Roofing Shingles: Tips for Installing Architectural Shingles

Every time you need to repair or reinstall the shingles on the roof, you don’t need to go to a professional. With a little common sense and method, you can do it yourself. It also needs you to be cautious so that you don’t hurt yourself to save some money. Here are some methods, which would help you to do it with ease.

Pointers you should remember when working on the roof

• Working on the roof can be very dangerous and appropriate precautions should be taken so that there aren’t any mishaps.
• It is always better to let some one know that you are working on the roof, or better so take a helper to help you with the miscellaneous.
• A ladder should be used that is high and strong enough for the job you want to do. Before you climb up and down make sure that the ladder is safely grounded.
• Be careful when doing this kind of a job, especially when you are working near power lines, conduits or antennas. Try not to touch them or stay away if you are working on a metal ladder.
• Do not start the work in a wet weather or cold weather, on a day when it s snowing. The suggestion would be that try to let even the morning dew vaporize when you start the work the work.
• Always wear heavy; rubber-soled shoes, which have a good grip, therefore would not skid. Also do not wear loose-fit clothes.
• If the sloping of the roof is more than six inches for every twelve inches, then the use of roof brackets and boards is a must to get extra foot support. The shingles and the tools should be within the easy access so that they do not slide off the roof.
• The roof surface should be kept clean and free form nails and loose shingles which can cause you to slip and fall.
• Let people know that you are working on the roof so that the part of the roof you are working upon, they can avoid walking underneath it.

Materials Needed

The materials that are required are shingles, which are sold in squares. Most of them are baled together so that there are three or four shingles per square. The length and the width if the roof should be measured and according to the measurements, shingles should be bought, though of you buy a little extra, its better since the shingles tend to be wasted if they fall and break. Around two and half pounds of nails are also required for each square of shingle.15 lb of roofing felt is required to cover the roof beneath the shingles. When selecting the shingles what need to be checked are the style, type and size of the shingles. The selection should be based on the type and grade needed for the building. The purpose of the building, the slope of the roof, local weather conditions and the architecture of the building are some of the factors that are to be taken into consideration. The exposure of the shingle is also to be considered and most of the times the manufacturer specifies it.

Tips to install Architectural Shingles

These particular shingles are called architectural shingles since they give a three-dimensional look and come with a forty-year warranty. They are built of asphalt and mineral granules, therefore they last longer then others. They are convenient option for the contractors since they are easy to install. The old shingles are removed from the roof and the old lines are marked by chalk since there would be a double layering. There is wind driven baffle which helps when rain gets into it, it can just be there and since it is covered with hip and ridge shingles, it will give an architectural three dimensional look. A new ice and water barrier is also installed on the ridge so that any ice build up in the gutters would not apply any upward thrust underneath the new shingles.

So I hope these methods help you in installing the architectural shingles that you have got.