The Few and the Fearless: A Blog About Roofers

When you look at your roof from the yard, the shingles should have a smooth uniform appearance. If part of your roof seems darker or if you see missing shingles or shingles that look curled or damaged, it's time to call a roofer and have repairs done. Neglecting roof repairs could lead to worsening damage and the need for more expensive work later. Here's a look at how a roofer might repair a section of your roof that has shingle damage.

Remove The Damaged Shingles

The roofer will probably replace the bad shingles. It might be possible to flatten curled shingles or repair a crack, but by putting in a new shingle, your roof has the best protection against leaks. Pulling out a damaged shingle is a matter of lifting the shingles above the bad one and removing the nails.

When the shingle is out of the way, the roofer can check the deck to see if it has any water damage. If it doesn't, a new shingle is nailed to the roof. This can be repeated for all the bad shingles.

Replace Part Of The Deck

When a roofer makes roof repairs, they check the roof as best as they can to make sure they don't miss any water damage. Sometimes, it's not enough to put on new shingles. If the deck under the shingles is rotted due to a leak, the rotted part has to be cut out and replaced. This is done by removing as many shingles as necessary to find the edges of the rotted deck so it can all be cut out.

New plywood is then nailed to the rafters, a piece of underlayment is placed over the new deck, and then new shingles can be put on over the new plywood. When new shingles are put on, they have to be layered so the top layer covers the shingle below. This allows rain to roll off the roof without leaking under the shingles.

Repair Flashing If Needed

Shingles sometimes wear out closest to valley or chimney flashing. When this happens, the shingles have to be installed so they overlap with the flashing properly to keep the rain out. Leaks around flashing are common, so the roofer makes sure the flashing is secured well with nails or adhesive and that the metal doesn't have any leaks. Flashing can be repaired or replaced if necessary so it doesn't cause a roof leak.

Roof repairs cost a fraction of a roof replacement, especially when damage is caught early. At the first sign of shingle problems or when you see water damage in your attic, call a roofer to make repairs. You'll extend the life of your roof by keeping up with repairs, and you'll save money by preventing a leak that could ruin your ceiling and cause mold to grow in your attic.