Installing Asphalt shingles in cold weather?

[RichardNorman]

I'm building a small lean to sort of bump out off my garage in the back and have all of the framing, sheething, etc done at this point. I have the roof sheething on and am about to do the shingles.

While talking to the guys at 84 Lumber, the topic of roofing in the cold (between 30 and 40 degrees currently) comes up. To be honest, I never even thought about it being an issue but now I am.

One guy tells me I need to keep the shingles inside and warm and only bring them out as I work to install them. His take is that if they are exposed to the cold for too long before installation, they will be more likely to crack or split when I nail them on. In fact, he tells me I should put if off til we get a heat wave of a couple 50 degree days.

Other guy says the cracking isn't an issue and proceed as normal.

They both also told me I need to use a couple dabs of tar adhesive with each shingle as well since the tar won't get warm enough to stick to the shingle beneath it…..which I hadn't thought of either.

Anyone here have a take on this? I don't want to do this and then have to redo it later.

Thanks

Rich

 

[rodnok1]

They are easier to handle when warm that's for sure. If you can keep them in a garage, your hands will thank you. As for the tar dealio I'd skip it, esp on a small area. They'll melt together first hot day and unless you're expecting a hurricane anytime before then save your money.

 

[MScott]

I shingled my first house when it was around 0*F and they lasted more than 25 years before needing replacement. I didn't use tar either. Biggest issue I remember having was that it was so cold my fingers were frozen numb and I kept hitting them with a hammer. I would suggest using a power nailer. The only shingles we had a problem with were the caps and we kept those inside until they were thawed enough to bend without breaking.

 

[Stuart in MN]

In Minnesota they shingle roofs year round without issues. You do have to be more careful in cold weather as they can crack, but it can be done. I don't think you'll need to add tar, either; the tabs won't stick down right away, but even on a 30 degree day if it's sunny out the roof deck will be surprisingly warm and they'll eventually stick themselves down.

 

[tcianci]

You have the stright skinny from the guys above. Although you will be cold the shingles will be fine. Skip the tar. I would bet serious money that you will regret getting the stuff nearly everywhere but where you want it. Even though it's a small area, a nail gun which allows you to keep your hands in a nice warm glove is a big help. Be sure to keep the cap shingles warm if you're doing a ridge but you posted that you're doing a lean to so you should be ok.

 

[Stuart in MN]

If you've ever shingled a roof in July, you'll realize that doing it in January instead isn't necessarily a bad thing.

 

[garage_man]

you will be fine, i'm a contractor here in mn and we do it all the time, if you wanna be **** about it you can dab some roofing caulk under them, but once it heats up to 50 or so degrees and the sun comes out, they will seal themselves and you wont have any issues, we have had the guys shovel them off in below zero and install with not problems.

Good luck

 

[RichardNorman]

Thanks guys.

I did plan to rent a roof nailer for the very reasons you all mentioned. 3 or 4 nails a shingle adds up.

 

[Gary S]

The old interlock shingles could be installed in any weather you could handle them without breaking them, but I haven't seen them available anymore today. The 3 tabs rely on a sticky glue on the underside to seal them together. I've seen lots of them blow off in the winter if they were freshly installed in the Fall after the hot weather was over and they never got warm enough to seal into place. The architectual shingles are supposed to be stronger than the 3 tabs, but still need to seal into place with some heat from what I read. I have no experience with them yet.
My temperatures here are cold enough from October through April that installing 3 tabs during that time is a mistake.

 

[RichardNorman]

standard 3 tab is what I'm talking about.....so you feel it's not a good idea then it sounds like.

I found roofing adhesive in a caulk like tube so it's easily used. I will go ahead with the installation and use a dab of adhesive under each tab just to be safe. Says it's able to be applied down to -10 degrees so I should be good.

 

[Treorp55]

I would never put 3 tab on anything i own or suggest them to anyone. Architectual shingles are not that much more expensive, are a lot stronger, and look 10 times better.

 

[RichardNorman]

yeah.....but my house is already done with the 3 tab so I'm going to match it up with the house.

 

[Hammerdown]

I would never put 3 tab on anything i own or suggest them to anyone. Architectual shingles are not that much more expensive, are a lot stronger, and look 10 times better.

