Solar Roofing DIY continued
Feb
17
Now you have a waterproof roof. If necessary, you can wait a few days before putting on the shingles, but if you wait too long, eventually a strong wind will tear the paper off and you’ll have to do it all again. Applying asphalt shingles is easy; just follow the directions on the package. Getting the heavy bundles up on the roof is the hardest part. Professionals use some kind of machinery for this; you may want to improvise a block and tackle. Before you start the job, there should be bundles of shingles scattered about the roof so that there will always be some available when needed.
Asphalt shingles usually have three “tabs,” so that when the roof is finished, it appears to be made up of individual small shingles, when in fact it is made up of units of three of these. To begin with, lay a course of shingles along the bottom of the roof facing the wrong way—that is, with the tabs up. Nail them in place with galvanized roofing nails that are just long enough to penetrate two layers of shingle, the tar paper, and the roof decking. You can rent a power stapler for this, but a hammer and nails work about as well.
Apply a second course directly over the first course, but with the tabs facing down, then keep moving up the roof. The third course overlaps the second just enough to reach the slots between tabs and cover the nails, which are put in about 1/2 inch directly above each slot. Each course also is staggered with regard to the course below so that the slots don’t line up.
At the sides of the roof, shingles will have to be cut to fit. Large tinsnips or a utility knife will do this; either will get gummed up with asphalt and have to be cleaned from time to time. It may be necessary to cover nailheads with roofing cement where cut pieces of shingle are used, but in general you won’t need quite as much as you may have feared to hold down the shingles themselves, because they are self-sticking: They have a built-in strip of tar, and after the first hot or sunny day, they willbe well stuck down.
Roofing compound and roofing cement are black, tarry substances that are an important part of this job. These substances are used to glue layers together and to cover any exposed nailheads to make them completely waterproof. Compound is thinner and is usually applied with a cheap brush; cement is supposed to be applied with a trowel, but many roofers use any old stick, like a piece of wooden shingle, since the material is very difficult to clean off a trowel. Whatever cleanup can be done is done with gasoline, kerosene, or a similar substance.
Wear absolutely the oldest, rattiest clothes for roofing; when you are sure you’ll never do any more roofing, burn them. Shingling is designed so that most nailheads are hidden. This keeps the use of the tar to a minimum, but you’ll still get it all over you. If the day is not warm, the tar will need to be kept warm somewhere so that it will flow.
About halfway up the slope, start laying out courses by measuring down from the top rather than up from the bottom. The top and the bottom may not be perfectly parallel. If you are way off, don’t correct the problem all in one course; adjust several courses, 1/4-inch at a time.
To make a double layer at the top of a shed roof, cut off individual tabs and apply them over the top half of the last course. It should be possible to plan ahead and adjust the courses so that you’ll come out even. Nailheads will show here and have to be tarred.
If the roof has a peak, shingle up both sides to it. To cover the peak, cut the three-tab shingles in thirds. Apply these pieces over the ridge so that they lap the underlying shingles on both sides; make sure they also overlap each other about an inch. The nailheads will show here and will have to be covered with cement. The shingles must be warm enough that they will not crack when bent; don’t crease them. At valleys, carry alternating courses of shingles (first from the section of roof on one side of the valley, then the other) well across the valleys and up the other side.
If part of your house is one-story and part two, at some point a roof intersects a vertical house wall. You have already flashed this with tar paper. Now add metal flashing, which can be bought in rolls of various widths at a building supply store. Aluminum is cheaper than copper and just as effective. Cut pieces half the width of a shingle. As each course of shingle reaches the wall, apply an aluminum “shingle” that is bent to reach well up the wall. The lower half of the asphalt shingle, the part that shows, goes over the aluminum “shingle,” which in turn goes over the upper half of the shingle below. Eventually the aluminum that shows will be covered with the finish siding applied to the wall.
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
You’re working on a high roof. A fall could be crippling if not fatal. Don’t take any chances, and don’t ever get inured to the danger. Whether it’s applying tar paper or shingles, the job gets easier and safer as it goes along. The first few courses are the most dangerous. You may do them from below, using ladders or scaffolding, or if the pitch is not steep, from above, lying on your stomach facing down. If the latter, don’t be too macho to use some kind of rope harness for security, but be sure you know how to tie knots, or you may wind up strangling yourself.
Put all tools and materials not in use well above the work zone, and keep moving them up. Fire anybody who leaves things around for someone to trip over or step on. It’s not a good idea for one worker to lay out the shingles and another to nail them down. Stepping on a shingle you thought was nailed down can lead to a wild ride. Use a broom to sweep off loose crumbs from the shingles from time to time, but keep the broom well above when not in use.
When you have finished, you will have a totally leakproof roof, and you will have added several tons of weight to the load carried by the rafters. This weight, spread over the entire area of the roof, will be easily supported and will help to hold the roof down.
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