How To (Safely) Get Shingles Up On Your Roof [Pictures]

Are you curious about how to get shingles on roof without hurting yourself or others? When it comes to re-roofing your house, whether you are using asphalt shingles, metal shingles, or concrete tiling, knowing the basics of how to do so safely is essential to preventing any further damage. 

Let’s see the basic how-to steps for getting shingles on your roof if you do not have a professional to help you. 

Steps Of How To Get Shingles On Roof

Knowing the basic steps of how to prepare your roof, how to install the new shingles, and how to safeguard against any damage is an absolute must for DIY homeowners who need to perform minor repairs on their house.

Pre-Installation Set-Up

The first step of how to get shingles on your roof safely is to complete the pre-installation checklist. Homeowners should do the following before they gather the shingle types and materials they need:

• Clean the yard to see if any roofing debris or material shave fallen off of the house
• Remove any patio furniture or outdoor gear from your roof deck that can get in your way
• Review the landscaping and yard of your house to cover any vulnerable areas
• Find a staging area where you can lay materials to prepare for the new shingles
• Test the ventilation in your home to avoid heat or moisture build-up
• Measure the ridge caps and the vents on your roof 
• Measure the size of your old shingles

Laying The Shingles

The second step of how to get shingles on your roof is to lay the shingles. Shingles are the materials on your roof that protect your house and the interior from extreme weather. The main steps of laying the shingles include the following:

• Sizing the shingles — The first step is learning how to size your shingles to cover the damage and fill the spaces of the house.
• Lay a starter shingle — The second step is to lay the starting row along the roof edge to cover the nails and hold the top layer securely on the roof.
• Lay the second row of shingles — How many layers of shingles do you need? In short, one row of shingles will not fully protect against weather. Therefore, creating a second row of shingles can cover empty spots and deteriorating spaces.
• Use an ice and water protector to prevent leaks – Owners need to cover the drip edge and the chalk line to replace the shingling.
• Shingle around the items on the roof — Make sure you lay shingles near the air vents and chimneys.
• Use a ridge cap — The last step of laying shingles on your roof is to ensure you use ridge shingles for ridge caps to keep the tiles in place.

Alternate The Shingle Patterns

The second step of how to safely lay shingles on your roof includes alternating patterns to avoid any gaps or spaces. 

• Understand the basics of shingles — Search online and read about the straight pattern, half pattern, and offset pattern.
• Stagger the shingles — Make sure you follow a pattern by staggering the shingles to avoid gaps or bundles.

How To Choose Shingles

What type of roofing shingles should you use for your new roof? Do you want to install a new asphalt shingle roof or metal flashing? Use this guide to see what type of shingles you should use and how they can increase the lifespan of your roof. 

Color And Style Of Shingles

The first criterion for finding the right shingles for your roof is the color and style you are going for. Do you want a darker look, or would you rate something more modern? Plus, picking the color can help with energy efficiency and seal in the heat if you live in cold climates. Decide between 3-tab shingles, wooden shingles, field shingles, architectural shingles, metal shingles, or asphalt shingles.

Speak With Your Contractor

Talking with a roofing professional or roof contractor can help you decide what type of shingles are best for your roof and your climate. Speak with roofers to follow your local building code specs, the balance of the roof, and the weather in your local area. 

Choose A Warranty

The last thing you want is to choose a shingle and then see that it breaks down over time — and you can’t pay for it. Selecting a shingle material with a warranty can help homeowners save money and increase the lifespan of their roofs.

Increase Curb Appeal And Home Value

Getting new shingles can increase the value of your house. Instead of choosing replacement shingles that don’t cover the edge of the roof or are not in good shape, increase the value of your home for sale on the market by choosing aesthetic and modern shingles that are long-lasting. Homeowners can even add skylights, aesthetic edges, and eaves to increase their house’s value.

Wind Rating

Do you live in an area with inclement weather? Maybe hail or strong gails have caused wind damage to your house. If so, you need to choose durable shingles and gutters with a higher wind rating than other options. 

Make sure you understand how many bundles of shingles, step flashing, and valley flashing are required to create a new underlayment and cover the underneath of the roof.

Impact Resistance

The last criterion to keep in mind when it comes to choosing the right shingles to repair your roof is to consider the strength of the roofing material.

If you find that trees can fall on your roof, hail can cause dents, and your roof has deteriorated over time, choosing shingles with a high impact resistance can cause a longer-lasting roof. 

Overall

As you can see, understanding the basics of how to get shingles on most roofs can help homeowners keep their houses safe. Whether you want to use professional contractors or you want to keep the cost low and do the fix yourself, knowing how to get shingles on roof is essential.

Owners should read about whether to use two bundles or three bundles for their homes, how to cover the rake edge of their houses, and how to cover every slope, wall, and flashing of the roof.