And a lot easier to run and look good without getting out of line like a three tab can. If you aren't used to laying shingles you can start to "snake" the 3-tabs and get the rain lines out of whack.

 

[Paco Pena]

I put myself through university as a roofer. It was strictly a summer job for me but I have roofed my own home and shop. I would not be doing a big job in the winter. I would patch or tarp and do it right in the spring. At temperatures in the 30's the shingles will be brittle. They will adhere to themselves once the heat and sun activate the adhesive later in the year though.

Paco

 

[sberry]

Obviously its a lot nicer and easier to work in decent weather, I might watch the report to give myself some advantage if I can help it. I just did some sno removal in anticipation of couple warm sunny days which have failed to appear.

 

[djd99]

And a lot easier to run and look good without getting out of line like a three tab can. If you aren't used to laying shingles you can start to "snake" the 3-tabs and get the rain lines out of whack.

Exactly I would never install 3 tab anymore, we have an open field in my back yard witch create strong winds. 3 tab shingles will blow off every summer and fall switch to architectural 3d shingles and haven't had a problem since.

 

[beltfeed]

Thanks guys.

I did plan to rent a roof nailer for the very reasons you all mentioned. 3 or 4 nails a shingle adds up.

You may want to buy a good nailer. If you can get it all done in a day or two renting may be the way to go. Anymore then that just buy one and sell it on Craigslist or Ebay when you are done with it, it will end up costing you less. Plus a lot of rental tools have the daylights beat out of them.

 

[tcianci]

Don't worry about the rental equipment...that's why you rent it! If you want to drop a few bucks go to HF and get an 80 dollar gun. 3 tabs may be old style but in fact they will work fine, you just have to keep your eye on the layout as has been mentioned. Again, stay away from the roof cement, you will have a mess. You would do well to consult the manufacturers website as to application specifics. I'm not trying to give you a hard time and I in fact offered my own suggestions but the manufacturer makes sure that stuff like this is covered in their install instructions. My guess that it's just more fun to throw your questions out to a bunch of "armchair experts" than to just get the real deal from the guys who make the stuff and warranty the stuff.

 

[pop pop]

My roofer had a problem with the gun driving the nail into the shingle causing it to break around the nail. Did most of them shallow, not driven all the way, then hand hammered them down flush. But these were dimensional, thick lifetime ones.

 

[LIVELY]

IT was 10 degrees here the other day and we roofed 16 squares that day[architecture style]--we hand nail in the colder area of the roof but power nailed all the rest----just keep your HANDS warm and keep PLENTY of bandages on hand for those misdirected hits

 

[OccupantRJ]

When you are going to put the shingles on the roof, fire up a heater of some sort in the room and let the heat rise to warm the sheathing as much as possible, with the shingles stored in the room with the heat to loosen them up. Having a shed roof, it's likely not too high off the ground. Maybe you can have someone pass them up a few at a time to allow you to keep moving. The heat in the room might even help with sealing, if the sun is shining on the roof that day. The 3 tab shingles I have used several times before have a pair of linear alignment slits in the ends of the shingles to help you keep the rows straight and help you set the exposure. Most people turn the bottom shingle upside down and move on, but in reality the manufacturer I use says to cut the tabs off the first row and install right side up. This gives you a sealing area at the lower edge of the roof, instead of 5 inches up, to help prevent wind uplift at the edge of the roof.

 

[HookWorse]

Aren't you glad you asked? I'll bet you are more confused than ever.

 

[RichardNorman]

Aren't you glad you asked? I'll bet you are more confused than ever.

Exactly!!

Considering it really is just a shed of sorts, I'm not sweating the straight lines...3 tab is good enough. It won't be hard to keep the lines straight for the size in question.

As far as working in the cold....I will proceed once I get a couple decent days. I will keep the shingles in my house to keep them nice and warm and take them out as needed. It's a small and low roof and we're only talking 3 bundles here.

 

[RichardNorman]

As an update, we got a bunch of snow the day after Christmas in my area followed by a couple days in the 40s and then yesterday it was like 52.

