2 Great Ways To Keep Shingles From Blowing Off the Roof

The wind is one of the most significant forces that cause wear and tear on a roof. Low-speed wind over time will loosen shingles, as well as acute storms. Since installing new roofing is so expensive, it makes sense to try and prevent your roof from losing shingles for as long as possible.

I will explain when each of the two methods to hold down roof shingles will work, how to implement them, and why they work.

2 Ways To Reinforce Roof Shingles

There are two options to reinforce your roof shingles, depending on where you are in the process. One can only be done during installation, while the other is more flexible but less effective.

1. Adding Reinforcing Nails

Roofers typically use between 2 and 4 nails for each shingle while they install a roof. Adding additional nails will help the shingle stay intact during windy weather. This method is best suited to posthumously reinforcing the roof since it can be done after installation.

Supplies

• Roofing nails (should be long enough to pierce all roofing shingles and plywood to protrude through the decking).
• A hammer.
• A tool belt.
• A ladder.
• A good pair of shoes.
• Sunblock.

Method

1. You’ll want to start by choosing shoes with the best traction because roofs can be slippery, and you don’t want to trip up there.
2. Next, set up your ladder in a secure location to give you access to the roof.
3. Put the roofing nails and the hammer into your toolbelt and put it on so you have your hands free climbing up the ladder.
4. Apply sunblock to your skin, especially the back of your neck (it is deceptively easy to burn while doing roof work).
5. Climb the ladder (have someone hold the bottom while you are on it, if possible).
6. Once up on the roof, determine where your roof is already nailed – this is often along the top, set 1/4 an inch from the edges.
7. Choose additional locations to nail (my suggestion includes 6 total nails spaced evenly across the top of the shingle).
8. Hammer in your roofing nails on each shingle, taking care to drive the nail flush with the shingle but not cutting into the material.
9. Once you’ve nailed everything, descend the ladder and enjoy some water.

2. Using Roofing Cement

This is the most effective way to prevent shingles from blowing off your roof. However, it can only be done while the roof is being installed. If you have this option available, I highly suggest it.

Supplies

• High-quality asphalt roof cement.

Instructions

How to install a roof could be its own article – it is quite complex and is often best left to professionals. However, you should be able to instruct a contractor to use roof cement on your roof or add it to your existing plans. Here I will provide an example of installing a shingle using nails and roofing cement.

1. Measure out and place your shingle.
2. Once you’ve marked out the placement, apply 3 quarter-sized dots of roofing cement to the underside of the shingle along the bottom.
3. Firmly press the shingle to the roof for 5 seconds.
4. Install 4 to 6 (more is better) roofing nails evenly across the top of the shingle.
5. Repeat the process for each shingle.

Why Do These Methods Work?

The nails used in roofing are special, designed to be weather resistant, and suitable for shingles. These nails are very strong and rarely fail. However, the shingle itself tends to rip around the nail because all of the wind’s force gets transferred to this tiny point.

Adding more nails or sticking the shingle with cement in addition to the nails works because it spreads the force exerted by the wind over a larger area, leading to less stress on any part of the shingle.

Summary

Shingles blowing off the roof is a common problem. To reinforce an old roof, you can utilize other roofing nails to distribute the force of the wind more. If you are planning to install a new roof, the best way to reinforce it against wind damage is to use roof cement on each shingle during installation.