If you think your roof needs repairs, you can do the maintenance yourself to save a lot of time and money. Although you can’t do the job like a professional, small projects are not that difficult to do. Read on to know about some DIY roof repairs tips that you can follow to get the job done.
Shingle Replacement
If your roof has a couple of damaged or missing shingles, you can replace those shingles. All you need to do is look for the pieces that match the broken ones. The color and design should be the same. Shingles of different color or design may have a bad impact on the appeal of your house.
Partial Reroofing
For partial reroofing, you need to remove all the shingles from a specific area and put new ones in the place. In other words, you need to replace all the shingles on the whole area, which will cover the patches if you don’t have an exact match for the damaged parts.
Total Reroofing
If a large area of your roof is damaged, you might want to reroof the entire rooftop. For this, you may need to strip off the damaged shingles and install new ones in the place. Why would you do that? One benefit is that the new shingles are stronger and more reliable than the old ones.
Flashing
At times, you need to repair the flashing, not the shingles. In addition, whenever you work on a reroofing project, make sure you replace the flashing as well. You can find the flashing around the skylights, chimneys and other parts. If your roof leaks, the problem may be the loose, missing or damaged flashing.
Tips to Perform small DIY Roof Repairs
If you have a large reroofing project, make sure you hire the services of a professional to get the job done perfectly. You can get quotes by giving them a call. However, you can do small repair projects yourself by following the tips given below.
- Use rubber shoes for better traction on the rooftop
- Replace the damaged shingles
- Use some roofing adhesive or chalk to flatten out some of the curling shingles
- Use a heat gun to soften the brittle shingles to avoid breakage
- Use 6d galvanized nails to fasten the top of the shingles, and cover the nail tops with quality roof cement. For holding the shingles in place, make sure you spread some of it under the shingles.
- Use roof cement to seal the joints
- Use extra roof cement to fill the cracks in the seams with a putty knife
The Takeaway
Long story short, you might want to fix the problems with your rooftop as soon as you notice them. For this, you can either follow a DIY route or hire the service of a good professional in your area. If your roof looks almost entirely damaged, it’s time to opt for a new roof. You can follow the tips given in this article to do the job.