Stripping Asphalt Roof Shingles

[mayhem]

Need to get some 9 year old asphalt roof shingles off in order to attach a header board to my roof that will serve as the upper anchor point for my new porch roof. This is a new porch roof over an existing deck.

The shingles has turned into more or less a single large mass, presumably by design in the hot sun to help keep the roof more watertight.

Whats the best way to approach getting the old shingles off there? Big razor knife across the upper edge and spend a very long time cutting, hacking and swearing or is there a good method here? Or should I just lay the header boards on the existing roof and nail/screw the suckers right through the existing shingles?

I'll be using PT 2x10's as the header plate, about 24' long across the roof, roughly half the overall length of the roof.

Thanks for any advice!

edit: Link to a much earlier thread about this very topic.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/72093/

 

[firefighterjake]

Shingle shovel?

 

[mayhem]

Dunno what that is, but I'll presume its not a medical device.

I'll check the hardware store I guess.

 

[firefighterjake]

http://www.amazon.com/Qualcraft-54-Inch-Shingle-Removal-2560P/dp/B0000VUNTM

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=022N5CT3VSB80JQ55GMF

(broken link removed to http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Search?keyword=shingle+shovel&selectedCatgry=SEARCH+ALL&langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053&Ntpc=1&Ntpr=1)

I imagine your local hardware store might have something like this . . .

 

[mayhem]

Cool, looks like jsut what I'll need.

 

[kettensäge]

Definately remove the old roofing.

An ordinary flat nosed shovel works too.

This sounds like you are not replacing the roof just clearing an area to attach new framing?

If so just try to tear them off starting fom the uphill side.

 

[Reggie Dunlap]

Either a stripping shovel or a flat bar, depending on many square have to be removed. It will go quicker than you think.

Or you could leave them and frame the new porch on top. You'll just have to get some sort of flashing between the new roof and the old.

 

[pastera]

Assuming you are keeping part of the old roof, you will need to weave the new roof under the old shingles.

Use a putty knife to separate the tabs from the shingle below it

Use a shingle ripper to pull the lower shingle one row up from the joining line (this is where you will weave the new singles into the old roof)
http://www.acehardwaresuperstore.com/759-wrecking-bars/17641.html

Use a putty knife to separate the tabs from the shingle below it

When placing the new shingles adust your reveal so that you get the 5" exposure where new meets old.

 

[gpcollen1]

Assuming you are keeping part of the old roof, you will need to weave the new roof under the old shingles.

Use a putty knife to separate the tabs from the shingle below it

Use a shingle ripper to pull the lower shingle one row up from the joining line (this is where you will weave the new singles into the old roof)
http://www.acehardwaresuperstore.com/759-wrecking-bars/17641.html

Use a putty knife to separate the tabs from the shingle below it

When placing the new shingles adust your reveal so that you get the 5" exposure where new meets old.

This is the answer...you need:

- One of those rippers
- Utility knife
- shingle shovel or something like it helps
- Putty/taping knife

That should get you where you want to go. It helps if you get some sun on them...

 

[Ncountry]

Some good advise above. Do not forget that you should strip ~3' higher than you are planning to tie in so you can ice and water the transition zone before you shingle. When that water that formed icicles on the other thread hits the cold well ventilated shed roof there WILL be an ice dam(large or small).

 

[mayhem]

Great advice, thanks.

Its my beleif that alot of that ice is simply not going to form as it seems to come largely from a drafty doorway. I've always gotten 10x more ice directly over the door than to either side of it.

The roof will be similar to my neighbor's in the last photo on the other thread. Figured I'll leave the bottom row or two of existing shingles intact and go up from there. Sounds like I need to make my opening about 4-5 feet tall and 24 feet long.

Either a stripping shovel or a flat bar, depending on many square have to be removed.

I don't know how to answer that question because I don't know what a square is. I've heard the term when guys talk about how many squares of shingles a roof took or something, but a square what? Yard? I'll be doing a space I guess about 120 square feet if I read the advice above correctly. Probably worht the $25 for a cheap shingle shovel from HD.

According to building code I need to build to 50psf load capacity minimum. Does anyone know how to calculate the rafter size and spacing? I'm plannig on using 2x10's for the rafters at 16" OC, but need to make sure I meet or beat code requirements. Town building inspector is a stickler which is good I think...keep me on my toes and my family safe from me cutting corners.

 

[Reggie Dunlap]

A square is 100 sq. feet.

 

[pastera]

Stripping can be done with a flat shovel - slower than a shingle shovel but works

Bone headed the water and ice - don't skip it if the pitch will be less then 3/12, it's cheap enough for the extra protection you get

rafter calc - http://www.awc.org/calculators/span/reversecalc/reversecalc.asp?species=Douglas+Fir-Larch&feet=13&inches=0&member=Rafter+(Snow+Load)&deflectionlimit=L/360&spacing=16&liveload=20&snowload=50&deadload=10&wet=No&incised=No&submit=Calculate+Span+Options

 

[SolarAndWood]

Coal shovel and a wonder bar is more than adequate if it isn't too big. I water and ice 100% of every roof of my own that I do even if it is 12/12. But, I plan on owning the buildings underneath them the rest of my life.

 

[mikeyny]

the shingles will separate easier on a cool morning with less damage. once the sun hits them the tar tabs heat up and stick them together more.

