Best way to pry up old asphalt shingles
Irwin
| Posted in Construction Techniques on
Hello all,
I am currently at the stage in my small addition where I need to tie the old roof into the new addition.
The existing structure is a hip roof with a 5/12 pitch and the new roof line is a gable with the same pitch and is perpendicular to the old roof.
I am having trouble with the valley weave that will tie the old into the new.
What is the best way to pry up asphalt shingles without doing too much damage?
The existing roof is a 2 yr old 40 yr. Elk shingle.
Thank you for any advice
John
Replies
I like using a flat pry bar (a 'wonderbar" or "superbar") - has enough inertia to pop it up without tearing.
Forrest
Find a professional roofing supply place, they have a specialized kind of flat bar thing just for that. For one small job, you might get by with an ordinary flat bar if it's long enough.
-- J.S.
Irwin, 2 tools work really well for this
1)--- Estwing sells a tool called a roofers prybar
2) a tool called a "ripping chisel"---which is a specific kind of small crow bar.
Personally-I have done this about 8,000,000,000,560 times( translate that as a LOT)
a standard flat bar works SO poorly for this, I wouldn't even attempt using one.
your real problem is the shingle you are working with ,however. New, Heavyweight dimensional shingles have a very aggressive seal down strip. It is going to be difficult no matter what to seperate 2 year old Elk 40 years without doing significant damage to the shingles--expect a LOT to tear apart at the adhesive line--either all the way through, or down to the core mat.
your best bet to seperate them might be to use a heat gun to warm the shingle slightly, and the back side of an old bread knife( heated hotter than the shingle)-----"slice" the bond free.
At this point in the roofs life---it's a HUGe pain in the azz to attempt this.
6-8 years from now, it would be MUCH easier because the bonds will have weakened in time
and of course--as you already know by now---the best time to have made this tie-in was 2 years ago, LOL
Best wishes,
Stephen
I just did this a few months ago. I had to use a heat gun..and it worked well.
However, I wish I had one of Stephens special flat bars..it would have made the job much easier.
Stephen, if you are reading this...where do you get them. Does ABC sell them??
I have never seen them in any of our local suppliers, but I decided I was going to get one after reading your article on fixing the valleys.
I was crusing Home Despot last month, they had the estwing Steven had in his FHB article on therack with the stanleys and the new fat max bars.
I have found a good steady hand with a warmed up 4" drywall knife works best on newer shingles. Similar technichue to Steven's. The drywall knife is soft enough to bend so you don't rip up your knuckles and flat enough not to trash all the other shingles.
I got mine at an ABC------- it's good, but not perfect. It's a little springy-and when i pry down with it I want the energy to pop the nail--not bend the shank.
also-- helps if you file the outside edges of the blade a little bit round, and file the V shaped notch a little deeper.
the type of prybar shown elswhere in this thread works really nice--generally i can just slap one end with my hand and pull the nail----------the Estwing bar is lighter, less mass, requires some taps with a hatchet or hammer----both are vastly preferable to a typical "flat bar"--cost maybe $15.
Stephen
Lots of different opinions on this!I like the shingles to be cool but not way cold. cool and the old sealdown strip splits apart easy. Hot and it is gummy. Too cold and the shingles have no flex.I differ from you in that I prefer the stanley flat bar. I find the other tools you mention tear up the shingles toooooo badly. I see you notice the same thing in your comments, so I wonder why you use them.I slide the flat bar along undser the shingles to break the bond first, then locate the nail and drive the flat bar tight to it from under the shingle. A quick pop and the nail head is now up a quarter inch so I can get another bite on it from the face of the shingle. I use the bar again to lift the naill out without damaging the shingle above it.
Repeat the process enough times with patience and the shingles slide right outBack when I started roofing we had much better shingle rippers available. They were very strong slim spring steel bars. What is available now is about three times as thick, drop forged steel that has to be reground slimmer to be able to think of using without damaging shingles, and then it is soft enough that it doesn't last long.
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Piffen, I have also found that cold weather is the best time to pop shingles apart but some of these new, heavy shingles just don't want to move. They have good adhesive and are so thick that they don't want to bend when cold.
I also agree that a flat pry bar does the best job of breaking the sealing strip but I think a tool like the Estwing is better at pulling the nails.
Maybe one in each hand??
I've had the best luck with a masons brick trowel and a flat bar like vaughns super bar.It has a little more angle than stanleys bar.The trowel is good for breaking the seal down strip.
Thanks for all the great ideas. I think heat may be the way to go on this one. The sealer strip is giving me the most problems so if I can get past that I think I will be set. I am glad it is only a small addition and only about 12 feet of valley that I have to weave.
Go careful with heat as it may make the seal even tighter and more gummy. Too much heat to the surface can make it blister and lose volatile oils, shortening the life.
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"they don't want to bend when cold."Don't need to lift them more than 3/4"But one of each could be fine if you can keep them from sliding off th eroof.
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OK, strange answer here -
A stanley (or whoever) brand metal (L shaped) shelf bracket has almost the ideal angle for doing this without tearing anything up. It has a long enough taper to hold things where you want them while you are working.
They're something like .89 cents, if you don't have any around, and they work well...
I like this prybar with tape over the small claw to protect the shingles below.
Tro
y Sprout
Socialism in general has a record of failure so blatant that only an intellectual could ignore or evade it."
-- Thomas Sowell
Edited 12/22/2006 7:31 am by Hackinatit
yes that prybar is very similar to my ripping chisel------ the shank on mine is more octagonal/round--------and the 'claw is turned 90 degrees---but the business end is almost exact---same angle. sweet!!!
Stephen
That looks like the same Estwing that I have. It's a high strength alloy, and surprisingly light weight. An excellent general purpose flat bar.
