie off.

• Be sure to install asphalt-saturated felt on the roof before you add the shingles to the roof.

• You can place new shingles over old shingles to make the process quick and easy. Make sure adding a second layer of shingles doesn't void the shingle warranty.

• Spread shingles out on the roof so you have them where you need them.

• You can lay a chalk line across the roof to help you install the shingles straight.

• Don't add a fourth layer of shingles to your home, as it is illegal. In some areas, a third layer of shingles breaks the local code.

• Avoid leaks around chimneys and exhaust vents by using flashing, mineral-based roofing material and roofing cement to seal the area from moisture.