New Roof installed, I can see the nail heads?

[BMXKING]

I had roof installed last Fall and I was on the roof recently and I noticed that I can see some of the nail heads, only a few, but I assume this means it has the potential to leak now...right? How can this be corrected? Does that section of the roof need to be redone?

[crothmeier]

you can spread blackjack over the nailheads, but i'd venture to guess that the whole roof may not be nailed correctly. depending on the shingle there is a 1 to 1-1/2 inch strip that the nails are supposed to be in, which is 3-4 inches above where the nails would be visible at. If they are not nailed in that strip this means that down the road if you have blow-off your warranty is void with the shingle company. They will say its an installation issue, and i've seen this happen before. I'd get ahold of the roofing contractor and get him up there and show him your concern.

On the other hand there is always going to be a nail here or there that gets accidentally put in the wrong place. so it might not be the end of the world. dab it with blackjack. spend some time up there and see how many you have

[Farmboy1]

On the other hand there is always going to be a nail here or there that gets accidentally put in the wrong place. so it might not be the end of the world. dab it with blackjack. spend some time up there and see how many you have

I have to disagree. Other then at the peak, there should NEVER be a nail head exposed. This is poor workmanship. The contractor should come back, remove any of these shingles, and reinstall them at his expense. Accidents happen, but they should be fixed before they leave by replacing the shingle. It is not a big deal at the time, but it is a big deal now.

If you see a few, I would have concerns about how the rest of the roof was installed.

[crothmeier]

I agree it should have been fixed by the contractor at the time of the oops. It is possible they missed one, but not many.

Another thing that entered my thoughts about this is that hopefully the contractor is still around, if i remember right this was a hail/storm damage area? Hopefully it wasnt a "storm chaser" that set up a phone and a desk in a rented strip mall space to call themselves "local" and went through with their crews then vanished again in the fall. These guys dont care how or who puts their roofs down as long as they are cheap and fast. they make their money and vanish about as fast as the storm that did the damage came in leaving homeowners with problems and no warranty help.

MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHO IS DOING YOUR WORK! i've heard horror stories.

[BMXKING]

Thanks guys. The contractor is still around and they are coming out to inspect the roof. The problem is that the roof is so steep, I am afraid to get on it. The only reason I saw the nails the first time was I was trying to replace a piece of siding and I had to get on the roof. After about 30 seconds, I had to get down. Too scared about falling off. It appears to be only 1 shingle that is nailed incorrectly, but then again, who knows since I am afrid to be on the darn thing to explore the rest.

If I see more from the ground or binocluars in a differeant area, should expect the roof to be redone. Not sure how to approach this with the contractor. When the roof was done last fall, all of the regulars went down south for the winter, so I had the Junior Varsity team and it took them all week to finish the roof. Should you see the nail on the peak areas at the end of the row, or shold be covered with tar as well?

[Surface Tension]

No you shouldn't see any nails. Even your last nails on the cap can be hidden if a roofer pays Close Attention To Details. This goes onto pausing and pulling out the hammer to flush up every nail that didn't set right with the nailer.

Thing is getting on the roof to correct it could do more damage in the long run then that exposed nail will do. At least schedule a time when the roof is cool.

Three reasons this could happen. A roof jack that was placed incorrectly. Look along the same coarse to see if there are others. A nail that was not set and it came though the next coarse and lastly, just a plain old goof up.

[chad austin]

The first thing I would do is give the contracor the chance to fix their mistake(s) and if they are unwilling to work with you I would call the city of Forest Lake and check to see if the final inspection has been completed, if not point out the mistakes to the inspector and he will make the contractor take the correct measures to complete the repairs.

Chad

[dougger222]

You WILL have exposed nail on every roof that's how it's done, plain and simple.

For example how do you face nail your turtle vents, plumbing vents, exhaust, vents, dormer flashing, and last ridge cap without face nailing? Truth is you nail on top and put some sealant over the nail head to prevent backing out. One thing I know is a gun nail will hold down a lot better than a hand nail.

If you have exposed nails in the roof field that's called low nails and they should be fixed. If those nails pop loose they will leak. I'd rather have my guys put a few low nails (and fix them) here and there than nail too high.

In the past 15 years have personaly put down around 1,000 roofs and have never had an exposed nail leak with or without sealant. Again gun nails will hold down in metals and not back out like hand nails placed in plastic. For the past 3-4 years we put sealant on the exposed nails on the vents, ridge, and dormer flashing.

BTW, the petrolium in caulk will eat the granuals off shingles over time.

[Surface Tension]

dougger, the topic was and exposed nail in the field.