How to Make Minor Asphalt Shingle Roofing Repairs
By Mark J. Donovan
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By periodically inspecting your roof and making asphalt shingle roofing repairs as needed, you can avoid costly water damage to your home. Though working on roof tops is dangerous work, asphalt shingle roofing repair is not so difficult. To make asphalt shingle roofing repairs all you need in most cases is a few spare shingles, some roofing cement and roofing nails, a flatbar, putty knife and a hammer.
When inspecting your asphalt shingle roof look for missing or cracked shingles and popped nails. Also look carefully at the ridge vent for missing shingle caps or popped nails. Metal ridge vents are notorious for having popped nails. If left unchecked water can seep in around the nails that are holding the ridge vent down, and in some cases the metal ridge vent can literally blow off of the house. |
Also check around chimneys, vent pipes and flashing areas. Make sure the flashing is all intact and not corroded. In addition, inspect for dried out and cracked roofing cement around these areas.
Once you have identified the necessary asphalt shingle roofing repairs, it is important to make them as quickly as possible. Leaving a damage roof un-repaired puts your home at risk of expensive water damage.
| Roofing Repair – Replacing Damaged Asphalt Shingles
To replace a damaged asphalt shingle start by using a flatbar and working the nails loose on the shingle just above the damaged one. Then, using the flatbar or a claw hammer, remove the nails so that the damaged asphalt shingle can be slipped out. |
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After removing the damaged asphalt shingle insert a new one in its place. Next, fasten the new asphalt shingle to the roof by replacing the roofing nails that you had previously removed on the upper shingle. To complete the process, apply roofing cement over the nail heads and press down firmly on the upper shingle.
| Roofing Repair – Using Roofing Cement on Cracks and Popped Nails
When inspecting your asphalt shingle roof for damage you may see some cracked shingles, or shingles with small holes in them. In addition you may see some popped nails. Usually you can make these minor asphalt shingle roofing repairs using roofing cement and a putty knife. Roofing cement is available in large containers and in tubes that you can apply with a caulking gun. For asphalt shingle cracks simply lift the damaged roofing shingle a little and apply roofing cement underneath it using your putty knife. In addition, cover the crack with roofing cement using your putty knife. In the case of popped nails, hammer them back down and put a dab of roofing cement over them. |
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Roofing Repair – Around Chimneys, Vent Pipes and Flashing Areas
In many cases you can resolve repairs around chimneys, vent pipes and metal flashing areas with roofing cement. In other cases you may need to replace the flashing if it is either missing or damaged.
If you need to replace the metal flashing you may want to call in a roofing professional. Replacing metal flashing is a more complicated asphalt shingle roofing repair, as it involves removing a series of shingles and some of the home siding along the flashing area.
For more help on Shingling Your Home’s Roof, see HomeAdditionPlus.com’s Asphalt Shingle Roofing Bid Sheet. The Asphalt Shingle Roofing Bid Sheet will help to ensure that your roof won’t end up with a blue tarp over it and a dumpster sitting in your yard for weeks as you wait for the roofing contractor to come back and finish roofing your home.
Asphalt Shingle Roofing Cost Estimator
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