Shingling a Roof – Common Mistakes to Avoid

Shingling a roof from time to time is a part and parcel of your home’s roof maintenance. If you cannot properly maintain your roof or do not repair it every few years, it may start to leak during a heavy downpour.

To add insult to injury, the location of a leaking roof does not always indicate the location of the problem itself. It is not so easy to determine the exact cause behind shingle roof damage. The problem may often lie elsewhere and will be visible only to trained, professional eyes. Knowing about the common mistakes you should avoid while shingling a roof will help.

Failure to Follow Manufacturer’s Specifications

If you ignore the manufacturer specifications or do not follow the guidelines set down by the manufacturer, the manufacturer’s warranty will become void. To maintain the warranty, you need to prepare the surface and install the shingles properly.

Improper Flashing Installation

You need to install adequate flashing in and around the satellite dish installations, vents, skylights, chimneys and valleys to channelize the moisture away from these vulnerable and critical regions.

This will prevent water from penetrating through the roof. Poorly installed flashing will cause water seepage and long term property damage.

Inadequate and Improper Fastening

To ensure a good repair job, you have to deck out, underlay and attach/fasten all the shingles appropriately. Otherwise, moisture and rain water will seep through the cracks between improperly attached shingles and lead to roof leaks. If you do not fasten the shingles properly, the shingles can get raised by high wind.

Faulty Base

To ensure the best possible roof repair job, you need to remove the roof shingles and assess the condition and underlayment of the sheathing and deck (and check for damage).

After addressing the problems of the deck and sheathing, you should concentrate on a surface repair job. You should also make sure that the shingles are lying flat and are properly aligned.

Why should you leave a roof repair job to the experts?

If you install shingles improperly or if the shingles are damaged, water may seep through the cracks and accumulate a few feet from the source of the problem. This accumulated water will cause damp spots in your home near the roof and on the walls leading to ugly patches and discoloured eyesores on the walls.

It will also degrade the sub roof materials and your roof. That is why, it is necessary to do a roof repair job thoroughly, skilfully and professionally after conducting a minute inspection. A bad repair job on y our roof will cost you heavily and may end up hitting your bank balance rather hard.

As you can see, shingling a roof isn’t an easy task at all. An improperly executed repair job or shingling job can cost you more money and hassles in the long run. To eliminate the painstaking problems associated with a faulty shingle roof repair, it is best to hire a reputed, professional, licensed and experienced roofing contractor. An expert will ensure that the job is done properly, following all the industry leading rules and standards. He will also use high quality construction materials.