This starter strip should line up with your drip edge. Every day at wikiHow, we work hard to give you access to instructions and information that will help you live a better life, whether it's keeping you safer, healthier, or improving your well-being. When you're all done installing the shingles, snap lines and trim the shingles to the line (Photo 11). A minimum of four nails are required per shingle, located in the sealant line about 6 inches up from the bottom edge of the shingle. Color blends vary from shingle to shingle. When you reach the peak, either bring the ridge edges together with a ridge-capping layer or cut regular shingles into 3 tabbed, equal pieces and bend them so they fit on the roof peak. Use your gauge on the nail gun to stagger them up the valley, and then snap a chalk line about four fingers wide from the center of the valley. If I'm re-roofing shingles over old shingles, should the starter course line up with the drip edge? Run the shingles long over hip ridges and rakes, and in the valleys. With over 12 years of construction industry experience, David specializes in restoring, repairing, and maintaining residential, commercial, and industrial roofs. Continue working horizontally up the roof until you reach the peaks. David Bitan is a roofing professional, licensed contractor, and the owner and founder of Bumble Roofing based in Southern California. Method of valley construction in which shingles on both sides of the valley are trimmed along a chalk line snapped on each side of the valley. At no place on your shingle roof should the shingles line up exactly with the shingles in the previous row. Stack pipes, vents and chimneys are surrounded with metal flashing laid over tar. This is by far, the very best. Snap a vertical chalk line from the inside edge of the first shingle on the second row to the top of the roof, and from the inside edge of the first shingle to the top of the roof. Weave and cut the valley on the highest side of the roof. Enviroshake ® tiles are designed to weather over the course of the first year of installation to reveal their beautiful weathered matte cedar look. You should use GAF’s WeatherBlocker or Pro-Start starter strip. I prefer lines but I also can do straight runs with out. Buy Red or Blue chalk in an easy-application flask. Lay them firmly together. The drip edge is installed to create a straight roof line. Alternatively, you can use a starting row of full-sized shingles by turning them with the tabs pointing upward. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. This creates a space that allows water to get in. This is so water will run down the roof but not under the interlacing. JJ Roofing Supplies will not accept liability for injury, loss or damage from the use of this content. I have seen mentioned on this site before that when racking three tab asphalt shingles chalk lines are a waste of time. Contact Us Keeping a solid roofing layer of shingles is an important way to avoid water damage and leaks. ", "I never knew to cut off the first row before laying it in place. Architectural vs. Three-Tab Shingles. The content contained in this Good Roofing Guide article is for information purposed only. 0333 700 1111, Store Locator A string or chalk line helps lay the shingles in a straight line. The casing contains chalk that is often purchased separately. The shingles are suitable for cold and warm climates. Then go along the side of the roof, and snap of your vertical lines. If you really can’t stand to see another ad again, then please consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. When the compartment is filled with chalk, the string in the coil becomes coated in the chalk. Is this just sloppy work or will this cause leaks? ... just under the tar strip ,spaced so they will do not line up with the joints of the shingles above. 4. Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. Your support helps wikiHow to create more in-depth illustrated articles and videos and to share our trusted brand of instructional content with millions of people all over the world. Roofing Contractor & Maintenance Professional. Hook the chalk line clip over the nail head or screw and reel out the string to the other end point along the straight surface. To do this you need to chalk out your horizontal and vertical lines prior to installing the shingles. ". They can look slightly different but are essentially coils of string in a plastic casing or compartment. A chalk line can help eliminate short exposures, waviness and additional antithetical issues. Use the 6” to 7” cut off non-tab strip of the dimensional shingle as the first ridge layer. Roofing Contractor & Maintenance Professional. If you have opted to take on the task of laying your own roof shingles, you will want to make sure that the shingles are laid out correctly along horizontal and vertical lines. As the shingle rises in the wind, more surface area is exposed to the wind and, th… (Note, there will be variation in the way shingles should be laid depending on the brand and the type of roof you are installing, so be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions and recommendations). Align the first shingle as with