February may not be the best time of the year to start making sure your existing shingle roof properly safeguards your home from snow and ice. After all we’re in the middle of winter which continues to sweep across the Northeast depositing heavy snow falls and freezing temperatures, casing many problems for NJ homeowners. We’ve written about these common winter roofing problems before.
However, if you’re planning to install a new shingle roof in the next few months, it’s a good time to think about protecting your home from spring’s upcoming rains and winds—and next year’s inevitable snows.
Protecting Your New Shingle Roof From Ice & Water
Ice & Water Shield
After removing your old shingles, inspecting the existing sheathing for damage and installing a sturdy sheet-metal drip edge, it’s time to install a layer of ice & water shield.
Available in rolls one to three feet wide and approximately 75 feet long, ice & water shield is a self-adhered membrane that is easy to install. Position the roll along roof valleys and next to your roof’s eave so the material overlaps your new drip edge. Roll the membrane onto the roof deck.
While you’ll find ice & water shield to be a bit costly, it’s well worth the expense. For roofing structures in New Jersey, where winter and spring are often characterized by cold, wet weather, it provides superior leak protection and prevents damage due to ice dams and severe rain.
In some cases, you may wish to install an overlapped, second layer of ice & water shield to further protect your residential or business roof. Some do-it-yourself installers choose to secure the ice & water shield with staples or fasteners, but we advise against it. If you can avoid putting even small holes in the self-adhesive product, it will perform better.
Roof Felt
Following your ice & water shield installation, it’s time to apply a layer of roof felt. Sold in three-foot rolls, 30-pound roofing felt is designed to add a second layer of defense to your shingle roof’s underlay.
To install it properly, overlap the roofing felt with the ice & water shield and roll it along the eaves. Using a heavy-duty staple gun, attach roofing felt tautly to the roof deck. Repeat the application process, continuing to overlap four to six-inch layers of roof felt until you get to the roof ridge. When working around vent pipes and other obstacles, cut a slit in the roofing felt and place it over the vents.
Your roof is now ready for its new, low-maintenance composite shingles.
Hire a Professional Roofing Contractor
If you lack experience with do-it-yourself shingle roof installation, call a skilled New Jersey roofing contractor. With over two decades of maintaining, repairing and installing shingle, metal, wood shake and slate roofs, our team of experts knows what it takes to prevent weather-related damage to your residence or work facility.
In addition, we carefully explain each step of our 6-steps roofing replacement process, and ensure that your new shingle roof is skillfully installed and priced to suit your budget.
Call 609-712-8157 today to schedule your shingle roof installation estimate or inquire about other materials options.
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4 Comments
If you’re planning to install a new shingle roof in the next few months, make sure to install a layer of ice &… http://fb.me/PN0a3NVj
This is very timely – thanks for putting together this information!
We always use 3′ of I&W along the eaves – but never do we cover the whole roof surface. Why? Because a roof must be able to breathe.
Have you ever used IKO’s Storm Shield, instead of using Grace? It seems half the price.
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[...] Damage from pooling water and ice can include leakage into your home, cracked and bruised shingles and damaged storm collars. [...]
[...] Ice and water shield installed over the roof decking will prevent moisture build-up, and is essential to a lasting roofing replacement job. [...]
[...] Because tile roofing has such a long life, this is crucial. In northern climates, a rubberized ice and water shield is recommended. Drip edge and bird-stop edging should also be installed for maximum [...]