Roofing is one of the most important aspects of any home. It plays a huge part in protecting the structure and its inhabitants from the elements. With a well-built roof, you can rest easy knowing that you are safe from storms, strong winds, snow, and intense heat from the sun.
Because of this, you want to make sure that your roof is always in good condition, so it can continue to optimally perform its functions. Regular checking is key to finding out whether your roofing is working as intended.
Should you find any issues such as missing, warped, or damaged shingles, the best way to go is to address the problem immediately. In this article, you will learn how to do such repairs and more. Check it out.
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How Long Should You Wait Before Replacing Your Roof Shingles?
When having your roof installed, the first thing you probably asked your contractor is the lifespan of the type of material you chose. There are different types of shingles, with those made with asphalt being the most common ones.
Asphalt shingles can last anywhere from 10 to 50 years, while wood ones have a life span of 25 to 30 years. Wood shake shingle roofs stay strong from 35 to 40 years.
The best way to make sure that your roof is in optimal condition is to conduct regular check-ups. If you have minimal experience with roof repairs, a simple visual inspection can tell you a lot. You will be able to easily spot cracked, curled, and missing shingles.
A much more reliable route is to get professionals to inspect your roof once in a while. These individuals know exactly what to look for not only on a superficial but also on a deeper one because they have the skills and tools to do the job.
Once issues are found, you can take the vital steps of repairing your roof. Make sure to wait for a day with optimal weather, preferably moderate. Do not do the job while cold as this can crack the shingles, nor while hot as this can make the sealing material harder to manage.
Common Roof Shingle Repairs You Can Do
If you think you are ready to do the repairs, you just need to gather all the necessary tools and materials to optimize the project. The most basic ones include some shingles, shingle nails, a hammer, pry bar, sealant, putty knife, and a pair of gloves. Already have these? Let’s start.
Replacing Missing Shingles
If parts of a shingle or an entire one are missing, you want to make sure that you get the same type that your roof already has. This way, you can keep the look and function consistent.
Now, the process is simple. You need to remove the cracked material and place a new one. Sounds easy, right? What you need to remember is that shingles are installed in an overlapping manner and fixed using roofing nails.
You want to make sure to remove all the nails that attach the shingle concerned. This way, you can avoid damaging perfectly surrounding perfectly good shingles surrounding the concerned one.
You can do this by lifting the shingle away from the sealant strip, taking care not to crack the material while doing so. Remove the damaged piece with the help of the pry bar. Use it to get leverage and pop the shingle with an upward motion. Then, start removing the nails.
After this, attach a new one and begin hammering the nails starting from the center row until you fix all related nails. Make sure to push all shingles you lifted down to the sealant strip.
Taming Lifted Shingles
When you visually inspect your roof, one issue you will easily notice is curling or warping, especially in those made with asphalt. The tell-tale sign of this is when the corners of a shingle curl up or down, creating a breach in your roofing.
You can easily address this with the help of a roofing sealant and something heavy. What you need to do is place a blob of sealant where the shingle curls, then press it down until it sets.
The thing is, it takes at least 24 hours for the sealant to set. Your best bet is to use something heavy such as a rock or a brick to weight down the shingle. Once it sets, your roof is ready to serve you well for a long while.
The beauty of this technique is it is extremely easy to do and it is reliable. You do not have to call a professional to do this. Plus, this can stall the deterioration of your roof for extended periods.
Repairing Damaged Shingles
Now, you might be in quite a dilemma if you find broken shingles on your roof. Well, do not be worried because as long as the entire sheet is there, you can easily piece it together. That’s right. You do not need to replace the thing.
You can do this with sealant. Just place some of the material under the crack. This is meant to fix pieces of the shingle down on the roof. Then, make a cleaner repair by placing a dab of sealant above the crack, then evening it out using the putty knife.
To take it up a notch, you can mask the repair by looking for granulated pieces of shingle from your gutter. You are sure to find these as the elements tend to corrode the material over time. Place them over the crack so they stick to the sealant.
Why Immediate Repairs are Necessary
Keep in mind that you have two options: do the repairs yourself or hire a roofing or construction company to do so. Professionals will tell you to address your roof problems as soon as possible.
There are reasons for this and you need to fully understand why it is important to do so. Here are some of the most pressing reasons.
Keeping Up with the Climate
Climate is something that we cannot control. The weather will change whether you have roofing problems or not. Now if you have issues with your roof, then bouts of rainfall or snowfall are something you do not want.
The good thing is that you can control how quickly your address the matter. Remember, you want to do whatever you can to solve the problem before it rains or snows.
Avoiding Bigger Roof Problems
Let’s say the weather cooperates and it remains good for the next weeks. Leaving roof problems is an okay idea, right? Wrong! Any signs of damages or curling can provide an opening for other issues to arise.
This can serve as a way for insects, fungi, and small animals to penetrate your home. Once they do, you will need to do more procedures to make sure that the conundrum has been entirely eliminated.
Plus, animals like raccoons, possums, and rats can invade your place by picking on the damaged parts of the roof, thus making the small problem a much bigger one.
Protecting Other Parts of the Home
Aside from your roofing issues becoming larger, you are also risking other problems with your home when you put off doing roof repairs. An insect infestation, animal invasion, and molds are the least of your concerns when you get leaks, especially hidden ones.
Remember that your roof is your first line of defense from rain and snow. When these seep into your home and it goes on undetected for a while, they can weaken your foundations.
Wet or moist wood can even attract termites, which can lead to wider destruction of other parts of your home. The worse part is, that it can ruin your precious books, photo albums, and other things that termites consume. `
Keeping Repairs from Becoming Replacements
Failure to address roofing issues as soon as you notice them can lead to them becoming severe problems. You are lucky if you put off your repairs for a long time and you only have to do minimal procedures.
What usually happens is that small damages grow bigger if you leave them like that for extended periods. A missing shingle, for example, can become a major headache when combined with changes in weather and other external factors.
If you are unfortunate enough, you might not only need to do repairs but a replacement of the entire roof. You definitely do not want this as it is not only costly but also disruptive of you and your family’s daily life.
Saving the Property’s Value
The most important reason why you should prevent minor roofing issues from becoming major ones is simply to save your property’s value, especially if you are planning to sell the house sometime in the future.
Any issues with the home can damage the value. The damage will be larger as the issue as the problem grows bigger.
Final Thoughts
Fixing lifted shingles is pretty easy when you have everything you need and you know what to do. If you want to make sure that it is done professionally, make sure to contact a reputable roofing company to do the job right.
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