When it comes to having a roof installed on your home, the roof nails and how they’re installed play an important role in your roof. You see it’s all about the placement of roofing nails, and how they are fastened into shingles and decking that determines a good roofing installation.
For this article, we are discussing the difference between hand nailing and using a nail gun. While both methods are approved by shingle manufacturers Luso Roofing believes the old-fashioned method of manually nailing shingles is the best way to install roofing shingles and we will explain why.
The first thing to point out is that every shingle has a nail line. It’s an area of the shingle where manufacturers explain that the nails must be installed on the line. Please take note that this is not a large area, therefore, precise placement is a must to ensure that the shingles will catch the shingle underneath and will hold to the decking below. Hence, fastening the line with an air gun with one hundred percent accuracy is an extremely difficult task to do.
Nail guns are used for one thing which is speed, which is to the benefit of the installer and the roofing company, and not to the homeowner! The faster the job gets done the quicker the installer can get on to the next roof. Do not misunderstand us, we are not saying a nail gun can not be used properly, they can! The problem is that most roofing contractors do not take the time to properly configure the PSI of the nail gun and tend to rush through installing the shingles. Most roofing contractors do not take the time to correct mis-fastened nails and continue nailing the shingles. If you do hire a roofing contractor that uses a gun nail you must ask them to slow down and take their time even if it takes a couple of hours or days longer.
Now that you have seen how a nail gun is used to install shingles, let us show you how hand nailing differs. When installing the nails manually the nails are installed on the shingle nail line with one hundred percent accuracy. The nail is also properly fastened and flat with the shingle with no arch, over-driving and/or under-driving. The roofing job will take longer, however, it will benefit you the homeowner!
Now that you have seen from just a few of our examples, nothing beats the good old-fashioned hand nail way! Unless you’re in a hurry use a nail gun. If not call us for an estimate or assessment! From yours truly, Luso Roofing & Contracting Inc. a strictly hand-nailing company (647)866-6213.