How Small A Shingle?

VAviaCo

If you work towards a gable and get 3 inches away, do you install a 3 inch shingle or cut the last whole one back 11 inches (or whatever) so a real small shingle isn't on the edge?

How small of one would you nail down?

(Assuming asphalt 30 year)

MJW

Cut a 4 inch piece and tuck it. If arch. shingles, make sure it is a single layer part of the shingle.

J-Peffer

I don't bust out the tape measure, but I try not to use anything under about 10" on the edges.

If left with 3" i cut back the last shingle.

johnk

I never dutch-lap shingles,Always cut back.I'll never use less than a 6" piece.

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"A Roof is only as good as it is Applied"

kubie

yup. you can see right where you lapped the shingles. cut the shingle back and use a bigger piece

Crock

i spray paint the area if it is under 6 inches. it takes way too long to cut in a shingle.

Note: Make sure your spray paint matches the shingle color. One time all I had was dark brown paint and the shingles were estate gray. You could see brown patches all over the place.

Slyfox

lmao, good one.
I actually seen a crew do this here in my area,
on a gable to gable section one guy started on the right rake and one on the left, when they met in the middle and had the couple inch difference they painted all the black showing to match the white granule face.
They actually got paid for the job to!

I replaced the roof 2 1/2 years later once the home owners realized the painting of the shingles was the lease of the 'less than common sense' things they had done and tabs began blowing off on both the front and back sections and both valleys began leaking.

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MJW

So you two guys throw anything away that is 6 or 10 inches or smaller? Sounds like a big waste.

No, not really. As long as you don't put a double layer on top of another double layer. Even then, it is hard to see.

The way these newer shingles seal down, I don't have a worry about them flying off. Been doing the tucking method since I can remember. Even with 3 tabs...never lost a shingle(short of straight line winds or tornado )

J-Peffer

Anything smaller than 10" is garbage, I don't think I end up with more than a bundle of waste on a roof.

Slyfox

My brother use to tuck 'dutch lap' all the time and I never had one complaint on it, he worked with me for 7 years.

I myself prefer not to tuck and train my guys that way also,
I'll install down to a six inch piece, any thing smaller than that and I'll cut back on the full shingle.

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outlaw

6 inches is the smallest piece I will install on a rake edge.

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PA woodbutcher

When cutting my starters I go down to a 6" piece and also use the 6" that I cut off to finish.

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'The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant; it's just that they know so much that isn't so.' - Ronald Reagan

naptown CR

you could all eliminate this by measuring and laying out the one end to avoid the 3" piece in the first place

jbjuored

Spay it come on lets not be so cheap. Cut it back and insert a bigger piece.

J-Peffer

This is true, but taking the time to do that, is not worth the cost of 2-3 shingles.

I really probably have a bundle of shingles for cut offs on most roofs. My material list come in really accurate too. I make sure when I do the estimate, i draw out all the measurements on the roof rather than the ground.

My estimates are based off a material + Labor rather than a simple number per square too.

VAviaCo

you could all eliminate this by measuring and laying out the one end to avoid the 3" piece in the first place

Not when the shingles specify starting with specific sizes in a pattern, ie Full- 6" off- 11" off- 17" off. If I fudge that and then some customer says it looks funny and gets a tape, I'd have no recourse.

RandyB1986

VERY TRUE!!

I would never use anything less than 10" or so on a gable edge. That's why you figure allowing "waste"

Slyfox

Your not saving time nor waste by measuring.
on 3-tab installs, you start a rake at 36 / 30 and cut every other course,
than every course on the other rake and every other course twice because your cutting out or adding a tab,
if you start at 34 / 28 your cutting every course on both sides.
Same waste, same time.

I never even think about it on laminates because you only have one out of every five courses work out less than six inches,
six inches or more is acceptable by manufacturer spec's.

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MJW

Still racking 3 tabs?

We put all shingles on using the diagonal method. Less problems with wind. Have replaced plenty of racked roofs that were blown off.

outlaw

Racking is acceptable in Certainteed manual for 3-tabs and is manditory for Grand Manor.

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