Are you looking for an affordable roof option? You may look around these days and might wonder about the cost of typical shingle materials and the expense of a contractor.

So, you may desire alternative roofing. Well, roll roofing can be your top choice if you consider both the installation process and the durability of your home’s roof.  

Basically, roll roofing is almost similar to asphalt shingles. But that is mineral surfaced oil-based asphalt product which is available as rolls of having 100 square feet and per roll weighs 75 pounds. You will find it almost in every home improvement outlet, online, and hardware store. 

How to install roll roofing without nails you might wonder. Well, the process is fast and effortless if you know the proper way. And you can do it by yourself on a low budget. 

How To Install Roll Roofing Without Nails: Things To Do

Now, we will walk you through the whole process so that you can make your roof long-lasting. But before starting our discussion on the installation of roll roofing without nails, let’s discuss why roll roofing can be your top choice.

Reasons to install roll roofing:

There are several reasons to install roll roofing. Firstly, it is inexpensive roofing compared to other traditional roofing methods. Secondly, the installation process is easy and speedy. As a result, the cost of installing is very low. Thirdly, this material is available almost everywhere. And finally, it is well convenient to transport without having any sort of problems.

Now, let’s go through the required portion of tools and materials.

Required materials and tools

Basically, you will be required to collect a few materials and tools for installing the roll roofing. Here a necessary list is given below:

  1. Ladder
  2. Drip edge
  3. Hammer
  4. Roofing cement
  5. Measuring tape
  6. Utility knife
  7. Chalk line
  8. Roll roofing

After collecting all the above-mentioned materials and tools, you are now ready to go for installing it. Now, we will discuss the process in detail.

Step By Step Guide To Installing Roll Roofing Without Nails:

Well, the installation process of roll roofing is easy and simple to follow by using torch-down roofing. Here, we have divided it into a few steps so that you can follow through easily.

Step 1: Preparing the roof

Before installing the roll roofing, you need to make sure that your roof is clean and in good condition. Afterward, your first priority should be your safety. That is why you are required to wear work gloves while working on the roof.

Step 2: Installing the roof flashing

After cleaning up your roof, you should inspect all the roofs’ joints and edges. Then, you need to install roof flashing at these specific points to prevent leaks. For sticking the flashing with the roof onto the metal, you are required to brush the primer. 

Step 3: Installing the roofing felt

Onto the roofing felt, you need to insert cap nails in order to attach with the base layer. Certainly, this will make sure the longevity of your roofing for the long term.

Step 4: Setting first layer

In this stage, you will set the first layer of your roof which is called the base layer. At first, you have to roll the roofing all over your roof by starting it from the bottom.

In order to make all the edges even, you need to use a utility knife to cut them perfectly. Make sure one thing that there are fewer bubbles and wrinkles on your roof. Then after heating each segment of the roof, you have to roll it slowly.

Step 5: Heating the layer

Firstly, a torch needs to be pointed above one foot from your roll roofing. Then, you must heat all the points of your roof especially wherever the roll roofing and felt joined.

Make sure that the bonding is enough strong. After getting cooled up, you must use a utility knife to cut the eaves of the roll evenly all over your roof.

Step 6: Finishing

For the next layer of roll roofing on your roof, you need to overlap 6 inches with the previous layer. Then by following the above-mentioned steps 4 and 5, you just need to follow the same process for your whole roof.

You need to continue by applying this procedure until you covered the flashing. And in terms of maintaining your roll roofing, especially after extreme weather events, just check whether all the roll is perfectly bonded with felt or not. If not, then you need to make sure the bonding is strong for its high functionality.

If you follow these steps as a guide, you will be able to install your roll roofing without nails effortlessly. 

Pros and Cons:

Frankly speaking, the advantages of roll roofing are enormous compared to other traditional methods of roofing. A few pros are mentioned below:

Pros:

  1. Roll roofing is cheaper than all other roofing. Usually, it may cost you around 200$ per square foot.
  2. It is highly recommendable for incline roofs.
  3. You can apply it quickly by spending just a handful of minutes.
  4. It is well convenient to transport without taking help from any machinery.
  5. You can re-roof very easily, maybe by taking help from your friends as well. 

Cons:

  1. Compared to other roofing in terms of durability, it only lasts around 8 years.
  2. If the bond has not been strong enough between the roll roofing and the felt, then it may leak frequently.
  3. It is quite unattractive as it has only two colors-usually black and sometimes green.

Usually, roll roofing is the best in terms of low cost and low maintenance. 

Conclusion: 

I hope your question on how to install roll roofing without nails has been answered thoroughly. 

By considering a few above-mentioned factors, roll roofing can be your alternative roofing method as it is a relatively inexpensive solution for your roof.

Despite having a couple of disadvantages of roll roofing, it is worth considering installing on your roof as it provides enormous advantages as well. 

So, what are you waiting for? You may re-roof by installing roll roofing without nails by following the above-mentioned steps sequentially.

Author

As a civil engineer and roofer, I love to share the experience that I have gained through the last couple of years. In the roofing industry, practical experience is a very crucial fact that can help you a lot. Hence, I want to help you with my blog.

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