Roofing

[B.Rock]

So I'm planning to reroof my house. I've got one layer of composite shingles and I'm going over the top of them, with composite again. Anyone have any particular favorite brands?

[NAKID]

No particular brand but be advised. Since they are made from asphalt, they fluctuate with the price of fuel...

[DCXCV]

GAF is the one I've seen most often between working for a contractor, roofer and major home builder.

[B.Rock]

GAF is the one I've seen most often between working for a contractor, roofer and major home builder.

I'll look at GAF - thanks!
any others?

[Grampa]

I made Elk shingles for a few years, they were just bought out by GAF.

FWIW...remove the old layer first.

[ducpainter]

Lots of roofers use IKO in the northeast

Lots use GAF.

I have IKO architectural on my house and barn.

This winter tore off a few of the extra tabs.

[Ddan]

Most any major brand will be as good as another in the same price range.  No one has a magic process that makes theirs better than some one else's. 

+1 on stripping the old ones.  The additional heat they collect will shorten the life of the new ones.   And.  Stripping shingles is fun.     

[SacDuc]

Most any major brand will be as good as another in the same price range.  No one has a magic process that makes theirs better than some one else's. 

+1 on stripping the old ones.  The additional heat they collect will shorten the life of the new ones.   And.  Stripping shingles is fun.     

+2

Also, safety lines are for pussies.

sac




/kidding, stay safe and tie yourself off.
// and wear your helmet

[Speedbag]

Roofing sucks. 

I highly recommend stripping the original layer of shingles. Your new roof will tend to last longer.

As for brands, well my house had Certainteed 20-year shingles on it. My house is 14 years old this summer, and needed to be re-roofed last fall. YMMV. 

[Kaveh]

+1 to stripping the first layer. 

The thought of stripping the roof sucks, but imagine stripping 2 layers next time 

[B.Rock]

Really, on the stripping? I didn't imagine them getting that much hotter... Stripping them off is a high % of the total cost, hence not planning to. They're pretty thin, if that matters. 
These are 51 years old and they're overdue. Not terrible but their time has come and passed [by a long ways]. Fortunately most of my roof is a fairly flat 4:12 pitch, so unless I get into the Hamm's too much my neighbor and I shouldn't fall off.
I'll steer clear of the Certainteed. That's not a very encouraging story. Temp and sun aren't too bad here at all but we do get some wind.

[herm]

metal

last forever, looks good the whole time

[B.Rock]

metal

last forever, looks good the whole time

make the beast with two backs that
went on a fatal fire exacerbated by metal roofing

mostly it's just not my bag. though I see the appeal.

[Bun-bun]

1) Yes, strip the old shingles. Not only will it extend the life of the new shingles, it will also make the new roof look better. Also, when you strip, you will be able to see any rot in the underlayment before it gets too bad.
2) Before you shingle, lay down a layer of roofing felt. Lay this in horizontal rows starting from the edge of the roof, and overlapping by 6-8" every course. Roofing felt comes in 15# and 30# rolls. I prefer the 30#, but the 15# is cheaper.
3) When you shingle, the first row of shingles goes on upside down(The tabs face up.), and then a course goes on directly over them right side up.
4) When you nail the shingles, use 5 nails per shingle, one at each end, and one in the middle of each tab, above the tar line. This provides significantly more wind resistance than 4 nails per shingle.
5) Brands are about equal, the differences are in the "year" designation. The more years, the heavier duty the shingle(and the higher the price.) On my own house, I used 40 year, 5 tab, architectural shingles. Unless specified, I use 25 year shingles on customers homes. We live on th coast, and get 60-70MPH gusts on a regular basis. Haven't lost a shingle since I re-roofed in October '04.
6 Try to pick a cool day, or start at 5am. 80 degrees on the ground equals 120 on the roof.
\
Good luck, man.

[Ddan]

1) Yes, strip the old shingles. Not only will it extend the life of the new shingles, it will also make the new roof look better. Also, when you strip, you will be able to see any rot in the underlayment before it gets too bad.
2) Before you shingle, lay down a layer of roofing felt. Lay this in horizontal rows starting from the edge of the roof, and overlapping by 6-8" every course. Roofing felt comes in 15# and 30# rolls. I prefer the 30#, but the 15# is cheaper.
3) When you shingle, the first row of shingles goes on upside down(The tabs face up.), and then a course goes on directly over them right side up.
4) When you nail the shingles, use 5 nails per shingle, one at each end, and one in the middle of each tab, above the tar line. This provides significantly more wind resistance than 4 nails per shingle.
5) Brands are about equal, the differences are in the "year" designation. The more years, the heavier duty the shingle(and the higher the price.) On my own house, I used 40 year, 5 tab, architectural shingles. Unless specified, I use 25 year shingles on customers homes. We live on th coast, and get 60-70MPH gusts on a regular basis. Haven't lost a shingle since I re-roofed in October '04.
6 Try to pick a cool day, or start at 5am. 80 degrees on the ground equals 120 on the roof.
\
Good luck, man.

Before you start, you want to read the manufacturers instruction for nail sched and underlayment spec.  If you deviate from that they will not warranty the roof, even if your change had nothing to do with the problem.  Any shingle I've put down called for the nail to go below the tar strip.  I've never laid a 5-tab shingle, but on a traditional 3-tab if you put the nails in the center of the tab it will be exposed when you lay the next course.  High wind nailing calls for a nail on each end and two nails over each cut-out instead of one.  +1 on the cool day, or at least no direct sun.