It's not how fast you roof, its how well you roof fast
A lot of crews use one roofer to feed shingles to another, who places and nails them. This is a fast way to do it, but It requires two people. If you do not have a second person to feed the shingles, work smart to work fast.
Nailing is an important step in shingle installation. You might as well do it to last forever than do it to fail.
How to install roofing like a pro:
- Hit the nail strip specified by the manufacturer. Nails should be flush, not at an angle. And place nails away from shingle joints—4-5 inches back from the joint.
- Place small stacks, stepped up the roof.
- Pull shingles from each pile as you work up the roof, stepping the shingles up the roof.
- Eric places the tip of the nail gun (held with his right hand) on the previous shingle to act as a stop for one end, and he places the other end with his left hand.
- Nail off the shingles, five nails per shingle unless you are in a storm-nailing zone.
This may seem slow, but it is a good pace to work all day. Eric can install 15 squares of shingles in a seven-hour day working alone like this.
More Roofing videos to peek at:
- Installing Drip Edge on a Humpy Old Roof
- Roof Replacement—and A Discussion of Respect Among the Trades
- Roof Valleys: Begin with Peel and Stick
- Building America Solutions Center Roofing Section
- Building Science Corporation: De-Icing Ice Dams
—Eric Garcia is a roofing contractor in the LA area who posts a lot of videos on YouTube
