The nails with which most of us are familiar are called wire nails by carpentry experts. Wire nails are just dandy in their place, but that place is not on the top of a roof. The heads of wire nails are simply too small to let them create the level of pressure needed to secure roofing shingles against high winds or rain. Roofing nails, on the other hand, have been designed with short points and large flat heads, giving them the extra holding properties to do their job well.
Roofing Nail Installation Problems
You will have to search long and hard to find a roofing company which still uses hand hammers to install their roofing nails. The roofer of today is almost certain to use a pneumatic roofing nailer powered attached to an air hose and powered by an air compressor to drive the roofing nails into your roofing material. The speed of this method will save you significantly in labor costs.
But there's a tradeoff, because using a pneumatic roof nailer can mean that the roofing nails are not all driven with the same amount of force. Some of them may not respect the roof's wood as strictly as others, and they also may not be completely straight as they are driven in. The problem with this is that you may end up with torn shingles and a leaking roof, which does not occur when roofing nails are hammered in by hand, with the full attention of the roofer.
Roofing nails incorrectly secured are an open invitation to future repair work. Roofing nails not inserted to an adequate depth will eventually work loose, causing not only holes and potential leaks, but shingles which flap about in the breeze. If you can see any roofing nails working loose with a roof inspection, you should immediately pull them out and replace them. You should also check to determine if the roofing nails are protruding because the wood benefit them has become warped.
Fixing Problems Caused By Poor Roofing Nail Installation
If the protruding roofing nails have created a hole through which water is leaking, you'll need much more than a quick fix. You'll have to remove the protruding roofing nails and gently lift the shingle they were keeping, taking care not to break it. Using asphalt cement mixed with loose rock, fill the hole and smooth it, carefully replacing the shingle. Dab a bit of the asphalt cement over the hole left by the original nail, and place a new roofing nail close to the location of the old one.
If the repairs your fiberglass roofing requires because of poorly installed roofing nails are too extensive for you to manage on your own, you can simply cover the holes in the roof and hire a professional roofing contractor. Do this by using pressure-treated wood to build a frame large enough to accommodate the hole, and place it over a sheet of plastic. Secure both the sheet sheet and the frame with roofing nails, and you'll have sufficient protection to keep your roof dry as long as it's not exposed to extremely severe weather.
