Asphalt roof shingles are available in different sizes and layouts as a solution to roofing finishes.
Architectural shingles have a more attractive design tot them but they are considerately pricier than the common three-tab shingles. In either case the installation of such roofing finishes is one of the easiest do it yourself processes.
All that asphalt roof shingles installation requires is a great deal of patience and attention to details throughout the process. The steps to completion are quite numerous, however they are quite easy to follow and can save you a great deal of expenses in installation costs as they would add up in the case of hired help.
When you have all the materials at hand and you’re ready to get going, start by laying the starter strip at the down point or your roof, as a backup for the first row of asphalt roof shingles. The purpose of this starter strip is to keep water from getting through to the roof. You can have the starter strip made from predestined pre-cut starter strips or you can use trimmed whole asphalt roof shingles. Afterwards, pick a corner and start laying the shingles uphill.
To make sure water doesn’t get to the roof sheathing make sure that you don’t overlay the asphalt roof shingles exactly over the gaps in the shingles below. To do so, starting from one side of the roof for every row, at he first row leave the first shingle intact, on the next row cut off 6 inches from the first shingle, then cut off 12 inches and then for the fourth row leave the shingle intact again. Also, to have water drip away from your house see to it that your first row of asphalt roof shingles hangs over the edge about 1/8 inch.
Nailing down the shingles is done just below the tar strips either by the use of a nail gun for faster work, either by hand tools. The use of a pneumatic hammer may prove to be inefficient as to the nail depth ration inconsistency. Another drawback is that nail heads ruin the asphalt roof shingles or go down on an angle. For this respect, with the loss of time, it’s recommended to hand drive them for a better quality nailing.
In regards to the exposure of your asphalt roof shingles depends on the shingles’ dimensions and custom specifications by manufacturer. Usually pneumatic hammers have adjustable guides to help you make sure you position your shingles correctly before nailing them in.
Normally asphalt roof shingles installation for a small to medium house, using 3 people and pneumatic hammers would take anywhere between 5 to 8 hours to complete. If you don’t use pneumatic hammers triple the amount of time. Again, if you want it done yourself take about three days to finish the asphalt roof shingles installation. Don’t haste this process as it is a quite pretentious one.
Keep an eye out when installing the asphalt roof shingles specially if the roofing work you’re doing is meant to substitute some old work done to your roof. You have to carefully remove the old shingles and make sure the area is clean before getting started with the new shingles.