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Laying shingles with your own hands

This WordPress post guides DIY homeowners through the process of laying asphalt roof shingles. Step-by-step instructions are provided for measuring, cutting, and nailing the shingles into place. Necessary tools and supplies are recommended, and tips are given for which supplies to choose and how to evaluate roof slope angle. The advantages of this DIY project are being able to save money, become knowledgeable in roofing materials and workmanship, and enhance the home's value. The post's clear and thorough instructions make this an accessible and rewarding home improvement project to undertake.

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One of the significant advantages of flexible roofing is the relative ease of installation. Nevertheless, there are still some features of working with this roof covering, and we will talk about them in this article. Having mastered the simple technology of work, you can easily prepare the base and lay the tiles with high quality.

Laying shingles with your own hands

In general, the installation of shingles is quite simple, you will need a hammer, a section knife, a spatula and a glue gun from the tools.

Foundation preparation

The base for flexible roofing must be continuous and have a high modulus of elasticity. To do this, OSB or moisture-resistant plywood with a thickness of at least 9 mm is laid on the rafters. The spacing of the battens under the covering should not exceed 90–120 cm, in other cases it is necessary to increase the thickness of the boards or plywood to 20 mm, or use a counter batten. It has an additional advantage: it optimizes ventilation of the roof space and prevents the formation of condensation in the roofing cake..

Laying shingles with your own hands

At the joints, a height difference of more than 2 mm is not allowed; it is also important that there is a 3-4 mm thermal gap between the plates. Any violations of the correct geometry: deviation from flatness, non-parallelism of the cornices to the ridge, curvature of the valleys do not interfere with the laying of bituminous tiles, but somehow they affect the appearance of the coating.

Underlay carpet flooring

The solid lathing must be cleaned of dirt and covered with a lining carpet, which serves as an additional layer of waterproofing and a buffer layer that prevents the accumulation of migratory moisture.

The underlayment is a roll material that is rolled over the entire roof surface with a slope of up to 30 °. On steeper slopes, it is allowed to protect them only the most vulnerable places: cornices, skates, pediment overhangs and abutments.

Laying shingles with your own hands

For continuous laying on slopes with a slight slope, the roll is rolled horizontally, starting from the cornices. Each layer is pulled and nailed to the upper edge with roofing nails in increments of 15–20 cm, releasing the carpet from the eaves and gable overhangs by 2–3 cm. The nails should have a length of 1–1.5 cm longer than the thickness of the solid sheathing and stitch it through.

After laying the carpet, remove the protective films from the edges of the overlap and lightly press down on the adhesive-backed edges. On steep inclines, you can roll the carpet vertically for convenience, nailing it down at the top. If the length of the carpet is not enough, it can be extended by connecting the lining with an overlap of 15 cm and gluing the joint with bituminous glue.

Valley processing

If you have valleys on the roof, you should start laying carpet with them. The roll is rolled out in the direction of the valley and the edges are fixed with nails in increments of 20-30 cm. The strips of carpet on the slopes are put 15 cm over the lining of the valley and cut obliquely parallel to the line of its center. The overlap points must be treated with bituminous glue and pressed well together..

Laying shingles with your own hands

Tiling also starts from the valleys. After installing the slats on the eaves, a special valley carpet is rolled out along the inner surface of the valley, which has the color and texture of the tiles. It is carefully leveled and the side edges are fixed with nails every 10-15 cm. The lower part is cut with a knife along the line of the eaves tile and glued to the metal strip.

Laying the starter row

The tiles are laid from the eaves. First, a cornice L-shaped strip is stuffed along the entire lower perimeter, which is used to close the joint of the cornice overhang and the edge of the lining carpet bent downward. The planks are laid with an overlap of 5–7 cm and nailed with roofing nails in two rows with a pitch of 8–12 cm. 3 nails.

Laying shingles with your own hands

This is followed by laying the starting row of shingles with eaves shingles or tape. They have a flat edge, which is placed with an indentation of 1–2 cm from the edge of the overhang. The lower surface of the eaves tile is sticky: it is simply pressed against the cleaned and degreased metal strips, there is no need to fasten with nails.

Ordinary tile

Shingles of ordinary tiles are laid starting from the outer edge of the eaves. Shingles of 4-5 packs should be mixed to avoid possible color variations. Before laying, remove the protective film from the teeth of the shingle, exposing the adhesive backing.

