How to Install Roofing

Whether you are putting roofing on a house or a shed, the main goal is to keep out water. Keeping out the water is done with a combination of steps. It basically consists of layers, building paper covers the sheathing, and shingles are layered to cover the building paper. When applied correctly the only way water will get under the shingles is if it flows uphill, and we all know water isn't prone to doing that. Asphalt shingles are applied over a layer of 15-pound building paper and come in sheets of three tabs and are laid in rows. These rows of shingles are aligned to create a seal to keep water out. Half of each shingle is covered by a shingle above it, and a tab always covers the edges of the shingles below it.

The first thing you need to do when installing a roof is to put up a drip cap along the bottom edges of the roof, these drip caps will protect the eaves of the roof from sustaining any water damage. Using 2d (1 inch) roofing nails attach the drip cap, spacing the nails about one foot apart. Once the drip cap is applied you are ready for the building paper. Staple 15-pound building paper to the sheathing. Start with a double layer along the eaves and work up toward the ridge, or the peak of the roof. Overlap strips by about 2 inches at the edges and by 4 inches at the ends. Once the paper is down install a drip cap along the sides of the roof on top of the building paper. Install this drip cap in the same manner you installed the one on the eave.

To start laying shingles, you need to cut off the tabs for the first layer, you do this to create a solid shingle layer at the bottom to create a good seal. Let the shingles overhang by about 3/8 of an inch and nail them with four roofing nails per shingle. Nail a row of full shingles on top of the first. The tabs of the next row overlap the solid portion of the shingles below. Snap a chalk line to mark the upper edge of the row. Begin the row with a shingle trimmed to half its width. This positions the shingles so that a tab covers the joints in the row below. Lay the rest of the row with full shingles. Start every other row with a full shingle. Trim half a tab off the first shingles in the rows in between. Lay the other side of th roof. Cover the ridge with ready made ridge shingles or cut 12 inch squares from standard shingles. Bend each edge over the ridge and drive nails 1 inch from each edge and 5-1/2 inches from the butt.

A common myth about roofing is that you need to seal every nail with roofing cement, this is completely false. Asphalt shingles are self sealing and will seal around the nail once you pound it in. The way I prefer to shingle is early in the morning when you know it's going to be a hot day. If you shingle in the morning the shingles are cool and not mushy. Once you put them up the heat of the day will melt the asphalt and seal everything you have done, including creating a great seal between tabs. Putting roofing on is not mentally tough but it is one of the hardest jobs you can do. It gets real hot and it is hell on the body. Do everything you can to make it easier on yourself, like starting early in the morning, wearing knee pads, and have a helper to hand you things you need instead of climbing around on a hot roof. Just make sure you have sealed everything up real good and layered everything properly and you should be fine. It doesn't take long to shingle a roof so take your time and make sure you are doing everything right.