Calling Roofing Pros For Hand Nailing/Shingle Brand Advice!

I work in Commercial/Industrial roofing which is mostly low slope (TPO, PVC, EPDM, Modified Bitumen, BUR) & a variety of metal roofs, shingles, clay tile, etc.

We are a GAF Master Elite (shingles) and Master Select (low slope) contractor. Also certified to install Carlisle, Fibertite, Soprema, Tamko, Certainteed. I like GAF's shingle products better than I do their low slope products. OC, Certainteed, & Tamko are good too.

Most roofers install 1-2 brands of shingles. It sounds like they're pushing you to use what they install the most of, what their distributor carries, who they get purchasing breaks from, etc.

It also sounds like they don't want to hand nail the shingles because it's slower, takes more time, and like most contractors nowadays they all want to get in, get done as fast as possible, and get to the next job. It's always about the next job. They want to nail gun your roof cause it's faster.

My advice is to not get roofing quotes from construction companies. They'll just sub it to a roofer. Go to a manufacturer's website like GAF, OC, Tamko and search for roofing contractors. Pick one from each manufacturer. Or go to the NRCA (National Roofing Contractors Association) website and search there. Also go to your state contracting license website. We have one in Alabama here:
Alabama State Contractors License Roster

If your roofer isn't certified by the manufacturer go elsewhere. Most roofing issues are labor related. 99% of roofing problems are due to the roofer installing the roof poorly. Below is the GAF Golden Pledge warranty chart. It tells you what components need to be installed in order to achieve that level of warranty. That's the best that I can install using GAF. We're certified to install this warranty - not everyone is. Many roofers are giving you a 1-2 year labor warranty while the materials can be covered up to 50. The materials aren't the problem it's how they're installed. My cheapest warranty is 5 years on labor. GAF can cover up to 30 years on labor if you install their Golden Pledge. I'm sure other manufacturer's have one similar. You'll pay more up front but the coverage is leaps and bounds better.


GAF Golden Pledge Limited Warranty pdf

I don't have any experience with either brand but I'm willing to find out. I can have you an answer tomorrow.

Where do you live?

Atlas pinnacle pristine

Also for the hand nail vs gun debate, yes gun is much faster but something to also be considered is that our guys are able to set gun at a certain pressure and every nail will be driven at the same pressure across the roof. You won’t get that with hand nail. The same guy nailing at the beginning of the day won’t have the same pressure at the end of the day.

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Also for the hand nail vs gun debate, yes gun is much faster but something to also be considered is that our guys are able to set gun at a certain pressure and every nail will be driven at the same pressure across the roof. You won’t get that with hand nail. The same guy nailing at the beginning of the day won’t have the same pressure at the end of the day.

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That argument works both ways. You can set the correct pressure on a gun and have perfect depth on one area of the surface, and end up blowing through shingles, or under-driving somewhere else. So, you still need to have people who give a shite on the guns, adjusting as necessary throughout the job.

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That argument works both ways. You can set the correct pressure on a gun and have perfect depth on one area of the surface, and end up blowing through shingles, or under-driving somewhere else. So, you still need to have people who give a shite on the guns, adjusting as necessary throughout the job.

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Agree completely. Just saying for those thinking hand nail is superior, it’s not

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I'm having to replace nearly 100' of rotting facia and soffit because of a bad install by the previous owner/roofer of my house. Really hoping there's no damage to the rafters behind the facia.

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What was installed incorrectly that caused the damage?

The facia and decking are uneven causing issues with the drip edge. And they didn't use a proper starter row of shingles which allowed the shingles to be lifted easily by the wind and water get blown underneath. My roof is covered in algae looking stuff the first 3-4" under the first row of shingles.

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That argument works both ways. You can set the correct pressure on a gun and have perfect depth on one area of the surface, and end up blowing through shingles, or under-driving somewhere else. So, you still need to have people who give a chit on the guns, adjusting as necessary throughout the job.

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Can you see anything missing in this proposal that they should be including?

Atlas