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Is It Good To Reroof Over Old Shingles?

October 11, 2022
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Roofing over an existing roof is also known as reroofing or an overlay. It's the course where roofers instate a new roof over your existing one, i.e., add a new tier of shingles, which means that the old roof won't be peeled or teared off. Reroofing can also be suited when you simply demand or need change. However, adding a diverse design or color to your roof can systematically mingle up the look and sense of your home, if you're thoroughly revamping your home and your roof needs to correspond the new style.

Reasons You Should Not Reroof Over Old Shingles

  • Adversity With Bumpy Exteriors

Shingles are meant to suit flat, indeed shells. When shingles are impelled onto bumpy or gap-filled foundations, the older flaps will telegraph through to the new subcaste, making the top tier much harder to secure.

  • Expenses

In the long run, overlaying can be substantially more expensive than replacement. Saving a thousand dollars from a plain re-roofing may sound luring now, but the associated costs from a after replacement due to the poor foundation clearly won’t.

  • Absence of Leak Proof Installation

Overlaying shingles prevents roofers from duly installing water and ice leak-barriers. However, water leak walls are required as they ensure that ice doesn’t leak under the older shingles, if you live in an area with brutal winters or diverse environmental concerns.

  • Incorrect Inspections

Old shingles bar contractors from appropriately examining the condition of the existing roof. Although re-roofing remains a potentiality for homeowners, the presence of the old roof prevents roofers from duly examining the sundeck to check if there's any damage plywood that needs to be repaired instead. Without starting from the base, a contractor will be unfit to relate if your home has the correct foundations in point before beginning the plan, which could lead to expensive repairs in the future.

  • Building Regulations

Specific geographic areas will have guidelines noting how many roof layers are permitted on structures. While some structure codes may allow re-roofing, others may only allow one tier of shingles.

  • Weight Strain

Small roofs cannot handle immense quantities of weight. tacking an alternate layer to your roof only increases that strain, and can create more roof problems, particularly if the area you live in receives a great deal of snow each year.

  • Warranty Concerns

Re-roofing can negatively affect the warranty on new shingles. Before any roofing installation, it’s perpetually smart to check with the manufacturer first about the conditions and all warranty concerns to avoid any miscommunications afterward.

  • Moving Plans

Re-roofing could drop your home’s value and make it more tough to sell, if you plan on moving in the near future. Although re-roofing won't affect the current homeowners, new possessors will be forced to tear off two layers of shingles afterward. For this reason, many home inspectors will report two level roofs and inform interested buyers about the knots that re-roofing brings with it.

How It Is Done

New shingles fixed over old ones can be just as alluring and durable as shingles fixed on bare sheathing, if conditions are right. If you're still persuaded that you need to reroof over old shingles, this will aid to install them rightly;

Kickoff by taking off the ridge caps. Doing it now will make it easier to keep the reroofing job pristine. Use a round pry bar or roofing shovel to pry out and take off the ridge shingles. take off all the nails. Remove air outlets and pipe flashings by prying out or coiling the fasteners gripping the fixtures. However, repair them If you spoil shingles while doing this. Reuse an outlet or flashing only if it's new; else, replace it with a new one that will suit the hole or pipe. Glue the fragmented piece back in place applying roofing cement, if a shingle is torn or cracked. Cut a new piece to suit the existing shingle, If the broken piece is misplaced. The end is to give a nicely flat surface for the new shingles to lie over, with no gaps higher than1/2 inch.

Using a large broom, brush down all the broken shingle pieces, outgrowths, and any other debris that could get trapped under the new shingles that you will install. Keep the roof squeaky-clean as you work. At the eave and the rake, install U-shaped drip-edge flashing formed for reroofing jobs. Install the eave piece first, additionally the rake piece over it. The two bits should meet neatly at the intersections. Drive nails at high points on the underpinning roof, the underparts of the shingles. Nonetheless, install substitute W-shape metal or vinyl valley flashing to go straight over the old flashing, if you have an open valley. Attach it by punching nails into the outside edges only. Don't drive nails lower than 6 inches from the base of the flashing. Rip-cut the shingles for the first procedure so they butt up against the third course of existing shingles and are even with the frontal edge of the starter course. Their tab grooves shouldn't line up with the tab slots of the starter course, if there are any. Nail the shingles exactly above the tab slots. Install air outlets in a resembling manner. For both plumbing-outlet flashing and air vents, you will want to cut the shingle above to go around the flashing and also install the shingle. Where you meet a chimney stack or side wall, install step flashing. Apply a shingle, likewise a piece of flashing, then a shingle, and so on, so that each piece of flashing rests on cover of the lower course and is covered by the upper course.

You need to contact a professional roof contractor about which approach is best for your home, if you're still struggling between re-roofing and roof substitute.


We are here to give professional advice and services, reach out to us at 553 Prospect Avenue Brooklyn NY 11215 (646)-838-0441 https://www.nyroofing.com

Royal Renovators Inc is Fully Licensed and Insured, with Offices Throughout the NYC Area.
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