 

[mayhem]

Stripping can be done with a flat shovel - slower than a shingle shovel but works

Bone headed the water and ice - don't skip it if the pitch will be less then 3/12, it's cheap enough for the extra protection you get

rafter calc - http://www.awc.org/calculators/span/reversecalc/reversecalc.asp?species=Douglas+Fir-Larch&feet=13&inches=0&member=Rafter+(Snow+Load)&deflectionlimit=L/360&spacing=16&liveload=20&snowload=50&deadload=10&wet=No&incised=No&submit=Calculate+Span+Options

Bone headed the water and ice? What does that mean?

Thanks for the link. I went there and threw in what I know and got no results. There are alot of fields there that I have never seen before so I don't know what information tyo put in. Time for Mr. Google!

 

[midwestcoast]

the shingles will separate easier on a cool morning with less damage. once the sun hits them the tar tabs heat up and stick them together more.

I've found the exact opposite, that the tar tabs are already stuck like glue & a bit of sun warms the tar & helps them release. The shingles are brittle when cold & bend more when warm. Walking on them when they're warm strips stone off them much more though.
I stripped every shingle of my parents ~2200 sf Ranch with a regular flat-nose spade back when I was 16 or 17. It works well & is useful after.

Seperating the tabs to weeve in new shingles takes a wee bit of patience. Pry with your putty knife slow enough to let the tar stretch & release. Too much force just breaks the tabs.

 

[Hogwildz]

Personally, I'd chalk line the area I want to remove the shingles, get a shitload of hookblades, cut the shingles all the way through at the line(s), and tear it of in big sections from the bottom up. That way your going with the overlaps instead of taking a row at a time. Saves lots of time. then you only have to break the seals on the tabs along the perimeter where you will tie the new shingles in. For that size area, I agree, just ice and water shield the entire area being worked and get it under the existing shingles a good 12" to 18". That there tells you how much of the existing tabs you need to break free in order to do your tie in. To break the tabs free. its hit and miss. At 9 years old they may release fairly easy. I always used a flat bar, as mine are well worn from roofing many years, and don't have a sharp edge or pointed corners that can easily poke through the shingles if a slip or oops happens.
Didn't see it noted, but if you ice & water the entire worked area, you do not need tar paper, be careful walking on the ice & water shield if it is hot out and sunny, as it can slide or the asphalt can slide making for an unsteady surface. Some of the ice and water shield has glass granulars in it, they get in your hands and skin and irritate the crap out of it. Just take your time, and do it right. If you tear of poke through a tab here and there, if they are small, you can use a tube of black jack in a caulk gun and pump some out underneath the tear or hole, and then set the tab down into it(on top of it). If you want to get real fancy, rub some scrap tabs together, collect the granulars, and sprinkle them onto the sealant that oozes through the hole/tear. Press them into it and sprinkle some more on if needed. you will never see it from the ground, or even from 10 feet away. Blends right in. Or carefully go to the next pic line and cut the tab out and run your new shingle to that point.

 

[mayhem]

I agree, just ice and water shield the entire area being worked and get it under the existing shingles a good 12†to 18â€.

How am I going to do this? Aren't the existing shingles about 6-8" tall?

 

[Hogwildz]

I agree, just ice and water shield the entire area being worked and get it under the existing shingles a good 12†to 18â€.

How am I going to do this? Aren't the existing shingles about 6-8" tall?

I am talking about ice & water shield the entire area you tear the shingles off. You don't just butt the ice & water shield against the shingles you leave on around the perimeter of your work area, you have to tuck it under the shingles that remain in place, then shingle over top of it and tie your shingles in around the edges where the existing shingles remain.

 

[mayhem]

I understood about using ice and water over the whole new roof and old roof exposed area. I think I just misunderstood what you meant about tucking the I&W up under the existing shingles. There's no way to get it up a foot under the shingles I'll be leaving in place, but a couple inches of underlap, absolutely.

For the roof structure itself, what do I use once I've got the rafters in place? Is it a layer or two of 1/2" plywood or OSB and cover with the ice and water and then shingles?

Advice is much appreciated.

 

[SnapCracklePop]

I understood about using ice and water over the whole new roof and old roof exposed area. I think I just misunderstood what you meant about tucking the I&W up under the existing shingles. There's no way to get it up a foot under the shingles I'll be leaving in place, but a couple inches of underlap, absolutely.

For the roof structure itself, what do I use once I've got the rafters in place? Is it a layer or two of 1/2" plywood or OSB and cover with the ice and water and then shingles?

Advice is much appreciated.

I'm remembering (from my Habitat for Humanity projects) that we used 1/2" pressure-treated OSB. There also are metal clips about 1 1/2 inches long that look like the letter H from the side. I think they're even called H clips. They go where one sheet of OSB meets another, to strengthen your roof between the roof trusses. Top that with roofing felt and ice-and-water shield, then shingles.

Don't forget a drip edge. And, first row of shingles goes "upside down" (tabs pointing up toward peak), then another first row placed right-side-up, to keep water from getting between the tabs of your first row.

The folks at your building center should fix you right up.

For this project and ANY OTHER project in your house, a valuable resource is a book put out by Habitat for Humanity titled "How to Build a House." They have them in the book section at Lowes.

Good luck!

Nancy

 

[SnapCracklePop]

And you want to follow the "cut once, measure twice" school of thought. Measure. Measure again. Think about it. Measure again.

And snap chalk lines to follow once you've got the measuring thing figured out.

Nancy