Installing roofing shingles is not very hard at all. It just takes patience and a good chalk line to get the shingle even and straight. Before we can start with shingles, we need to lay down the roofing felt or more commonly called "tar paper". You will need to start at the bottom of the roof laying the felt across the roof and working your way up to the top with the overlaying sheets. This paper can be nailed down with galvanized screws. You will not need many screws for the tar paper without it's a windy day.
Asphalt shingles are much cheaper than metal, wood or slate roofing materials. If the local climate permits the use of asphalt shingles, then it is a much better option.
Once the roofing felt is secured, we can start the shingle. A starter strip of shingles needs to be extra strong so it is made by cutting off the tabs of the regular shingles. This is nailed to the bottom part of the roof. An important thing to know about shingles is that they need to be offset so that the valleys do not line up and make a leak. At this point you will need to make two chalk line measurements to keep everything running perfectly horizontal and vertical.
The second row of shingles goes quickly. You will need to make sure that the shingle measurements are even on the chalk line and that the shingleles are offset. Once you make it all the way to the top of the roof ridge, you will need to nail on the ridge roll. The nails you will use are a special type of weatherproof nails for roofing applications. The shingles will need to be nailed in a specific place for extra strength. Make sure that the rain and moisture can make a sweeping motion from the top of the roof to the bottom without any resistance.
Larry Angell
Make my own house.com
