3 Fast and Easy Roofing Repair Tips

Do you have a leak in your roof? It’s likely that you can locate and fix them yourself. Act fast, because a roof leak will not go away on its own. Small leaks can lead to much bigger problems later on that can cost equal parts money and frustration. Save yourself that heartbreak by using one of these methods that will either fix your roof, or hold it together long enough until you can get a more long-term fix. If you’re not crazy about fixing the problem yourself and prefer to use roof repair experts, call us! Here is a guide to fixing a few different types of roofing leaks.

#1: Missing Nail

If you keep trying to pinpoint where the small leak is coming from but can’t seem to find it, look at the underside of the roof. You are looking for what is called a shiner- this is a nail that missed the framing member. This happens when the carpenter accidentally nailed the roof sheathing to the rafters. You want to look for this on a cooler night, because moisture from your cold attic will likely condense on the nails. This will cause the nail to appear frosted. Later, when the attic warms back up during daylight, the frost turns into water and drips. If this is the source of your leak, you can use side-cutting pliers to clip the nail. All fixed!

#2: A Small Hole in the Roof

If you discover that there is a small hole in your roof that is the source of the leak, this next tip is for you. This trick isn’t guaranteed, but it is likely to buy you some more time before you can get it more professionally fixed. You need 12×12 in galvanized sheet metal flashing, which is sold at nearly any home improvement store. Tilt the damaged shingle upwards and slide the sheet metal in, covering the hole. For this fix you may need to pull up a nail or two so you can slide the sheet metal in as far as it needs to go. Just keep in mind that this fix is temporary, so even when the leaking stops, be looking into what you can do get get a more permanent fix.

#3: Anything Larger Than a Small Hole

If you realize that more serious damage has been done to your roof that you can’t use the temporary sheet metal fix from tip #2, you may want to purchase some polyethylene sheeting. You’ll want to unroll this heavy sheeting onto the problem area on your roof, adding about 4 feet past the leak on all sides. Next, wrap one of the ends of plastic around a 2×4, and staple them together. You should then sandwich the plastic sheeting in between two 2×4’s and nail them together. You should put this sandwiched plastic sheeting contraption at the edge of your roof, and sandwich the other end of the plastic sheeting by two other 2×4’s so your plastic is not blown away by the wind. At no point should this be nailed to the roof itself, and just remember to proceed with caution when working with heights.