How To Seal Roof Nails

Wipe the glob of roofing cement over the nail head.

How to seal roof nails.

If your ceiling has a plastic vapor barrier between the drywall and the attic insulation push the insulation aside and look for flow stains on the plastic often water runs to openings in the vapor barrier such as at ceiling light fixtures. I would suggest to remove the nail and put a urethane sealer which can be found at any home store to seal the hole from underneath. Roofing nails sticking up called nail pops might look like an unimportant issue. Fill small nail holes with silicone caulk or roof cement.

The shingles are asphalt backed and this asphalt forms an adequate seal around the nail. The claim was that nails have to pass through a minimum of two layers of shingles. Repeat these steps for each of the exposed nail heads. Don t worry if the glob looks a bit thick.

I ve always considered it necessary to caulk any exposed nail heads on a shingle roof there shouldn t be many. However they can cause leaks particularly if you have an asphalt shingle roof. I must admit i ve seen many builders that do not seal the nail heads. Sometimes the water shows up at a ceiling spot distant from the leak.

Make sure the roofing cement extends to each side of the nail head covering it completely. Apply a glob of roofing cement to the spatula or putty knife. It will smooth out once it dries. They are electro galvanized to help resist rust and corrosion.

I heard an opposing opinion recently. Smaller nail holes will be permanently fixed by this method standard roofing nails would be either 3 8 inch or 1 2 inch making a hole. Alternatively or in addition you can drive a new nail nearby for a fresh stronger hold into decking. These grip rite roofing nails are for installing asphalt these grip rite roofing nails are for installing asphalt roofing shingles.

Some roof leaks are tough to locate. For loose nails that have yet to push through shingles you can lift up the shingle and hammer the rising nails back down. They can also be used to apply insulation board and felt to wood substrates.