Staples for wood shed roof?

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Dajolu

Member
Nov 27, 2023
105
Long Island, NY
I would like to put asphalt shingles on a wood shed I’m planning on building. I would like to use staples because I own a pneumatic stapler and hoping to make the shingle job quick. I could used roofing nails but it’s going to take me a lot longer to hand nail them in I think and do not want to invest to much time in this. I know staples are not allowed when installing asphalt shingles on a house/garage, etc but I am hoping since it’s just a wood shed it may be ok? Any thoughts?
 
IMHO, if the roof ever fails due to failed shingles, its highly unlikely that it would be worth filing an insurance claim so why not?. My guess is its fairly low structure with low wind exposure.

FWIW, for quite a long time staples were legal for shingles as long as the shingles was rated for them, when did that change?
 
Depends on where you are in NY.
On Long Island I'd nail them, tropical storms....

I nailed my 200 sq ft woodshed roof shingles. Didn't take all that long.
If you're worried about them blowing off (despite the minor change consequences for it being a wood shed roof), then nail them. The time savings of not nailing them are not worth the persistent worry with ever storm.
 
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Your shed your choice. Heard a great quote today on a handyman show. You spend half of the time avoiding mistakes and the other half fixing them.
 
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I live on Long Island. Yea it does get windy here.. I guess I should just go with nails. Was hoping someone would say “hey, this length staple should hold up fine on a small wood shed roof” but I guess I should just do it right the first time..
 
You could rent a roofing nail gun for a day ...... problem is you would have to buy a case of nails when only a few coils would bee needed for a small job.
 
I think It's not the length of the staple that is th main issue; even for long enough staples, it's the holding power of the shingle; compare the head of a roofing nail versus the surface area of a staple.
 
I think It's not the length of the staple that is th main issue; even for long enough staples, it's the holding power of the shingle; compare the head of a roofing nail versus the surface area of a staple.
In the case of plywood, a staple will usually pull easier then a nail. In decades of reroofing, I've only had the occasional staple put up a fight.
 
How big is the shed going to be? Can't take that long to hand nail. Go on your local town facebook page. Maybe you can borrow one for a weekend.
 
Yup nail it. The bigger nail head is harder for the shingle to rip thru then that the wire staple.