Bought my shingles, kept them in my house (about 67 degrees) overnight and installed them yesterday. I ended up hand nailing them afterall but everything seemed to go fine. No problem with the shingles cracking or anything. We got a pretty good rain over night and everything was dry in the shed.

I will say the tar strips were actually completely hard and not tacky at all at those temps so I can certainly see the advantage of installing them in the heat. Hopefully the roofing will stand up to any wind we see this winter.

 

[jhelrey]

I would not worry about it, esp. if you have a bundle left. The worse you may do is replace a few.

 

[JJ13]

Thread revival. I just had new shingles installed. The contractor is not very good with communicating and I believe the cracked shingles are because it was too cold to install. He insisted he could do it now instead of waiting until next Spring. The pitch is 4 in 12 or 5 in 12 at most so the bend isn't extreme but at least 12-15 shingles are cracked over the ridge. With water/snow getting into those cracks (some are large enough that my finger fits into the hole) and freezing I foresee future leakage issues at the two ridges.

It was overcast 30-40F with no sun. The shingles weren't warm, they sat on the cold drive.They are Timberline HD which seem to be lower level architectural shingles. Should I request the cracked peak shingles be replaced? Will the entire line need to be removed (two peaks) to fix the issue?

The other issue is my insurance claim estimate says R&R chimney flashing (~$500) but they reused many pieces and left the top, outer portion that is rusted through in a few spots on the top edge. They say they will replace but gave me no date. Can chimney flashing be replaced properly AFTER the shingles are already installed?

I've been communicating through text so I have written proof. Also, they didn't even lace the shingle over the flashing at one lower corner. There is a hole where water can run down the garage shingles, under the flashing and into that hole. At best it'll only get under the shingles and rot out the decking. At worst it'll get into attic space and living room wall.

I am going to text again Monday morning and ask him to walk the roof while off Tuesday to show the above mentioned issues and a few torn shingles as well as the antenna wire they ripped off and never re-attached. It needs a new outdoor transformer end tray only cost $1.50 but it's the principle. They didn't even try to loosen the thumb screws to take the wire off.

Any comments and advice are greatly appreciated. Looks like I need an invoice to submit to insurance to get them to release the check. If work isn't done properly before next Summer (chimney flashing ASAP), I'll send a certified letter outlining the issues that need to be resolved before the final payment is released. They have an A- BBB rating and were highly recommend from a neighbor but the crew he hired wasn't very good seeing the problems.

I guess they don't often get owners that go ono the roof to inspect. My grandfather was a carpenter and father who died when I was 13 worked replacing siding, windows, and did a few roofs. I'm not the average owner even if I have no direct experience myself.

Thanks again,
Jess

 

[NUTTSGT]

If the insurance company is paying the claim for previous damages (why roof was replaced) I would be getting them involved. They have deeper pockets than the roofer and should be able to get it corrected easier than you.


Sounds like the roof is a hack or being cold outside, he wanted to finish up so he could get back inside or to warmer jobs.

 

[Davediesel]

I was a roofer in Pennsylvania and shingled in all weather conditions. You won’t have any issues putting them down in winter weather. If you’ve never used a nail gun however, I would recommend hand nailing. Ensuring the gun is set to the correct psi and the nails are driven straight into the shingle can take some practice.

 

[matt_i]

If I was going to install in cold weather, I'd build some kind of a plywood box I could heat with a little space heater. The shingles bend and cut a lot easier when they are warm. I have done most roofing in spring time and letting them sit in the direct sun for about 30 minutes usually does the trick.

Flashings are something I see done wrong a lot because its time consuming and probably hard to make a profit at it. Chimney flashings are often bedded into notches cut into the mortar joint in the brickwork. But step-flashings should be redone as the layers are built up and not reused because its convenient and fast. I've heard of roofers being paid by the square which circumvents the time it takes to properly do the detail work.

 

[JJ13]

I was a roofer in Pennsylvania and shingled in all weather conditions. You won’t have any issues putting them down in winter .

What? I'm not installing shingles. The contractor needs to get one of his roofers to fix a few issues.

