Ron Ferris and Son has been roofing Monroe County for over 35 years and we pride ourselves on providing quality roofing installations. When performing free roofing estimates we are often asked by homeowners, “which is better for a roof installation, roofing nail guns or hand nailing?” So we wrote this article to explore the pros and cons of each shingle installation method.
Have you ever noticed when a roof has missing, loose or hanging shingles?
The roof appears to be new but has obvious problems. These problems could possibly be the result of wind damage or shingle manufacturer defect, but are more likely the result of improper shingle fastner installation. Most new roofs and replacement roof installation failures are the result of improper installation. There are two common ways to install an composition roofing, the first being hand nailing. This traditional method was used by our roofing company owners growing up. With this technique you manually hand nail each shingle individually.
The second is a more production based method using a roofing nail gun. This method depends upon a gas or electric air compressor and air hoses to feed compressed air to a pneumatic roofing nail gun. You are probably wondering at this point which installation method is superior. First ask yourself these questions.
– How long do I want my new roof to last?
– Do I want the best roofing company in Rochester NY?
– How much do I have to pay for a quality roofing installation?
– Is quality or lowest price my main concern?
– Can I really afford to replace my roof the WRONG way?
– Will my certified roofer in Monroe County stand behind his installation?
These are all important questions for homeowners replacing a roof or choosing a roofing contractor in Webster NY. Did you know a new roof installed incorrectly can void your shingle manufacturer’s warranty. That is why it is important to hire a roofing company who’s installers are factory trained and certified like the pros at RFS. We are a credentialed Shingle Master Company and can provide our clients with one of the roofing industry’s most iron clad Lifetime roofing warranty.
Let’s get back to hand nailing roofing shingles. When a roofer hand nails each shingle you can be sure every shingle is installed correctly and will stay in place. Fasteners can be placed precisely where the installer desires and over driving a fastener is next to impossible. Over driven and under driven nails are the leading cause of shingle blow offs. Hand nailing a roofing shingle is slower but allows for a more precise installation.
Roofing nail guns are similar to other power tools. Attention to safety and proper operation tolerances are important for an installation that complies with warranty standards. Special attention should be paid to the amount of pressure being supplied by air compressor. Too little and the roofing nails will be under driven and cause pre mature wear through the shingles above. Too much air and the roofing shingle fasteners will be over driven resulting in a new roof that has very little wind resistance. Either one will also void your shingle warranty. Roofing nail guns can significantly increase the speed of installation an still provide a new roof install that will last for decades.
A quality installation does not depend upon what type of roofing fastener used. It goes deeper to the integrity of the workmanship being performed on your roofer’s job sites. If an installer has been trained properly, takes pride in his work and is evaluated by a stringent job site checklist then you are assure only the highest quality installations guaranteed to meet any warranty standards. Hire a roofing company with a long standing reputation for quality roofing installation like Ron Ferris an Son Roofing.
To learn more about hand nailing or your free roofing estimate call our owner directly at 585-288-0895 or request your new lifetime roofing system online @ ronferrisandsonroofing.com
If you need a new roof in Webster NY, you may be considering metal roofing as one of your options. Well you are not alone; metals roofs are no longer just for barns and warehouses. More residential customers are choosing some form of metal roofing for their roof replacement. In the last 15 years metal roofing’s market share in residential re roofing has tripled! This is mostly due to the fact that metal is perceived to last longer than asphalt. Many of these homeowners have had a shingle roof that went bad in 8-15 years and they are looking for a different residential roofing option. At Ron Ferris And Son we are seeing a steady increase in the demand for metal roofing in Monroe County and Wayne County. Metal roofing as with any other roofing material, has it’s pros and cons;
Ron Ferris and Son 