Old cowboy roofer told me I was using too many nails and I laughed at first

I was on a job in High River last month putting down asphalt shingles on a rental bungalow. This crusty old roofer named Wayne walks by and says I'm gonna pop every single shingle by spring if I keep using 6 nails per tab. I brushed him off cause I've always done it that way. But then he showed me how the shingles need to breathe a bit and over-nailing actually makes them curl up. I switched to 4 nails per tab like he said and honestly the roof looks cleaner now and the manufacturer warranty still covers it. The guy was a grumpy ass but he knew his stuff. Has anyone else had some old timer rip apart their method only to realize they were right?

2 comments

2 Comments

jennifersmith6d ago

Did your buddy try that trick where you push on the shingle after nailing to see if there's any play? A friend of mine in Lethbridge ignored a similar tip from an old framer and spent a whole weekend replacing curled shingles on his garage. He still talks about that guy like he was some kind of roofing prophet.

king.ruby6d ago

@jennifersmith old timers always have some weird trick that actually works, like the way my grandpa fixes everything with a butter knife lol.