Replace Your Roof Shingles And Save Money

Posted on March 17, 2011 by Dana

Roof shingles

It’s not too difficult to replace your roof shingles, you just need to learn how to and you’ll be able to turn it into a great weekend project.

If you start noticing any kind of water damage, or any water leaks inside your home then it may be time to replace your shingles.

Sometimes you may need to replace the entire roof, but replacing singles is much cheaper and will work wonders.

You’ll want to have your singles replaced as soon as you possibly can to avoid any further water damage from occurring.

You’ll need to gather, or buy if you don’t already have them, some tools and supplies.

The tools and supplies you will need are:

- New Shingles
- Chalk
- Multiple Glue Guns
- Roofing Cement (not normal cement)
- Hammers with claw heads
- A fairly tall ladder, preferably with an extension
- Nails
- A putty knife

Whatever you don’t have from the list above you’ll need to go out and buy before you being your project.

The first thing you should do is locate leaks and the damaged shingles that are causing them. Once you locate the damaged shingle remove it. To remove the shingle you’ll probably have to loosen all the singles around it. After removing it simply slide the new shingle(s) in place and nail them into the wood bars the old ones were nailed in.

If the shingles are only mildly damaged with minor cracks then you may be able to just fix them instead of replacing them. To do this apply some sealant to the bottom of the crack. Then hold the shingle down (applying a little bit of pressure) and fill the top of the crack in with sealant. Use the putty knife to spread the sealant evenly; don’t leave unordinary bumps, make it all blend well.

Before deciding to go ahead and replace your roof shingles you should first take a few things into consideration. Making any kind of repairs or replacements to your roof shingles will not only improve your quality of living, but it will also extend your roofs life by several years. Before you beginning any project repairing or replacing shingles the roof must be completely dry.
When going to buy the replacement singles take one old shingle from your roof to ensure that the new shingles will match.