Maintaining a sound roof literally tops the list of crucial home repairs: It keeps you and your family warm and dry, along with everything in your house. A new roof can be expensive. These simple repairs can keep your existing roof sound for years to come.
How Often Should You Replace Your Roof Shingles?
Any damage or signs of wear call for immediate action to keep water from seeping under the shingles and rotting the wood sheathing beneath. Ignoring a problem—even what appears to be a small one—will accelerate the need to reroof and can add hundreds of dollars to the cost of a new roof.
If your roof is more than 20 years old and most of the shingles are damaged or badly worn, it’s time to replace it. But if your roof is basically sound and is at a relatively shallow pitch that you’re comfortable working on, you can probably handle most repairs .
Here, we’ll take you through the three most-common ones: replacing asphalt shingles; gluing down a badly curled shingle; and repairing shingles that have cracked.
1. Replacing Roof Shingles
If part of a shingle is missing, you’ll have to replace the whole thing. Check to see if there are any shingles left over from when the roof was last repaired. Hopefully, the roofer or builder has left some. If not, you’ll have to buy a bundle at a home center or lumberyard ($15 to $20 per square—100 sq. ft.—of standard three-tab shingles). If you are unable to find the perfect match, pick the nearest one.
You will need a hammer and a flat prybar to replace the damaged shingle. Also, you’ll need a utility knife as well as a few 11/4-in. You can use roofing nails. Each shingle is secured initially with four nails. However, when the next course of shingle above is installed, the nails will also pass through the top edges of the shingles below.
Begin removing the first row of nails by sliding the pry bar under the shingle immediately above the damaged one and gently lifting it to free it from the sealer strip. Below you will see the first row.
Slide the prybar under the damaged shingle, and push upward. The nail should pop up approximately 1/4 inch. Once it does, remove the prybar, press the shingle down, and pull the nail out. This process should be repeated for each of the remaining three nails. Push the pry bar directly under the damaged nail and remove the second row the same way. Pull out the damaged shingle after you have removed all eight nails.
2. Fix Curled Roof Shingle Corners with Caulking
As asphalt shingles get older, their corners often begin to curl downward or upward. If you notice a shingle starting to curl, you can forestall the inevitable curling by gluing down the curled section.
Use a caulking gun to apply a dab of roofing sealant (about $4 per 10-oz. Place the tube under the corner. It is best to weigh the item down using a brick (right); then leave it in place for at most 24 hours until the sealant dries. That’s all there is to it.
3. Cracked Roof Shingles Repair
If a shingle is simply cracked or torn, you don’t have to replace it—just repair it. Begin by applying roofing sealant underneath the crack. Then press the shingle down, and then apply another layer of sealant to the crack. Spread the sealant using a putty knife.
The best part of this fix is that no one has to know you made it. It’s easy to camouflage: Check the gutter for an accumulation of colored granules that have washed down the roof from the shingles. Then gather some into a small cup and sprinkle them over the sealant to mask the repair.
