When roofers are attaching shingles to your roof, you might have noticed that they get into a sort of robotic pattern. With each shingle, they follow roughly the same pattern when nailing it into place, and this pattern is not chosen at random. In fact, building codes will often mandate which nail patterns can be used for which purposes, so we can logically assume that they must matter. Let’s explore this subject in a little more detail.
Why Are Roofing Nail Patterns Regulated By Law?
In most cases, these regulations are motivated by the considerations of the weather. Some nail patterns are stronger than others, but not all roofs require the highest level of reinforcement. For instance, an area that sees frequent tornadoes or hurricanes will obviously need a lot more nails per shingle. An area that doesn’t see much severe weather can make do with far less.
What Difference Does The Pattern Make?
As you might have guessed from reading the above, it’s just a simple matter of how many nails you need for each shingle. Once you have that number, you just need to space them evenly, and you have your pattern. That might be an oversimplification, but that’s (basically) how it works.
However, there is one more way in which the nail pattern of your roof matters. When shingling a roof, you want to hide the nail heads as much as possible. Standard nail patterns are usually designed with this concept in mind. That’s another reason to keep with the standard pattern that is recommended for your shingle type.
Where Do I Find This Information?
Unfortunately, there isn’t a quick and easy guide that will show you all the nail patterns that exist. This is probably because no one needs to know all of that, except maybe the people who make the regulations. When you buy your shingles, they should come with instructions. If these instructions are missing, you should be able to find a product number somewhere on the package. This can be used to look up the relevant information online. Either way, the instructions will tell you which nail patterns are recommended for that type of shingle.
Next, you will have to consult your local building codes. This process will vary a lot by locality, so it’s best to start by calling your local courthouse. They probably won’t have the information you need, but they can probably point you in the direction of those who do. There are also several online portals that you might find helpful.
Can The Use Of Proper Nail Patterns Save Me Money?
There are three major ways in which the proper nail pattern can save you money. First of all: It can save you money on fines! Although most localities aren’t particularly harsh on this point, you can technically be fined for anything that goes outside of the local building codes. That includes a shingle with one too many nails or one too few. Due to the potential size of these fines, it’s not a good gamble to take.
You might be happy to know that there is another way in which the right nail pattern can save you money: It can get you some discounts on your homeowner’s insurance. Insurance companies will often offer discounts on this type of policy if the customer installs “new and improved roofing.” Obviously, properly installed shingles qualify. You will, of course, need to send them some close-up pictures of your roof shingles as proof of their proper installation.
There is one more way in which the proper roofing nail pattern can save you money: It helps to prevent weather damage. When we talk about these regulations, we should remember that they are not made without reason. Certain localities do, in fact, require more nails per shingle than others. Let’s be honest here: If you disregard these rules, you aren’t that likely to get caught and fined, but there will still be consequences. A little bit of extra caution now can save you a lot of storm damage later.
Conclusion
Most people would not guess that nailing patterns would make such a big difference in the proper installation of your roof. However, even a little detail like this can have big consequences, and that is the main point we are trying to make here. Those who disregard the little things in the short term will often have major problems in the long term. If you have found our work to be helpful, please fill out the contact form below.
