How Do I Add Shingle Additions to a House?
Installing and replacing shingles on a house needs to be completed when any shingles are damaged or become displaced due to age or severe weather conditions. The cost of redoing an entire roof is expensive and not always feasible for everyone. As a result, individual shingles can be removed and replaced in order to lengthen the life of the roof and protect the integrity of the entire home. The process of repairing a roof and replacing shingles is straightforward, although specific steps must be followed in order for the repairs to be effective. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Ladder
- Replacement shingles
- Roofing cement
- Putty knife
- Roofing nails
- Flat pry bar
- Hammer
Instructions
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Contact the original roof contractor or visit a local supply store in order to determine what shingles will match or closely match the existing shingles. Purchase enough shingles to repair all of the damaged or bare portions of the roof. It is advisable to buy additional shingles that can be used later for other potential repairs.
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Place a ladder up against the house and climb onto the roof. Locate all of the damaged shingles or any portion of the roof that is missing shingles. Use a pry bar to loosen the shingle's tab in order to gain access to the nails. The Hammer Zone website explains that some neighboring shingles will need to be loosened in order to replace the damaged one because each shingle has three tabs and is anchored to other shingles.
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Use the nail pulling slot on the back of the hammer to loosen and remove all of the nails that are holding the damaged shingle in place. Remove the damaged shingle. Once the damaged shingle is removed, or for repairing a portion of the roof missing a shingle, simply slide the replacement shingle into place.
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Apply roofing cement over the nail holes that are left behind from the old shingles before securing the new one in place. The Roofing Help website explains that the roofing cement seals the nail holes and protects the roof from potential leaks. Although the new shingle will protect that portion of the roof, applying cement over the holes is part of the process of completing thorough roof maintenance.
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Align the replacement shingle carefully before using roofing nails to secure it. The shingle above the replacement may need to be lifted in order to insert the nails. Replace all of the nails that were removed from the shingles surrounding the replacement.
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Apply roofing cement to the underside of all of the shingle tabs that were loosened during the repair process. Use a putty knife to smooth the cement before the tab is pressed onto the roof. Once the tabs have been secured to the roof, the shingle addition and replacement process is complete.
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Tips & Warnings
Extreme care should always be taken when working on a roof. Falling from any height can cause serious and sometimes permanent or fatal injuries. Operating the ladder and ascending or descending the ladder should always be done with care. Also, working near the edge of the roof requires patience and observance in order to prevent an accident.
References
- Photo Credit wood shingle pattern image by jimcox40 from Fotolia.com