manufacturer’s instructions, and secure with 4 or 6 galvanized roofing nails. % of people told us that this article helped them. The shingles are then cut out the area of the valley, opening” the surface of the valley lining to water run-off and the surrounding environment. If you hit a stack, vent, or chimney, interlace the shingles with the flashing to allow water to run down the roof. Continue laying roof shingles, aligning the top edges with the horizontal chalk lines, and the ends with the vertical chalk lines to create the proper 6-inch offset. Before installation, consult with your contractor and request to view the actual shingles being installed on … Last Updated: August 20, 2020 The chalk will mark a straight line along the surface between the two points. Amid the current public health and economic crises, when the world is shifting dramatically and we are all learning and adapting to changes in daily life, people need wikiHow more than ever. What is the lowest air temperature for roof shingles? About every sixth course, strike a chalk line to check parallel alignment with the eaves. Please consider making a contribution to wikiHow today. A chalk line can be used to guide you as you cut the shingles. Absolutely not. When considering if wind-related damage to asphalt composition shingles can be hidden or not visually apparent, one must consider how damage to a shingle occurs. This row should project half an inch (1.27 centimeters) over the eaves. Sometimes, you may not need to fix a nail or screw at the first mark. Hammer a nail or drive a screw into one of the end points. Mark the two end points of the line you are trying to draw. Use the chalk line to snap a straight line vertically every 6 inches. For the best appearance, joints should be offset at least one foot from those on the previous course. You will need vertical lines to guide you in correctly aligning your course of shingles to form a stepped or staggered look. 9.) Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 623,404 times. "I've looked at various articles on how to apply shingles. Always try to keep the cut edge on your rake edge. I have had numerous shingles blow off my house that still had the darn plastic strip on! This will provide a cutting guide for the shingles you will place on the other side of the valley. In some cases, racking may void the manufacturer's warranty on the expected leak-proofing quality and useful life of some brands of shingles. It depends on the type and the exposer of shingle, it's usually written on the bundle. Classic asphalt or composite shingles lay flat and have little definition. A properly-installed roof has evenly-spaced, straight courses that parallel the ridge-line of the roof. The author overhangs the asphalt shingles 1 in. Once your lines are in place, you can begin to lay your shingles. References Mistake: Improper shingle nailing. JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. Installation for the two shingle styles is similar, but always review the manufacturer’s instructions on the shingle wrapper in case its recommendations vary from the standard procedure outlined here. Do the same at other end, starting again, from the bottom. You want to wait till temperatures are averaging 55 degrees before installing shingles. What are the measurements on the chalk line marks? Get your chalk reel here. Nailing here will cause the next shingle to cover the nail heads and allow the next and subsequent rows of nails in shingles to always penetrate and hold the top edge of the lower row (this allows 8 nails to hold each shingle). 1. This article was co-authored by David Bitan. Shingles do not extend across the valley. Then, your first shingle goes on the side you are going to cut. I have started installing my shingles and they seem to be coming out straight with the gun gauge. 12. Are the ridge shingles meant to lay over or under the next row of shingles? [caption id="attachment_4267" align="alignnone" width="1000"] Chalklines can be used for a variety of roofing projects.[/caption]. Continue laying your shingles horizontally up the roof. A half tab off for your first course shingles, A full tab for your second course shingles. You can run another course or row of shingles folded across the ridge to equally cover both sides of the roof slopes so no nails are exposed. Snap vertical layout lines every 6 inches across the roof. after that, correctly positionthe first shingle and properly snap a line of chalk across the roof to mark the top layer of the shingles. In that case, if you are working with a partner, simply asking them to hold the string at the mark will be adequate to ‘fix’ the string at the first end. on both the rake and the eaves. How and why to use or snap a chalk line | JJ Roofing Supplies David Bitan. For three tab shingles, begin by installing a starter course. Repeat this on both sides of the roof. For more tips about how to lay shingles from our General Contractor reviewer, including how to use an alternating pattern, keep reading! Cut the shingles to size with a utility knife fitted with hook blades. Views: 12994 To ensure the shingles are laid out straight and in line with your roof edge, you need to mark horizontal lines to guide where each course of shingles should go. The chalk lines drawn at the peak valley should be 8 inches long and begin to slope outward slowly at the last quarter-inch mark. Chalk lines can help guide the layout. When installing shingles, start by laying a narrow row of shingles at the bottom of the roof along the edge. The easiest way to get a clean, straight edge is to snap a chalk line along the overhang you want and cut the shingles to the line. This article has been viewed 623,404 times. Also, should I cut off the 1/4" overhang on the original shingles? Chalk lines are the fastest way to mark straight guidelines on flat surfaces. 