Things You'll Need:
- Roll type shingles or bagged individual pieces
- Hot glue gun
- Exacto knife
- yard stick or straight edge
- pencil or fine marker
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Step 1
Pick out your shingles. Decide on asphalt rolls or individual pieces. The roll type are a bit faster to apply but are more expensive. Pick colors that complement the house you are decorating.
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Step 2
Mark off the roof lines. It pays to carefully draw parallel pencil lines across the roof surface to use as a guide when applying the shingles. The manufacturers instructions will indicate the distance apart the lines should be. Allow for about a 1/8 inch overhang on the bottom and sides of the roof. This will create a realistic look.
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Step 3
Do a "dry run" by placing a few shingles starting from the bottom and working you way up. This will help determine if any minor adjustments to the pencil lines are necessary. The top row of shingles should be no smaller than half its original size. Make gradual adjustments to the pencil lines so the top row does not require too much cutting. Erase and redraw the pencil lines accordingly. Usually adjusting the upper five or six rows are enough and won't look obvious.
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Step 4
Once your lines are adjusted properly you should paint the edges of the roof the color of the shingles.
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Step 5
Use hot glue (preferred) or an opened up stapler to install the shingles. Start at the bottom and run a strip or individual shingles across the bottom of the roof. Cut the ends and move things around to achieve equal size end pieces. Glue or staple this first line of shingles down. Always glue or staple so that the glue or staples are hidden by the next shingle application above.
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Step 6
Proceed to the next row above. Remember to stagger each row horizontally. You can precut the other rows to save time. Make two separate groups for the "odd" and "even" rows. Work your way up and glue the remainder of the shingles. Slight adjustments can be made as you move along to correct for proper line up.
