Repairing the roof is important and requires technical skills that not all people possess. That is why it would be best to leave this project in the hands of a professional Virginia contractor. However, skilled and experience owners can often work too on small scale repairs. For example, replacing a few missing shingles is not so complicated.
You may notice missing shingles after a storm or other aggressive weather phenomena and they must be quickly replaced, to avoid water infiltrations and other problems that they may generate. The method you will use depends on the type of roofing material.
Typically, you must start with purchasing new shingles. Whether you already have a few unused shingles or you purchase new ones, you must make sure their color is not so different from those on the roof, otherwise they will ruin its aspect. Shingles installed on the roof are constantly exposed to the elements, so their color typically fades after a while, so they will look different from unused shingles, kept in a place where they are protected from weather. The best thing is to take out a shingle from the roof and compare it with the replacement shingles, to pick up the best match. Don`t forget about purchasing adhesive and nails too!
Once you have the right replacement shingles and tools you need, you must also use the proper safety precautions before climbing the roof and start working. This means wearing and using protective equipment.
The first step is to check the damaged area. Look for potential damage underneath and also check the surrounding shingles. Some of them may be curled or cracked, in which case you should remove and replace them too.
Use a pry-bar and loose any exposed nails and adhesive. Once the area is clean, start placing new shingles in the same position as those that are missing, then use proper adhesive and new nails to secure them. You can use the other shingles existing on the roof as a guide.
Once you finished replacing the missing shingles, you can take advantage of the fact that that you are on the roof and secure other loose shingles or accessories, to avoid them becoming problematic in the future. In most cases, all you need to do is sticking some adhesive underneath them and re-secure them. If you keep an eye on your roof regularly and replace missing shingles, or rescue loose or weathered shingles, you will increase the lifespan of your roof and reduce bigger and more expensive problems.
However, contacting a roof repair northern Virginia roofer to do the necessary repairs remains the best thing to do if you want to avoid accidents and mistakes. Performing DIY operations may cause unintentional damage that can void warranties and make you unable to use you insurance policy, so it is quite a big risk to take. Think carefully before starting such a project and make sure you know what you are doing. Most people who attempt to perform DIY roof repairs want to save the money they would pay for professional service, but in many cases they end up paying more for the damage they cause.