Walking around your house on a rainy day, when suddenly you found water on the floor. You look up and what you found is rain leaking through your roof. So, you take a bucket and place it there to collect the leaking water and avoid accidents.
Now, this may be frustrating for you. Surely, you do not want raindrops falling on your head every time it rains. A leaking roof can cause costly and serious damage to your home. Infiltrating water can cause mold, destroy plaster or drywall and even nailer for framing. So, when you see the tell-tale sign of raindrops inside your home, then you will need to act fast and deal with the damaged roof on your own, if possible.
Here are great 5 tips in repairing and at the same time, decorating your roof:
1. Finding A Leak
Finding a leak is easier said than done. The very first sign of a leaking roof is a water stain on the ceilings. Take a ladder and see if there are any cracked, curled or missing shingles. Also, you need to know that some leaks can be found at points where shingles butt, through tent shaped and end caps shingles or where flashing and caulking have been damaged. If you have a chimney then checks around for any loose materials and also looks for wear around vents and pipes.
If you can’t still find the source of the leak, then get someone to help you and ask them to go up the roof with a water hose. With the water hose, soak the area of your roof where you likely saw the leak. Do not be too impatient and wait for a drip to appear. When that happens, you’ll get an idea of where the problem is.
2. Replace Missing, Rotten Or Damaged Shingles
If you think the leaks were caused by damaged or missing shingles, then you need to immediately replace them. In order to remove shingles, you need to rise up the edges around the shingles and remove its nail with a pry bar or a hammer. The shingle should then easily slide out. Next, get your new shingle, slide it in and align with those on either side. Fasten the new shingle with galvanized roofing nails and make sure that you hammer one in each corner of the shingle.
3. Flatten Curled Shingles
Curled shingles might be sometimes the source of leaks since it allows water to go through. Secure and flatten curled shingles by using adhesive compounds in a caulk gun or simply apply a coat of asphalt roofing cement using a brush. You need to hold down the edges and corner of the shingles as you do this in order to ensure that these shingles do not curl and lift up again.
4. Do Not Puncture Shingles
If you wish to decorate your roof for the holidays, then do so without puncturing shingles. Your roof’s shingles are your protection from moisture and winds. Putting a hole or puncturing them for the sake of your holiday decorations is very unwise. When looking for a way on how to place holiday decorations, then look for methods that do not require to put holes in your shingles. Otherwise, you will be the one to damage your roofing elements. This means that you will need to skip the drill, hammer or staple guns.
The most popular way to decorate your roof is to use clips which can be attached to the shingles or gutters. Also, a roof anchor can help in installing decorations on your roof, however, you might want to minimize wear on your roof and only add small decorations.
5. Be Wary Of Electrical Shocks
It is important to be mindful of any power lines near your roof when decorating. Steer clear of all power lines and that goes for all decorations you are adding. Moreover, it is important that you choose decorations which are meant for the outdoors and plug them on a GCFI or ground fault interrupter outlets. This should protect you from shocks.
Conclusion:
Having a new roof is a pricey option. So, in case your roof does not have any major damage, then these simple roof repair and decorations can keep your existing roof attractive and at tiptop shape for many years to come.