14 July 2020. Set vertical chalk lines every 36 inches from the roof ridge to an end of every shingle along the first course. Next, lay the first full row of shingles so they're directly covering the starter row. Any talk of the plastic strip deteriorating or melting away in summer heat is pure fairy tale. Thanks! This article has been viewed 623,404 times. For the kind of shingles you purchase there may be a special starter row of shingles or a roll of strip material that you cut to the length of your roof. All Rights Reserved. Begin to install your shingles in both faces of the roof. I rack 7 up then move over all the way around the roof. It offers the most protection per shingle, making it much less likely that runoff will cut through the in-betweens, hiding shingle irregularities, and getting the most bang for your buck. The first course is a full shingle, the second course is when you should start cutting. For more tips about how to lay shingles from our General Contractor reviewer, including how to use an alternating pattern, keep reading! Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Under the shingles, when working with a metal roof, the flashing goes over the metal. Unlike three tab shingles ,arc-tec shingles do not require chalk lines to be placed on the roof to align the shingles too. With over 60 years of combined experience, Bumble Roofing provides easy, friendly services to structures including residential, commercial, industrial, multi-family, and government buildings along with hospitals, hotels, and churches. Order online 24/7. I have a 2 ft overhang that meets a wall. (2) Always overlap the tab on a preceding panel. Before you go out and purchase your 3 tab shingles, you will first need to figure out how many of them you will need. It worked great, "Extremely helpful. However, closed valleys still rely on shingles to protect the valley, which has its drawbacks. ", "I learned the concept of racking, both the good and the bad aspects of it. The sections of my roof that I have redone (removing the protector strip) are all still in great shape and DON'T lift during high winds. The first couple of hip shingles were cut to match the corner. If you don't feel comfortable working on the sloped roof yourself, hire someone else to do it. 2. First, a wind-induced pressure differential between the front and back of a shingle (i.e., uplift force) has to occur, such that the factory-applied adhesive fails. ... Chalk Line: A line made on the roof by snapping a taut string or cord dusted with chalk. Here is a quick guide on how to do it: Used the first technique of cutting half a tab, then a whole, etc. This profile lends your house a unique, textured appearance, even from a distance. Expert Interview. Taking the time to properly mark chalk lines will ensure a proper installation and an attractive finish on your roof, so do not miss this critical step. It is a good idea to add 10% to this number in case you make any mistakes or need to replace any later down the road. About every sixth course, strike a chalk line to check parallel alignment with the eaves. Please consider making a contribution to wikiHow today. Avoid walking over or cutting the felt and shingles during the middle of the day on hot days, as the heat can partially melt the felt-paper and the underside of asphalt shingles, making them gooey and easier to damage by stretching, mashing and ripping. How to Lay Out a Roof for Shingling With Heritage Shingles. The ridge itself is already protected by one or two layers of roofing felt or membrane. They are used extensively in the building and construction industry to speedily and accurately ‘draw’ straight lines between two points. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Class “A” Fire Resistance: The highest fire test classification for roofing as per ASTM E108 or UL790. My roofer overlapped the ends of some laminated shingles. What should I do if I have a two inch gap between my shingles and the crest? Lay one row of shingles, starting from the lower left corner of the roof. ", "It taught me how to do shingles. Yes. https://www.thisoldhouse.com/how-to/how-to-install-roof-shingles, http://www.remodeling.hw.net/business/shingle-offset, http://www.familyhandyman.com/roof/how-to-install-shingles/view-all, consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. One nail should be placed approximately 1 inch from each side of the shingle, and the remaining nails equally spaced between the two outer nails. 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