subject: How To Complete A Tear Off A Roof In 5 Steps [print this page] Removing shingles, commonly referred as the rear off, can be done rather quickly. We recommend you that if you are doing your roof and you know that you will not be able to re-shingle the whole roof in one day, tear off one section of the roof at a time, roof that section, then move to the next part of the roof.
The tear off produces a lot of debris and waste. Make sure you prepare for the cleanup. Cover plants, external air conditioning units, furniture, pools, or any other structures or objects that might get damage with a tarp and lean sheets of plywood against the house to protect bushes and the siding.
To dispose of the waste a renting a dumpster is easier, positioning the dumpster below the roof edge, so when you are tearing off old roofing materials, the debris can be dumped from the roof directly into the dumpster. If the dumpster is not practical, set wheelbarrows on tarps as an alternative for catching debris. However, you will need to dispose all the debris in a landfill, these may require several trips. A faster way to work is ask a person to help you and white do the tear off, the other person can pick up all the debris from the floor.
There are basic steps to tear off old shingles. Material and tools you might need to tear off a roof are a hammer, chisel, pry bar, utility knife, roofing shovel or pitchfork, broom, release magnet, rake, tin snips, reciprocating saw, drill, tarps. wheelbarrow or dumpster.
Step one- Remove the ridge cap using a flat pry bar. Pry up the cap shingles at the nail locations.
Step two- Working downward from the peak, tear off the felt paper and old shingles with a roofing shovel or pitchfork.
Step three-Unless flashing is in exceptional condition, remove it by slicing through the roof cement that attaches it to the shingles. You may be able to salvage flashing pieces, such as chimney saddles and crickets, and reuse them.
Step four- After removing the shingles, felt paper, and flashing from the entire section that you tear off, pry out any remaining nails and sweep the roof with a broom.
Step five- If an unexpected delay keeps you from finishing a section of the roof before nightfall, cover any un-shingled sections using tarp weighted down with shingle bundles.
By following this steps you can do a tear off of a roof in your own, but remember that your safety is first and that at any point of the project you feel that you the project is bigger of what you expected and you are not able to handle it, call a professional that can help.
