How to Replace Damaged Roof Shingles

Before replacing damaged shingles, you need to know the extent of the problem so you can decide whether to buy replacement materials and tackle the job on your own or hire a roofing company near you to carry out a full roof replacement or install new shingles over the old ones as a fix for leaks and damages.

Situations that warrant small-scale repairs include the following:

• High winds that knocked a small number of shingles off

• Visible cracks or punctures from blown debris or fallen tree branches

• Shingles that are hanging off your roof or curled back

For more extensive damage, especially if the roof damage has led to signs of a roof leak inside, hire a roofer instead.

You can inspect your roof without climbing on it by using a ladder and scanning the slopes. If you do, in fact, have damaged shingles, prepare to make repairs quickly. The dangers of a leaky roof can be costly if left unresolved.

Once you’ve identified the roof area that needs repairing, check to see whether you have replacement shingles at home before buying new ones. When professional roofers install new roofs, they often leave behind extra shingles that match for minor repairs in the future. Check your basement, garage, or other storage areas to find leftover shingles from your roofing contractor.

If not, home improvement stores and lumber centers carry replacement asphalt shingles. They cost an average of $40 to $45 per bundle, which should be plenty for minor damages.

Mixing and Matching Shingles 

If you need a specific type of shingle for your roof or it’s more than a few years old, you may have difficulty ordering shingles that perfectly match the current ones. If you live in a sunny area, the sun will bleach your shingles over time, causing the color to change, meaning the new ones may not match perfectly. Similarly, if your roof has algae stains, the new unstained shingles will stand out among the rest. Copper roof strips can help avoid damage from algae and are a good investment if your roof is heavily shaded.

If you’re having trouble matching shingles, consider uninstalling shingles from one of the less visible parts of your roof (the back or near the chimney, for example) and moving them into the more visible area. Then, you can install the new shingles that are slightly off-color in the less-visible area. Keep in mind that this process will add at least an hour or two to your project time.

Before getting on the roof to make the repair, ensure that you take safety precautions when climbing on a ladder to access your roof. Make sure your ladder is secure, and have someone at the base to help assist you.

To get to the damaged shingles, you first need to remove any overlapping roofing material. Doing so prevents damage to any intact shingles. Use a shingle pry bar to carefully raise up and remove the surrounding shingles. Be sure to remove the nails attached to the shingles, too. 

Put them in a safe space before you proceed. It's also a good idea to use a magnet to make sure you've picked up any stray nails.

Since you’ve previously pried up the overlapping shingles, you can now remove the damaged shingles. 

Slide your flat pry bar underneath the damaged shingle and run it along the edge. This method should break the glue seal holding the shingle down. Complete this process gently and slowly so you don't tear any of the shingles you’re not planning to replace.

Then, locate the nail underneath the broken shingle. Use the same flat pry bar to pull the nail up and out, then slide the damaged shingle free. If you can’t pull the shingle free after removing the nail, you may have to take the nail out from the shingle directly above it, too. 

Be careful not to damage any functioning shingles surrounding the broken one. If you do, you’ll also need to replace them.

After pulling out the damaged roof shingles, set them aside or drop them on the ground if it’s safe to do so. To install a new shingle, slide it into the open space left by the old shingle. You’ll need to hammer in four roofing nails to secure each new full shingle.

Remember that you always need to layer asphalt shingles on top of each other to prevent leaks. Any shingle you replace should always sit beneath the one above it and overlap the one below it. You should cover all nails in the shingle below the one you’re replacing and ensure that the bottom edge of the shingle doesn’t have any nails in it.

If you removed the nails on an undamaged shingle while extracting the old shingle, replace that nail before proceeding to the final step. At this point, you should ensure that all of the shingles in the repair zone are nailed down and secure.

Keep in mind, you should never "face nail" a shingle where it will be exposed to the elements—meaning the nail isn’t covered by the shingle above it. But if you must nail a shingle (for instance, if an old roof is so brittle that you can’t find a good stopping point because each shingle you pull up keeps taking up the next one), put roofing cement on the exposed nail to seal it.

Lay a bead of roof sealant along the glue strip at the base of your new shingle. Firmly press it onto the shingle below to seal it. Applying sealant to any areas where you broke the original seal is important because the old sealant will likely never “reseal” again. Putting a dab of sealant in these areas will ensure that the next wind storm doesn’t tear off your new handiwork.