If you’ve noticed a few shingles on your roof that look damaged or weathered, it is important to replace them as soon as possible.  At Horch Roofing, we are here to help with all of your roofing needs, including shingle replacement.  This is a rather simple procedure that can be performed as a home repair.  Here are some instructions on how to replace a shingle on your own:

• In order to remove a damaged shingle, you must loosen the row of good shingles above the damaged one.  Use either a prybar or a putty knife to carefully pry away the adjacent shingles so that they good shingles are separated from the damaged one.

• When the surrounding shingles are completely separated, gently rock the damaged shingle back and forth to remove it.

• Remove the existing nails.  Lift the uppermost good shingle and pry the nails out.  Be extremely careful not to damage surrounding shingles.  Try to remove as many nails as possible where you removed shingles.

• If there are nails that you cannot remove, drive them flush to the roof using a hammer.  There should be around four nails for each shingle.  Don’t leave any nails raised above the sheathing.

• To prep the area for the new shingle, patch any holes or tears in the felt underlayment.  An easy way to do this is to apply roofing cement using a caulk gun.  Squeeze out some cement and spread it thinly and evenly over the damaged area with a putty knife.  If there are nails that were hammered flush, cover them with the cement as well.  This can be very messy, so keep some rags or paper towels handy.

• If you are installing several new shingles, always start at the lowest shingle removed and work your way upwards.  Align your first shingle with the existing shingles and attach it with four galvanized roofing nails.  The nails should be driven in 3/4 inch above the shingle tabs.  As you continue applying shingles, make sure the new shingles line up properly with the existing ones.

• When applying the final shingles, gently pry up the upper-most existing shingle.  Be careful not to crack it.  Carefully slide the final shingles into place and nail them accordingly.  It is helpful to put a small dab of roofing cement on the last shingle where the top good shingle will come into contact with the new shingle.

If you are uncomfortable taking on this task, or if you would like advice on how to go about fixing your roof, visit us here at Horch Roofing.  We can offer you an estimate free of charge, and we can evaluate the extent of damage that needs repair.

Horch Roofing is Midcoast Maine’s largest and most experienced roofing contractors.  We have been roofing Maine homes in Rockland, Camden, Thomaston, Rockport, Union, Warren, and Waldoboro since 2002, and continue to offer the best quality roofing job to our clients.  For more information, visit our website at http://www.horchroofing.com, our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/HorchRoofing or give us a call at (207)-273-1111.