Shingle Repair in Rahway, NJ

Why a missing shingle matters more than it looks

Shingles overlap so that each row hides the nails and seams of the row beneath it. Take one away and you expose those nails and the underlayment to rain and sun. Underlayment isn't designed to be the only thing between your house and the weather, and it won't last long on its own.

Problems a roofer can fix with a shingle repair

• Shingles blown off along the edges, rakes or ridge after wind
• Tabs that have lifted and lost their seal
• Cracks from age, especially on sunny south- and west-facing slopes
• Nails that have backed out and pushed up the shingle above ("nail pops")
• Damage from a branch or from someone walking on the roof
• Worn ridge caps along the peak

How it's done

The roofer loosens the shingles above the damaged one, pulls the old nails, slides in a replacement, nails it in the right spot and reseals the row so wind can't get under it. Lifted shingles that aren't creased can often just be resealed. A careful repair is hard to spot from the ground.

Matching color and style

New shingles won't always be a perfect match on an older roof - colors fade and products get discontinued. On the back of the house, a close match is usually fine. On the front, some homeowners prefer to redo a whole section so it looks uniform.

Black streaks and moss

Dark streaks running down a roof are usually algae, common on shaded slopes. They're mostly cosmetic. Moss is different - it holds water against the shingles and can lift them, so it's worth dealing with. Never pressure-wash a shingle roof; it strips the granules and shortens the roof's life.

When it's not really a shingle repair

If shingles crack when touched, curl across whole slopes or keep blowing off in every storm, the roof itself is worn out. Repairs then only buy time - see roof replacement.