Three Quick Ways to Fix Roof Shingles And Metal Flashings
This guest post may not reflect the views shared by Unique Home Solutions or it’s employees. While we encourage home owners to be aware of their home’s condition, we also encourage you to take any and all safety precautions when working on your home. If a task is too overwhelming we recommend contacting a local contractor such as Unique Home Solutions.
Knowing the difference between a badly damaged roof and one that just has a few wayward shingles is important. Sometimes the roof has hit the wall and is showing too many signs of aging, while other times it could be a case where something underneath the entire roofing infrastructure needs to be repaired, in which case, you call a contractor.
But, for the quick fixers out there, repairing certain parts of the roof is relatively simple if you have the right tools and know what to look for. Here are three important tips for repairing the roof in an orderly fashion.
1. How To Prep Curled Shingles: The curled effect with damaged shingles, usually asphalt and wood styles, is a warning sign that you’d better get to it before water finds an easy entry point. Fixing curled shingles is all about prep work and tools and picking the right weather to do so. First off, curled-up shingles are easier to flatten out during the warmer months because they aren’t as fragile or susceptible to cracking than the winter months. If you must patch up the shingle in the winter, carefully use a small torch near the edges, letting the heat strengthen and expand the corners down. Once they are straight, use some form of roofing cement or heavy-bonded caulk along each corner to seal the shingle in place. Overall, the key to repairing curled-up shingles is having a keen eye and using the necessary products like caulk or specialized cements to do the rest.
2. Fixing Badly Damaged Shingles: When damages are way beyond curled-up shingles and you need to completely detach a whole section, the process is a bit more complex than the previous one, but it’s still manageable. It’s all about knowing if a section’s been compromised, is drier than others or is obviously cracked and split in multiple directions. To replace sections, it’s important to pry loose the damaged shingles carefully, making sure to get all old nails and protected layers beneath out as well because the new shingles will need all new coating and nails. When you place the new shingle in and for some reason or another, it’s too big and you feel like you’re having to jame folded up corners down, try and smooth off the edges until it slides comfortably into place.
With the shingles in place, make sure there’s no excess roofing cement or caulk protruding from the sides and nail down the shingle, making sure to use 1-3/4” nails for best grip. *To make sure you have the best possible leak guard, it might be good to dab a little cement around the rim of each nail because, hey, every sealed opening matters in the end.*
3. Replacing Metal Flashings: Since you’re proactively replacing or fixing shingles, it’s probably a good idea to make sure the metal flashing strips are in good shape as well. Metal flashing strips run between the corners of the roof or any angle where two parts of the roof meet (also called a roof valley) that might allow more water down. Essentially, the strips act as a fortified slide to direct water towards the gutters quicker than normal. So you can see why any damaged or badly laid shingle around this area could potentially have disastrous consequences with leaking.
Which is why before you lay down the strip, make sure to do a once-over on any loose shingles and draw a line from the top of the roof valley on down to the gutter line for each flashing. After the appropriate lengths have been cut, lay down the strips, making sure to dab some more cement on the metal flashing tips. With the flashings firmly in place, it’s time to add the final layer via more roofing shingles, except this time, you have to be mindful of where the nails go. After you’ve formed each shingle to be laid down, it’s important that you don’t put any nails within 6” or closer to the metal flashing borders. After applying the same roofing cement to these shingles and having properly laid down the strips underneath, it’s time for a well-deserved break from the action.
And that’s a pretty swift example of how to fix individual roofing shingles and/or metal flashings. The important thing to remember is that with every home remodeling project, be it a tiny repair to the roof, declogging of the gutters, replacing brick stones in the chimney or any other project for that matter, it’s better to be proactive, follow the steps and take your time. Because in the end, it might just save you some coin.
About the Author:
Kyle is a freelance writer, former contractor and consultant for Roof KC, a local roofing contractor company that deals primarily with roofing repairs, gutter replacement and other exterior remodeling projects.
Young Children & Older Homes: A Dangerous Combination?
