Shingles over Shingles?

[mobtek]

My shingles are getting old - 21 years - and I tend to lose a few every time the winds pick up over 30mph. So I am thinking of doing some work on the roof. Maybe new shingles.

If I am going to do the job myself - and probably alone - is it worth saving the time by laying new shingles over the old ones?

I have an air-stapler. Can I use it to attach the shingles? Seems like a heck of a lot easier way to do it. What size staples would I need?

Using a roof size calculator I guesstimated my roof (16x76 SW) to be about 1310 sq ft. How many bundles of shingles will it take?

Any other suggestions for a new roof that can be done by one person, possible over a period of time?

ANY INFO IS APPRECIATED!

[GraceNC]

Just check on the weight...especially if you live somewhere it can snow (roofs are collapsing this winter) as the weight will be really heavy.

I went with the corrugated metal roof- doing it myself. And can be done over a period of time.

[janetbrand28]

wow,... this is a hard thing to do... can you just ask someone to do it for you

Schneeschuhe

[Greg]

We really don't recommend Just going over old shingles with new for a couple of reasons. First and most important is weight. Too much weight will actually bend a home out of shape as well as adding to the risk of collapse.
The second reason is if you are going through all the work to replace the roof you want to get a good look at the decking UNDER the shingles. If there are any soft or rotted sections now is the time to replace them.
You could use an air stapler, But I would recommend a roofing nail gun.Roofing nails will hold better. You can either buy or rent one, Either way they are not too expensive. Greg

[ponch37300]

Do a tear off, you will get a longer life out of the new roof when you start fresh instead of trying to put new shingles on top of others. Plus all the other reasons already mentioned. Since you said your shingles are blowing off you might have a little leak and a rotten peice of sheating that will need to be replaced. If you just shingle over your current roof and that is true then you will have a soft spot in your roof and set your self up for future problems. Usually the roofs will come off pretty easy with a pitch fork. As mentioned use a roofing nailer, staplers are alright but there are also towns that won't allow staples due to the inferior holding power compared to nails. What size stapler do you have? It has to be a wide crown stapler, think they are 1 1/2" wide. Roofing isn't hard, just a little physical and some common sense. There are 3 bundles of shingles in a square, 100 sq ft in one square. So for your 1310 sq ft which is just over 13 squares(I would order 14 squares to account for scrap) you would need 42 bundles. There are some expensive shingles that use 4 bundles to a square but not to many.

Don't forget ice and water shield and make sure your roof is properly vented. And if you can hire a couple friends or neighbor kids for 10 bucks an hour cash to help with the physical and clean up the job will go really fast and you won't have to worry about the roof being exposed to weather any longer than you have to.

[JD]

Just to add to some of the excellent info so far, there are many reasons not to layer shingles on a mobile home. Probably first is, it is probably against your building code. I know it is in California. I am not sure if that is a HUD thing. If it is, it is a national code in the US.

More importantly, your roof will not last nearly as long. Heat ages shingles, and the first layer of shingles will retain and transfer heat. Also, just adding felt over the existing shingles will create a soft uneven substrate for the new shingles. This will cause some staples or nails to penetrate the some of the new shingles more than others. Trying to regulate the pressure on a pneumatic to achieve the best installation is nearly impossible. It is kind of like drywall. You want to set the nail just enough to dimple buy not penetrate the paper. Nails on shingles are better in this regard. Staples can easily cut through a small portion of the new shingle. This will cut down on the life of the shingle and make them much easier to blow off. Then there are the other issues already mentioned like weight.

While roofers want stretch out their available roofing season, there is definitely an ideal temperature range for single installation. In cold weather, the shingles may not stick to the glue strip on the course beneath it. In just a short time, the glue strip can get dusty and dry out a bit and never stick. Shingles that can lift can be blown off in high wind. A combination of this and staples penetrating the shingles will make for a bad installation.

One last word, if you do this roof DIY with help, be sure your help won't sue you. Direct family, very good friends and such may be a good place to look, but they can still sue you. People you do not know real well, or especially their parents may be a big risk. Even contractors can be a risk. If they do not carry worker's comp, you are financially responsible for injuries. Check your state's license board online. You can look up their license status and if they carry worker's comp. For this reason and others, DO NOT LOOK FOR HELP IN FRONT OF HOME DEPOT!

JMO
JD