A Hotly Contested Debate: Roof Installation: Hand nailing Roof shingles vs machine nailing a roof
Hand nailed roof shingle vs Machine nailed asphalt shingle
Roofing Indianapolis
Ah, the never ending debate of man versus machine. It is practically a story as old as those classic science fiction movies that you see on TV. Many customers ask us, which is better? However, the answer is, it depends. At the end of the day, the skill of the roof installer is what is most important. Any roofing company that has had years of experience should have a skilled and a certified roof installation team.
Residential Roofing and Commercial Roofing Contractors have differing opinions on this matter! We have installed both!
In our experience, a properly calibrated nail gun delivers the most consistent results. Consider the fact the your roof is going to have anywhere from 7,000 to 9,000+ nails in it. John Peters, started this company over 40 years ago, and we used to hand nail our roofs. A little bit of food for thought, what do you think would be more consistent when you are talking about that many roofing nails?
For the installer, it is important to keep in mind the working conditions on a roof in the summer weather. Furthermore, when it is 80 degrees outside, and the sun is beating down on you, it is easy to get dehydrated, tired, and worn out. However, it is true, that with hand nailing, you can feel the nail hitting down into the decking to a certain extent. But, do you honestly believe that the results will be as consistent as a machine that has been calibrated to deliver a constant and consistent roofing pressure across every nail? In our expert opinion, it will not. That is not to say that hand nailing is bad, because it isn’t. All of it really comes back to the skill of the installer in question.
What else can be done?
Some shingles such as those provided by Owens Corning have some technologies available that improve the nailing surface. If you are really worried about it you can research those products on their website. John Peters Roofing is an Owens Corning Preferred contractor. Our company has the experience, products, and expertise to ensure your roof installation turns out with the highest quality workmanship and materials available. We are certain that you will be happy with the installers, as John Peters himself, is incredibly picky with his roof installers. For a free estimate give us a call at (317) 786-3315 or drop us a line.