Why it is that some parents worry about very small amounts of lead in their child’s system while others just don’t care, even when their child’s lead level is to a point where it would be considered a medical emergency? Over several years of working in the lead inspection field, both in a Public Health Department Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (CLPPP) and as a Private Risk Assessor/Lead Inspector, I have seen almost every reaction a parent might have about their child having lead poisoning. I have heard the question “I had lead poisoning, my mom had lead poisoning, my grandmother had lead poisoning, why do I care about my kid having lead poisoning?” way too many times. I have worked on cases where the parents actually fed lead paint chips to their children to increase their blood lead level in order to sue the property owner. Other homeowners choose the aesthetics of their home over the well being of their children by refusing to remove the problem and allowing continued exposure to their child that, for example, bites on windowsills.
The parent that gets worried when their child has a low blood lead level, even below the CDC level of concern, is on the right track, although it is sometimes difficult to get people to recognize this fact. Even low levels of lead, below the Center for Disease Control (CDC) level of concern (10 micrograms/deciliter of blood), can cause adverse health effects. Typically there are no noticeable symptoms of lead poisoning, but because lead is a neurotoxin even low levels can cause decreased IQ and neurological problems. When symptoms do appear, they usually will present as loss of appetite, learning and reading difficulties, slower reflexes, and behavioral problems. For the most part, lead poisoning in children is found by routine blood tests instead of complaints about symptoms. Unfortunately, when a child does show effects of lead poisoning, the majority of the time those effects are permanent.
There are several places that one might find lead‐based paint, but the nation’s number one contributing source of lead poisoning is our own homes. Homes built before 1978 are considered to have lead‐based paint until proven “lead free” or “lead safe” by a licensed inspector. Painted, stained, and varnished surfaces, both inside and outside, of these properties have the potential to contain lead at dangerous levels. The lead in these coatings can turn to dust, which can then poison children. Other sources of lead might be from soil, drinking water, and household products and toys. As our understanding and awareness of lead poisoning increases, our defensive actions against this issue get stronger. Federal (Environmental Protection Agency) and state governments are passing more stringent lead laws, the Consumer Safety Product Commission (CSPC) is recalling more and more products, and as a result, fewer children are testing with high lead levels in their blood.
Although removing household lead by way of lead abatement can be costly, most parents are unaware of very simple and inexpensive steps they can take to help protect themselves and their family from lead poisoning. One of the most important things you can do is clean your house in a way that properly removes lead dust. Use wet cleaning methods, don’t sweep or use a regular household vacuum, but use a vacuum with a HEPA filter and then wet mop clean. Parents should also wash their children’s toys, hard or soft, on a regular basis. Another great way to reduce your risk is have everyone take their shoes off at the door. That way you are not bringing lead in on your shoes from the outside environment. If there is bare soil in your yard, cover it so that children and pets (that can bring lead dust inside on their fur) don’t play in it. It is also important to make sure your child washes their hands before they eat and before they go to bed. These suggestions may seem obvious, but a number of the parents I have spoken to were surprised that these simple steps could make a difference. Most other parents were already doing most of these things and only needed some adjustments to how they implement these practices.
Another great way to help prevent lead poisoning is to consume a proper diet that is high in iron, calcium, and vitamin C. Lead can interfere with functions that your body normally uses iron and calcium for, and at times of low iron and calcium blood levels, your body can easily mistake lead as one of these elements. In addition, if your body contains the proper amounts of iron and calcium, it will not absorb lead into your system as readily. I once worked with a family that had two children with lead poisoning that ate at a local fast food restaurant for all meals of the day. Their refrigerator contained only bottled water and soda and their cupboards were bare. It is very likely that the children in this family had low iron and calcium levels, which increased their lead absorption. While it is clear that children require a proper diet to develop properly, it is not well known that this is also true for helping to prevent lead poisoning. This is due to the fact that a proper diet reduces the amount of lead absorbed and increases the amount of lead excreted by the body.
Finally, when it comes to lead and lead poisoning, one of the best things you can do is ask questions. Hire only EPA or State Lead Certified contractors if you are going to remodel your home and find someone you trust to answer your questions and get the knowledge you need to protect your family from the devastating long term, and sometimes lethal, effects of lead exposure.
This guest post was written by Adam Kinney a Consulting Manager and Lead Inspector/Instructor for the Institute for Environmental Education.
IEE trains over 5,000 students per year for clientele including governmental agencies, hospitals, schools, branches of the armed services, businesses and non-profit groups. IEE also offers consulting services for lead, asbestos and safety/compliance plans.
Follow Adam on Twitter: @IEE_Lead_Insp
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