Here’s How to Fix Your Missing Roof Shingles Quickly

Florida weather is no joke.  Wind and rain storms can blow through in a hurry, leaving communities a mess and battering our homes and roofs. Perhaps you saw that your roof has lost a shingle or two following a storm. This is a guide for how to fix missing roof shingles yourself.

Luckily, handy homeowners can complete small repairs to missing or damaged shingles. As with all roof work, safety is important. You should not work on roofs with steep inclines that require special procedures to prevent falls. As long as you are safe up there, you can easily learn how to replace missing shingles. 

Replacing Missing Roof Shingles

What you’ll need: Pry bar, new shingles, a utility knife, four nails per shingle, sealant and a caulking gun.

1. Find and purchase a bundle of roof shingles that match your existing roof. You may have shingles remaining from the roof’s installation. If you have them, use these shingles for an exact match.
2. Hold off until a dry day to perform the repair. Wet or overly hot weather can create hazards for you.
3. Place the ladder in a stable, solid location and carry your tools and supplies up to the roof where you’ll be working. If someone can hold the ladder while it’s in use, that’s safer.
4. Take a pry bar and lift the section of intact shingles immediately above the damaged or missing shingles. You should see the row of nails holding down the damaged shingles.
5. Pry up the damaged shingles or any remnants of the missing roof shingles still attached.
6. Use the curved end of your pry bar to remove the nails. Two rows of nails typically secure shingles. Use your pry bar to expose the second row and remove those nails, too.
7. Set the damaged roof shingles aside to be disposed of later.
8. Slide the new shingle into place. Make sure that it is straight. If just one piece of a three-tab shingle is damaged, then you can cut a single tab from a section of the new shingle to install it. Carefully use a utility knife to cut the replacement piece.
9. Nail the new shingle to the roof deck. Each four-foot section of three-tab shingles needs four nails.
10.  Resecure the roof shingles above the repair area by re-nailing them.
11.  Load the sealant into the caulking gun. Seal the shingle flaps down on each other to create a smooth surface.

Professional Help for Missing Roof Shingles Roof work can be stressful, intimidating and scary for those with little experience. If you’d rather have professionals care for your home’s biggest protection from the weather, call John Hogan Roofing at (727) 203-5905. We have 25 years of experience in roofing using top-quality materials. We can offer a free estimate for your roof work. We pride ourselves on providing homeowners in Clearwater, St. Petersburg and surrounding communities with excellent residential roofing repair and replacement. As a full-service roofing contractor, we also offer roof inspections. Roofing materials we use include asphalt shingles, as well as tile roofing and metal roofing.