Instructions for Laying Roofing Shingles
- Roofing hammer
Utility knife with roofing blades
Tape measure
Chalk line
Tin snips
Roofing nails
Roofing felt
Shingles - The entire roof must be waterproofed with asphalt felt. Felt comes in rolls 4 feet wide and 100 feet long or more. Start at the bottom corner of the roof and roll the felt out with the printed side up. These lines are printed on as reference marks to keep everything straight and uniform. Roll out the bottom run and tack into place with roofing tacks. Move uphill and lay the next run of felt out with a 6-inch overlap over the bottom piece. There will be a reference line at this point; just line the edge up with the reference line and tack into place. Repeat until you reach the ridge of the roof. Lay extra felt into the valleys of the roof, running lengthwise from top to bottom in one piece. This will reinforce the valleys and help prevent leaks. Tack the valley strips only at the outer edges.
- Metal flashing is used to help shed water onto the surface of the shingles and make connections between siding materials, such as you would have on a gabled end, and the roofing. All valleys should be lined with an uninterrupted piece of flashing running top to bottom. Stay away from the middle of the valley flashing with the tacks, keeping them in the outer quarter of the metal to prevent a leaky nail hole right in the valley.
- The shingles are laid from bottom to top with the upper shingle lapping over the lower shingle by about 4 inches. The starter course is laid upside down so that the solid half of the shingle is on the bottom. This will catch any water that drips between the tabs of the second course. Lay the starters end to end until the whole bottom edge of the roof is covered. Lay your second course right side up with the tabs and slots pointed downhill and over the starter course. This will leave a double-thick layer of shingle material on the bottom edge of the roof. Now lay the third course uphill of the second with the 4-inch overlap. Consult the shingle manufacturer's instruction for the amount of overlap. The lines in the felt will give you a reference to keep your courses straight. Repeat the courses until you reach the top ridge of the roof.