Chapter 1: Suit up!
Required Gear:
Toolbelt
Kneepads
Hammer
Utility Knife: hook blade
Utility Knife: straight blade
Flatbar
Chalk Line
Tape Measure
Tin Snips
Screwdrivers
Carpenters Pencil
Optional Gear:
Pliers
Assorted size prybars/nailpullers
Speed Square
Allen Keys
Seaming Pliers
Caulk Gun
Other:
Nail Gun
Hammer Tacker
Tear-off Tools
Shoes
The Belt
Any time you’re on the job for any reason, a toolbelt is your best friend. When you’re on the roof, your toolbelt is your extra arm. Wear it. All of the time. Find a belt that’s comfortable for you and get used to it. Unsecured/stowed tools get lost or misplaced, stepped on, or fall, creating a hazardous situation for your coworkers, yourself, and bystanders. Get a belt and plan on wearing it.
A belt with a convenient knife holster is recommended. Deep pockets will allow you to hold longer tools such as a prybar and tinsnips more easily and safely. Other than that,comfort should be your priority.
Kneepads
Kneepads are your most important piece of equipment. They allow an extra set of points of contact with the roof, letting you work more safely and comfortably. Most kneepads, however, are fairly worthless for this purpose. A small number of manufacturers make kneepads with a flat, gummy surface that will grip the roof to some extent. CLC is the standard: gum rubber kneepads are generally around $20 and will grip better than shoes. They aren’t the most comfortable for everyone, however, and when used improperly have a very short lifespan.
Kneepads are REQUIRED.
Hammer
You probably want a slightly different hammer for roofing than many other tasks. A lighter hammer will be easier to carry around. A waffle face is NOT recommended.
Knives
You need two knives. A hook blade will see a lot of use cutting angles and edges into composite shingles: folding knives don’t usually work well for this because they don’t hold up well to the amount of leverage and torque needed to cut a shingle. Fixed-blade, fixed handle knives usually work best.
The straight-blade knife is used most for underlayment, ice guard, and general utility. A folding or retractable knife is recommended here for safety.
Flatbar
A flat nail puller/ flatbar is used often for both tear-off and application. Keep one handy.
Chalk Line
Red chalk weathers better. Any color works. Use it often, for valley guides, edge cuts, hip guides, keeping rows straight, drop-downs, etc.
Tape Measure
A small, 10’ tape is usually enough. When you’re experienced enough to need a longer one, you’ll know.
Tin Snips
Just about anything will serve you pretty well here. A smaller pair that can be easily carried is generally more useful than a big pair that you will never have when you need them. Shear-style is usually better than nibbling style, but not always.
Screwdrivers
A single philips and a single flat head is enough. This is something that you generally will not have to carry everywhere but can be catastrophic not to have when you need.
Pencil
Carry a pencil. It makes marks on things. Use it. Pretty simple.
Optional Gear, and why you might want it.
Pliers/ Seaming Pliers
Pliers are just a generally useful tool. Seaming pliers will help you to make crisp bends in aluminum or thin steel for flashing, tins, or gutter.
Assorted Prybars/Nailpullers
Specifically, a smaller than normal nail puller can be very useful for removing nails or staples without damaging the object it’s holding. A variety of sizes will give you versatility when levering things up for tucks, or pulling nails in hard to reach places.
Speed Square
This is one of the most useful tools you can have, in general. However there aren’t a lot of everyday uses for it in shingle application. It’s still not uncommon to need/use it for decking replacement, minor carpentry, or shingle forming. Getting one and keeping it in your toolbox is generally just a good idea.
Allen Keys
These are useful for minor repair/adjustments of a lot of common tools. If you don’t have a nailgun, you probably won’t need one much on the job.
Caulk Gun
A normal shingle roof can be applied with almost no caulking required. Having your own gear for those occasions, though, can be useful. One caulk gun on a jobsite is essential. Two is generally unnecessary. Remember, if you’re using a lot of caulk, you’re doing something wrong.
Other Gear
Hammer Tacker
These handy things are often a more convenient way to temporarily secure things like underlayment, vapor barrier, and ice guard. Very highly recommended but not one of the very first tools you will need.
Nail Gun
If you have a strong desire to advance your station, this should be one of your first investments. There are several company programs that will help you to buy one of these, should you desire to do so. Each manufacturer has fans and detractors, and each makes a markedly different product: on a good day, you might fire this thing tens of thousands of times, so minor things add up. Try a few out before you buy one.
Tear-off Tools
There are quite a few different varieties of tear-off tool, be they modified shovels, pitchforks, or unique creations. If the provided tools don’t do it for you, experiment with some of them.
Shoes
Work boots don’t usually work particularly well on a roof. Soft-soled boots and shoes work best on high-pitch roofs. Standard hiking shoes are often good choices, although tread which is too aggressive can mar shingles on a hot day. Steel-toed boots are almost never effective and will usually seriously hamper your ability to move around on a roof.
Employee FAQ
How many nails go in each shingle?
4 nails MUST be applied directly to the nail line on every shingle. If even one of these nails falls even a tiny amount outside the nail line, then there are not enough nails in the shingle. Therefore it is strongly recommended that you use 5 nails per shingle.
What exposure should I apply shingles at?
5 ½ inches.
Why?
The manufacturer recommends that shingles be applied at 5 ⅝” exposure. This is certainly adequate, however, applying shingles at 5 ½” provides a more pronounced and clean dimensional appearance, allows runs to be easily adjusted for continuing, perfect, application, provides a small amount of additional wind resistance, and ensures that minor flaws in application technique can be easily corrected.
But 5 ⅝ is plenty! It saves time and material!
No. I mean, yes. It does save time and material. And technically, it is plenty. But we’re not aiming for plenty. We’re aiming for the best job we can possibly do for our customers. 5 ⅝ exposure looks ok from above, but the lap lines begin to become visible quickly from below, which is, incidentally, the angle from which most people view their roof. That extra eighth inch is the difference between a clean install and a perfect install. Make up the material by wasting less on your edges and by making fewer mistakes.
My kneepads are uncomfortable! Do I have to wear them all of the time?
Yes. Your kneepads are a vital piece of equipment for safety, productivity, and yes, even comfort. Once you become accustomed to them, they’re an extra pair of feet. They give you extra points of contact with the work surface, save wear on your back, and automatically grip if you begin to slip. They place you closer to the shingles you’re applying, letting you go faster and be more accurate. They promote a more aggressively solid stance which will keep you safer, and at the end of the day, your back will love you for bending over less and kneeling down more. Did I mention, extra points of contact? That means more grip less slip. Wear them.
How do I tuck shingles under a valley on a dormer, reverse gable, or descending wall?
This is one of the questions that even experienced roofers occasionally have trouble with. The long answer is covered in a video lesson. The short answer is: Ideally, the shingles (and the Ice Guard below them) are run up the wall as if the valley overhang weren’t even there. That gives 12-16 inches of overhang to prevent ice and snow buildup, and then the valley and valley ice guard are overlaid atop the shingles. This might necessitate removing the gutter or even the soffiting underneath, but that’s the only right way to do it. In the rare occasions that this is impossible, such as when the overhang is fastened structurally to the roof below, ice guard and tins must be applied beneath the fascia on the eave of the dormer/ top roof, again, BEFORE the valley is installed.
What end do I start cap on?
You apply cap INTO the direction of the prevailing weather, so that the wind blows over the lap rather than under it. Generally, in NE ohio, this means that you start on the north or east side, as the weather comes from the southwest.
Of course, this guide is far from comprehensive. For more information, check out our video series or ask your supervisor!