-- J.S.
Take another look. It is a nail puller/pry bar but it is not a "flat" bar
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Piffen,
in general I would also prefer to do it cool. in the summer I will usually start trying to open the roof for a repair around 7:00 Am------- and by 8:00 whatever I am opening had better be opened------------
but the OP mentioned 40 year Elk. they are a whole NOTHER story.----- untill 2-3 years ago elks were my dimensional shingle of choice----the heavier weight elks--when bonded do NOT want to seperate
and older 3 tab roof---sure---do 'em cool, use the right bar----don't even need a hammer a lot of times------- New Elks--it's a bit of a nightmare------the hot blade on an old bread knife will 'cut' the seal----but try to pry em apart cold------and you are gonna tear 'em up pretty bad.
did a little repair for somebody today---20 year 3 tabs---came right apart with the Estwing bar---- i would STILL be sitting out there in the rain if the roof was Elk dimensional
the reason i like the ripping chisel IS it's thickness--combined with it's perfect angle-----the wedge shaped blade just perfectly pries apart the shingles with a minimum fuss.
Best wishes, stephen
BTW--- i am supposed to be retiring from all that shingle work-------ain't it somebody elses turn now?????( think I have found the ideal sales presentation---the more i tell prospective customers I am not doing as much roofing anymore---the more they want me to do THEIR project. LOL--reverse psychology???)
Edited 12/22/2006 5:14 pm ET by Hazlett
LOL, I moved 270 miles across the stateof Colorado trying to get out of roofiong and into remodeling, but my rep followed me and I ended up with more roofing than other.so i moved 2700 miles across the country and...I finally got them to listen - I only do a roodf when it is part of the overall job - and I can't find a sub to schedule for it.
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>>>>>>>>>>>I can't find a sub to schedule for it.I've been back out on the roof for at least half a day (usually full days) for the last month or so and it feels pretty good (I've dropped 10 lbs). I've decided to completely quit working for any homeowners in light of several catastrophies lately and only sub (which was most of my business anyway). I'm gonna let guys like you deal with the loonies and just ply my trade. Give me something tasty and I'll bring the guys up.http://logancustomcopper.com
http://grantlogan.net/
Halelujah, everybody say cheese
Merry Christmas from the family
A week ago I did a roof on addition and last week I dug a bunch of post holes. Feel like I'm finally getting back in shape since my medical things a year ago.but the arthritis really hurts last couple days.
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I am fine with getting roofing nails out using almost any of the above mentioned methods, but those #&%^@*! roofing staples drive me crazy , always breaking one of the legs off part way out, or they tear thru the shingles. Any better ideas then what has been given here so far?
sub it out..
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!<!----><!---->
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
Sounds just about right..
thanks.. you asked for the better idea..
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!<!----><!---->
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
dovetail,
what I do is--------- with staples i make sure i use the Estwing bar-----because it's flatter-- I can usually get the corner of the blade under the crown of the staple and lever the whole thing out at once.--sometimes only one leg will pull out--------- then I switch the bar end for end and use the cats paw end----- grab it with the cats paw and use my thumb to make sure the wire stays bent at 90 degrees so it doesn't slip out of the cats paw
OR- I use the channel locks that live in my occys.
stephen
The trick with pulling the staples after they snap is folding them over the bar and holding the folded section while prying the rest with the flat bar.
I have a pair of Channellock diagonal cutting pliers with about a fifteen degree bend in the head, creating a fulcrum for pulling broken staples and headless nails. One of the handiest tools in roofing and finish work.
Electricians use them to pull wire staples - the bent head/ fulcrum is a knuckle saver.
Channellock 7 3/4", model #447
thanks, I'll look for them when I go to the tool place.
Exactly!--gotta get your thumb into the work.
Best wishes, Stephen
Yes, staples in general are a pain, not just on the roof.
If you have a lot of them to do, find a beater screwdriver that exactly fits or is just slightly smaller than the distance between the legs. Rig a fulcrum to one side, and pry with that. Avoid anything sharp that can nick the staple and make it more likely to break. Avoid using a tool narrow enough that the bends in the staple get bent again during the pull, as that can be the last straw that breaks them.
Even with all that, a lot of them will break, or one leg will pull out leaving the other. For those, have the channel locks and/or needle nose handy. Staple removal isn't a whole bunch of fun no matter how you do it.
-- J.S.
>>>>>>>>>the more i tell prospective customers I am not doing as much roofing anymore---the more they want me to do THEIR project. LOL--reverse psychology???)I've decided to not work for anybody that doesn't have Nextel. I've only been answering beeps and not rings today (except twice -once was Sphere and the other was my little cookie cutter) and I've got 44 messages on my answering machine and I bet none of them are deadbeats telling they want to drop by and pay me the money they owe me. Hopefully, you're not like me and can say "NO, can't do it". Most of my repair jobs end up taking as much phone time as a $100K copper roof and the payments often come slow or not at all.http://logancustomcopper.com
http://grantlogan.net/
Halelujah, everybody say cheese
Merry Christmas from the family
I love this thing. File it sharp every few months and rip sh*t outta anything in its way (with a bit of coaxing from the Estwing framer).
Tendons be d*mned, I like tearing stuff up and building it back with Estwing at my side.Troy Sprout
Socialism in general has a record of failure so blatant that only an intellectual could ignore or evade it."-- Thomas Sowell
What you want is a 12" pointed mason's trowel and a cool morning. The handle keeps your knuckles safe and gives you a place to tap with a hammer if you need to. The point slips under the shingle with ease and the trowel is wide enough to lift it without tearing. Try it once and you'll never go back to wonder bars or drywall knives.