DIY House Interior

It is common to get a leaky roof, especially after a major storm, which often leads to getting your roof either repaired or replaced. It could be from a hole, crack, or missing shingles and the most difficult part of roof repair is actually finding where the damage is.

Because repairing your own roof can be dangerous, there are some things that you should consider to keep you safe if you choose to perform the repairs yourself. First, you should not do any repairs when it is wet and wear rubber-soled shoes so that you can help prevent slippage. You should also use safety ropes whenever possible, especially if the roof is steep and don’t forget about any nearby power lines.

Probably the easiest roofs to fix are shingle ones because it is fairly easy to find damaged shingles as they are curled or missing, often around the areas where the surfaces meet, such as around chimneys and vents. If you have a leak and you don’t physically see any problem, you will need to call a professional who has more experience in roofing.

If you do find damage to your shingles, the problem may be easy to fix. Some tools you will need to accomplish your project are a pry bar, scraper, utility knife, roofing nails, a trowel, roof cement, and enough replacement shingles to repair the damage. If the leak is being caused by curled shingles, most of the time you can reattach them with caulk or roof cement and is always better to do it in warmer weather because they would be more brittle in the cold winter months and need to be softened before they can be flattened.

When you are repairing your own shingles the first thing you need to do is remove any shingles that are damaged, then round the corners on the new shingles to make it easier to slip into place. Now you should be able to place the shingle by aligning it with the ones both above and below it. To fasten the shingle, use the roofing nails, hammer them into each corner, and then spread roofing cement over the nails with a trowel. Repeat the process for each shingle that you are replacing.

Once all the damaged shingles have been replaced, check the flashings around the chimney, vents, and any pipe openings. If you see any cracks or openings, fill them with caulk so that they can be completely sealed.

Every roof style comes with its own repair issues, and if you are not exactly sure what kind of roof you have, before you do any roof repair, you should call a professional roofer to make sure that it can be repaired properly so that you will no longer have a leak.