Laying shingles with your own hands

The first row of shingles is laid on top of the eaves row so that the edges of the teeth are 1–2 cm above the edge. Each shingle of ordinary tiles is nailed 3–4 cm above the projection of the teeth so that the nail also presses the previous row. Each subsequent row of shingles is laid with teeth flush with the upper edge of the cutouts of the previous row. The side edges of the shingles do not overlap, some manufacturers even have locking cuts on the edges.

Laying shingles with your own hands

The ends of ordinary tiles on the gable overhangs are trimmed flush with the edge and fastened with bitumen glue. In valleys, the edges of ordinary tiles are cut obliquely so that the edge is 12 cm from the center and the overlap is also glued to the full width.

Installation and sealing of leads, abutments

The best option to join the chimney well is to knock down a 15–20 cm high plywood neck around it. A gap of several millimeters is needed between the wall and the masonry so that the roof with the neck can move relative to the well. The upper edge of the neck is nailed to the masonry with a quick assembly.

Laying shingles with your own hands

The surface of the neck is covered with bituminous glue and covered with segments of the valley carpet, letting on ordinary shingles and wrapping the corners by 15 cm. The metal sheathing of the well is lowered to a level of 2-3 cm from the roof surface, thus blocking the neck gap. The connection to the gables of multi-tiered roofs is carried out in a similar way.

For the installation of ventilation outlets from the attic and a layer of roofing cake, special rubber cuffs are used. They are planted on bituminous glue over the carpet, then coated with glue again and covered with ordinary tiles, making cutouts in it as accurately as possible. The ends at the junction are thoroughly sealed with bituminous glue.

Laying shingles with your own hands

Wind bars and skates

Cornices or wind bars can be used to frame the gable overhangs. The first ones are mounted on top of the lining carpet together with the finishing of the eaves. There is no need to trim the planks at the corners: they are laid with an overlap and the corner is fixed with five nails. Thus, the framing of eaves and wind eaves is the same..

Laying shingles with your own hands

This is not very convenient if there is a thick end of the roof sheathing that needs to be closed. In this case, special wind strips are used. They are U-shaped or L-shaped, the height of the bar is selected according to the thickness of the end. On the upper corner, it is possible to have a side for framing overhangs with a triangular glazing bead at the end.

Such strips are attached over ordinary tiles, glueing 2/3 of the distance from the edge, which will be covered with metal, with glue. Wind strips are attached to the end with self-tapping screws for corrugated board.

After laying the ordinary tiles, they are trimmed on the skates end-to-end without overlap, and then the joint is closed with ridge tiles. If there are hip skates, they begin with them, laying the petals from bottom to top. For most manufacturers, ridge tiles are pieces of cornice shingles or tape. They are laid with an overlap of 5-7 cm, nailing one edge, which will be closed by the petal of the next row.

Laying shingles with your own hands

Features of winter installation

The tiles can only be laid in dry weather at an air temperature of +5 … 12 °C depending on the manufacturer’s requirements. It is allowed to lay the shingles at a lower temperature, but for this it is required to withstand the roofing elements at a temperature of +20 ° C for 24 hours before the installation. When installing the shingles, it is imperative to warm up each new shingle and the surface of the previous row with a building hairdryer with a construction hairdryer at the place where the adhesive base fits.

In most cases, it makes sense to use a so-called “hothouse” in winter. This is a frame made of galvanized profiles, built around a building or a specific section of the roof. The frame is covered with a sealed polyethylene canopy. An electric or gas heat gun is used to maintain the desired temperature..

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Comments: 2
  1. Amelia Griffin

    Can you provide any tips or advice for someone who wants to lay shingles on their own? How difficult is the process? Any specific tools or materials I should be aware of?

    Reply
    1. Oliver O'Connor

      If you want to lay shingles on your own, here are some tips. The difficulty level depends on your experience and the size of the project. First, make sure you have the necessary materials: shingles, underlayment, roofing nails, ridge caps, and appropriate tools like a nail gun, hammer, measuring tape, and utility knife. Ensure to have safety equipment like gloves and sturdy shoes. Start by preparing the roof surface and installing the underlayment. Measure and mark guidelines to keep your shingles straight. Begin at the bottom and work your way up, staggering each row. Nail the shingles securely, following manufacturer guidelines. Trim shingles as needed and install ridge caps at the roof’s peak. Take your time, be cautious, and consult online tutorials or DIY guides for specific instructions on your shingle type. It’s recommended to have someone assist you, particularly for safety reasons.

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