How to Shingle a Storage Shed Roof
The very first thing that you are going to want to take into consideration is the pitch of your shed’s roof because this will help to determine if you will be comfortable working on it.
Once you do decide to do it yourself, remember that personal care and safety should be exercised at all times while working on a roof. Installing shingles is something you can do yourself with the proper tools, techniques, and preparation. Thus, it helps to plan ahead.
The types of materials that are needed to properly shingle a roof will depend on the type of shingles that you are planning on using. But normally you are going to need the following tools and equipment in order to get your storage shed properly shingled. You are going to need to get: asphalt shingles, straightedge ruler, ridge cap shingles, a hammer staples, roofing felt, barbed roofing nails, staple gun hammer and a trimming knife.
Because you do not want to go over your budget and waste your time and purchase more materials then you are going to need. You are going to want to figure out just exactly the total area of your roof. You will then have an excellent idea as to just about the exact number of shingles that you are going to need to complete your job. After that has been figured out you can figure out what type, style, color and texture of shingle that you want to get.
Now when you are ready to get stared you are going to want to unroll all of the roofing felt all across the wooden top of your roof. Make sure to staple the felt down very securely so that it will not move and so that it will also go around the edges and cover the entire roof.
If you are replacing old shingles, first strip off the old roofing material and check the wood for any damage or rot. Ensure that the plywood is still nailed securely to the rafters all around. In this case, instead of the traditional felt paper, use either heavy felt paper or modern water membrane to prevent leaks caused by ice or windblown rain.
You need to make sure that the very first layer of shingles that you are laying down is upside down so that all of the tabs are pointing up. You will then need to cut the first shingle about six inches using a straightedge and a utility knife. You should make sure that the bottom of the shingle should overhang the drip edge of the storage shed by at least 3/8 of an inch. You should use full sized shingles for the rest of the row and nail them down with roofing nails.
While you continue to place your shingles on the roof of your storage shed set them so that the row above the row you are working on is slightly offset. You can create the illusion of overhang by continuing to use this pattern. Once you are done putting all of the shingles on each side of the shed you then attached the roof top shingles from side to side.
When you start on your next row of shingles you need to make sure that each shingle on the row above has its tabs slightly offset so you are able to create an overhang type of effect. You can pull this off by repeating this pattern.
Trim off any excess part of the shingles from the sides of the roof. You may also use constructive adhesive to reinforce shingles along the edges and prevent them from popping out. Upon reaching your roof’s peak, attach the ridge cap shingles down the middle from side to side of the roof. Trim off any excess parts, and then clean up.
Having a storage shed can be a great addition to anyone’s property no matter what you plan to store inside it. Of course whatever you do plan to store in your shed you are going to want to make sure that it is kept safe and secure. This is where putting up shingles or replacing old and damaged shingles comes in.