What to do About Missing Shingles on Your Roof?

What to do About Missing Shingles on Your Roof?

If your roof is missing shingles, it’s not just a cosmetic issue. It could be dangerous to your home and family. Therefore, you should take the time to find out what happened as soon as possible. Not only do you need to assess the damage and repair it quickly, but if there are health concerns, you must act quickly too! How long should you wait before calling in a professional? Here’s an overview of what needs to happen after missing shingles on your roof. Finding the right roofing service in your area is important.

What Are Shingles?

Shingles are the sheets of material that cover your roof, protecting your house from the elements. They can come in a variety of shapes and colors, and they’re made up of three layers. The topmost layer is known as the asphalt felt because it’s made from tar and felt fibers saturated with asphalt. This makes up about one-third of the shingle’s thickness and prevents sunlight from penetrating through to actually get to your roof boards.

The next layer is called the roofing felt, and it’s made of cotton fibers that are treated with a moldable resin. This makes them tough enough to withstand hooks from tree branches, and it gives them their flexibility, which allows them to conform to the curves of your roof. The third layer is a paper-thin material called the paper shingle; it’s made from cellulose fibers that are bound with a patented coating of asphalt-based adhesive. This coating keeps the shingles from wearing away as easily as they would if they were just paper.

Shingles are made in a variety of colors and textures, including asphalt, slate, wood shingle, cedar shake, tile roofing and more. Because there are so many different types of materials for manufacture, you should take care to choose a roof that is compatible with your climate and the function that it’s intended to serve.

What Causes Shingles to Come Off?

If your roof is missing shingles, you should assume that it’s been damaged during a storm or heavy weather. The most common reason for this is that your roof was damaged and the shingles were blown off during high winds. However, you may also notice that the seams in your roof have started to split, allowing water to seep inside your home.

If this has happened, it’s important to get on top of it before interior damage occurs. If you have metal or clay tile roofs (as opposed to asphalt shingles), then it’s likely that the nails holding them in place have worked loose or been pulled out. This is a serious problem because the tiles can fall down and cause serious damage.

If you have asphalt shingles, then you need to fix the nails that hold them in place. You can do this by removing some of the nails if you can access them from inside your roof, or by using a power drill on an angle grinder if the nails are on the outside of your house. If you do this and it doesn’t work, then you may need to call in a professional roofer to make repairs.

How To Best Replace Missing Shingles

Whether you’re fixing a roof that has shingles missing or just replacing shingles on an old roof, it’s important to choose the right materials. Some people opt for cheaper options because they can be up to half the price of more reliable brands. However, if your roof gets damaged again, you’ll end up spending far more than if you’d chosen the more expensive products in the first place. It rarely makes sense to “go cheap” when it comes to roofing materials.

Among the essential components that you’ll need for your roof are nails, shingles and nails, and a hammer. Other items, such as sealant, may also be required. When you’re replacing asphalt shingles, you might want to consider some other options as well to help improve the long-term integrity of your roof. For example, it’s a smart idea to use metal screws instead of nails to hold down the replacement shingles. Metal screws add extra strength and help ensure that the replacement shingles don’t come off over time.

Make Sure You Use The Right Screws

For nails, you can use galvanized nails or regular nails if you’re repairing a roof with bare metal. However, if you’re fixing a leaky roof, or replacing shingles that are not damaged, galvanized nails will work better. Galvanized nails are more durable than regular ones and last longer when exposed to rain and moisture. They also resist corrosion better because of the zinc that’s used in the galvanizing process. To use galvanized nails for your replacement shingles, choose nails with a diameter of 1-1/4 inches.

Metal screws are a better option than regular steel roofing nails when you’re putting on new shingles. They’re much stronger and less likely to bend or break. The additional strength helps to ensure that the replacement shingles stay in place for many years to come.

When Should You Hire a Professional for Missing Shingle Repair?

The first question that comes to mind is why do you even need to hire a professional when you, yourself, might be capable of doing the work on your own?

Certainly, there are plenty of DIY videos and tutorials available on the internet; however, some shingles and types of damages are very difficult to fix on one’s own. It’s worth noting that an experienced professional roofer would have the exact knowledge and tools needed for shingle replacement from scratch. Additionally, if your roof is difficult to access or you have concerns for your safety, it’s best to always opt for a professional first.

A professional roofer can provide a wide variety of services, including shingle repair and roof replacement, repairing your roof in general, fixing existing leaks or even adding a new layer of waterproofing. The main benefit of hiring a professional is that it’s likely to save you money in the long run.

Final Thoughts

Replacing missing shingles may be an average job that could take hours, or it can be a very complicated project that involves multiple steps. If you’re going to do it yourself, or even if you just want to make sure that you’ll avoid paying for professional services in the future, it’s important to follow basic safety guidelines.