Hand Nailing Roof Shingles

Make sure none of the nails are within 2 of joint of shingle.

Hand nailing roof shingles. Try not to break the shingle surface with the nail head and repair any incorrectly placed nails immediately. Especially if the person doing the nailing is inexperienced or is rushing through the job. Drive the nails straight and flat with the shingle surface. Back in my shingling days i could nail about the same amount in a day by hand or with a gun.

The difference was the second day. Use the correct roofing nail material size and grade as specified in the shingle installation instructions. Under pressured tools leave the nails high causing the shingle above to be lifted and suspect to wind blow offs. Align the shingles properly before nailing to avoid exposing nails in the course below.

Though this can be achieved with nail guns many roofers tell me there is more room for error. Please view the video demonstration of these shingles below. To ensure optimal performance of your asphalt roofing shingles be sure to follow these general directions for proper nailing. Do not break the shingle surface with the nail head.

Do not drive nails into knotholes or cracks in the roof deck. Standard shingles without the surenail strip should be hand nailed. However increasing the amount of fasteners per shingle also increases the amount of deck penetrations. On the other hand labor costs will be higher.

The nail line is the part on the shingle where the top shingle overlaps with the bottom part of the shingle. For shingles in windy areas use 6 nails per shingle. Some shingles after roof traffic will cut through the upper shingle leaving an exposed nail head. The nails must penetrate well into the wooden roof deck.

This will require 6 nails per shingle to achieve a wind rating of 130 mph. Hand nailing shingles is better than using a nail gun or a pneumatic nailer because it allows the roofers to feel the nail placement and ensure optimal installation. Some roofers believe hand nailing shingles gives them more control over the process. By hand nailing the roof roofers can ensure the nail is properly placed and is nailed in at the correct depth.

However most manufactures claim that either method is a viable option. Since hand nailing takes a bit more time they have the chance to correct any mistakes on the spot. If the nail fails to penetrate the deck properly then remove the nail and repair the hole in the shingle with bituminous mastic and use another nail. They can use feel to determine if the nail is deep enough and in the right location.

A hand nailer can tell better if a nail is high and will give it another hit.