Hand Nail vs Nail Gun- Cary Roof Replacements

When evaluating a roof quote one of the questions we are often asked is which is better? Hand nailing or gun nailing?

We have seen photos of competitors showing shingles falling off the roof because they were gun nailed and supposedly shot through the shingles. It has been our experience after installing/replacing over 5000 roofs in the last 25 years that the general problem associated with shingles loosening is not from the gun nails but from the location at which the nails were installed.

There is a specific nail line on all asphalt shingles. For proper performance and warranty protection the nails must be installed on that line. When shingles become loose on a roof most of the time the nails have been hit high on the shingle. The nails installed are missing the nail line and miss the shingle directly below it. After a few years these shingles will loosen once the tar sealing strip wears out.

We have also found that often those who hand nail leave out nails in order to save time. Shingles that should be lifted and a nail installed are purposefully overlooked in order to speed up the process. We know this because we see it when we remove older roofs.

All shingle manufacturers accept gun nailing as a proper installation method. This is included in their extended 50 year labor and material warranties. Compressors can be and are adjusted to accommodate weather conditions so the nails are not shot through the shingles. Our installers understand the nails must be installed on the nail line for proper performance.

It is our policy that we will gun nail unless it is specifically requested by the home owner. We will then hand nail and do this for an extra charge. For a true upgrade we can gun nail 6 nails per shingle. This is a proven method to improve the performance of the shingles and improve the likelihood that the shingles will not blow off in high winds. All manufacturers upgrade their wind warranty to 130 mph for the first 10 years with 6 nails per shingle.

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