Nuttsgt, my insurance won't help resolve anything. It says in the estimate that they don't hire the repair company and will have nothing to do with them if they do poor work, or something like that with more accurate lawyer talk. I'm on my own fighting this battle if they don't come back. I don't think it's unreasonable to expect shingles to be intact(uncracked) or the shingle/flashing weave to direct water away rather than into the structure. Or to reuse 17-20+ year old rusted flashing when they are being paid $450 to R&R said flashing.

I should have bought a stapler and nail gun and tackled the job myself since the slope is so low.

 

[bob from indiana]

I had a roof put on in cold weather.NEVER AGAIN! Itwas a complete failure, shingles blew off and never sealed. The roofer had to do a complete new roof to settle with us.

 

[bushmechanic]

I'm building a small lean to sort of bump out off my garage in the back and have all of the framing, sheething, etc done at this point. I have the roof sheething on and am about to do the shingles.

While talking to the guys at 84 Lumber, the topic of roofing in the cold (between 30 and 40 degrees currently) comes up. To be honest, I never even thought about it being an issue but now I am.

One guy tells me I need to keep the shingles inside and warm and only bring them out as I work to install them. His take is that if they are exposed to the cold for too long before installation, they will be more likely to crack or split when I nail them on. In fact, he tells me I should put if off til we get a heat wave of a couple 50 degree days.

Other guy says the cracking isn't an issue and proceed as normal.

They both also told me I need to use a couple dabs of tar adhesive with each shingle as well since the tar won't get warm enough to stick to the shingle beneath it…..which I hadn't thought of either.

Anyone here have a take on this? I don't want to do this and then have to redo it later.

Thanks

Rich

You can indeed install shingles in cold weather. It's just stupid. It's dangerous, prone to leave you with a leak, and pretty much ten times the pain in the *** it would be otherwise.

Heat them up, or wait for a reasonably warm, sunny day. You'll hate it otherwise, and might end up hurting yourself. It's much more difficult to carry cold shingles.

 

[Firebrick43]

I have seen roofs put on in the cold that fail to adhear. Typically light colored and the weather was cold and windy. The dust from surrounding plowed fields blow up and under the shingle and the dust doesn't allow the tar strips to stick the the shingle above(or below depending on the brand/style).

but rear the label on the shingles. They will tell you exactly what to do! Yet very few read and follow them.

 

[oldmxracer]

I have done hundreds of roofs in My life time, while warmer weather is preferred sometimes there is no choice !

The roof is on now ! The OP has some concerns !

JJ13 can You post some pictures of Your problem areas ?

 

[Lunker]

Shouldn't be an issue if the sun is out

 

[rlitman]

Shouldn't be an issue if the sun is out

That depends on the temperature. The sun can only heat things up so much.

A few years back, I remember a building where they shingled the roof early in November. That December a wind storm came by and stripped the roof bare. There were probably less than 20 shingles left attached. If the adhesive doesn't have the heat to melt, half of the roof's strength is compromised until the weather gets sufficiently warm.

I would not accept a job where the shingles were cracked. But it seems that this necro thread was not revived to ask that question, as JJ13 already has all the answers (and I'm inclined to agree with his assessment of the situation). I wish you the best of luck in dealing with your contractor.

 

[n20junkie]

The big issue bsides cracking, is that they won't stick down unless they get pretty warm. Until that strip melts and unifies the roof shingles, they are very prone to wind damage.

 

[yeldogt]

I'm not sure were the OP's roof cracked?

Did they weave a valley? or is this the ridge?

 

[Denwood]

We had some roofing work done (commercial) in cold weather. The shingles never did adhere properly as likely dust/debris was blown up into them over our very cold winter. We had shingles blowing off regularly over the next 2-3 yrs until the entire roof was replaced this spring. I timed the job this way to ensure the new shingles would seal quickly.

The two story building is about 9000 sq/ft, slope is around 4:12, sheltering from trees or nearby buildings is pretty much zero.

 

[DieselNut88]

I just roofed a shed I built because I did not want to wait until spring. I did it on a 40 degree day and warmed the shingles in my garage with a torpedo heater. I hope they will seal, but it is not going to get any warmer anytime soon. Pitch is 12/12 so that may help if it gets windy.