Shed roofs protect stored items, but constant exposure to weather and UV rays causes materials to degrade over time. Repairing a shed roof is a common maintenance task most homeowners can manage without specialized training. Addressing small issues quickly prevents minor damage from escalating into expensive structural problems. Always prioritize safety by ensuring the ladder is stable and wearing appropriate personal protective equipment like gloves and eye protection.
Assessing Damage and Gathering Materials
The repair process begins with a thorough inspection to identify the full extent of the damage. Look for obvious signs like missing shingles, curled edges, or areas where the roofing material appears dark or wet. Inside the shed, check the ceiling and walls for water stains, damp patches, or a musty odor, which indicate a leak has penetrated the roof deck.
A closer inspection from a stable ladder will reveal specific damage points, such as cracked asphalt shingles, tears in felt or roll roofing, or loose fasteners. Pay attention to the edges and seams, as these are common points of failure where wind and water can gain entry. If the roof deck feels soft or spongy, or if there is a noticeable sag, this suggests the underlying wood structure may be rotting and requires more extensive repair.
Gathering the correct materials beforehand streamlines the repair process and ensures a lasting fix. Essential tools include a utility knife, a flat pry bar for lifting shingles, and a hammer. You will need galvanized roofing nails, which resist rust, and asphalt roofing cement or sealant for patching and sealing edges. Have replacement asphalt shingles or a roll of matching roofing felt on hand for immediate replacement of damaged sections.
Repairing Asphalt Shingle Damage
Asphalt shingles are a common shed roofing material, and damage often involves a single cracked, broken, or missing shingle. To replace it, carefully separate the sealant bond holding the surrounding shingles in place. Sliding a flat pry bar gently under the edges of the shingle above the damaged one will break the asphalt seal, allowing the shingle to be lifted without tearing it. This separation is often easier in cooler weather when the sealant is less pliable.
Once the overlying shingle is lifted, use the pry bar to remove the nails securing the damaged shingle and the nails holding the bottom edge of the shingle above it. Slide the new replacement shingle into the vacant space, ensuring it aligns with the surrounding shingles. Secure the new shingle by driving roofing nails through the top edge, where the overlying shingle will cover the nail heads.
The nails should be placed slightly offset from the original nail holes to ensure a secure hold in fresh wood. Apply small dabs of roofing cement underneath the tabs of the new shingle and the lifted shingle above it. This manual resealing helps the shingles bond quickly, restoring the roof’s wind resistance before the sun’s heat naturally reactivates the factory-applied sealant. For small cracks or loose edges on sound shingles, a bead of roofing cement applied underneath the affected area provides a quick, waterproof seal.
If the roof exhibits significant sagging, this indicates a failure in the underlying wooden rafters or decking, a structural issue. Surface repairs like shingle replacement will not correct this problem. The roof deck must be repaired or reinforced before new roofing material is applied.
Repairing Felt and Roll Roofing
Felt and roll roofing can be repaired by patching small holes or tears with matching material and roofing cement. The damaged area must be cleaned of any debris or loose granules to ensure proper adhesion. Apply a layer of asphalt roofing cement around the tear, and press a patch of new felt firmly into the cement. The patch should be cut to overlap the damage by several inches on all sides.
For larger, damaged sections, cut out the compromised material in a neat square or rectangle. Cut the new piece of felt to match the size of the removed section, plus an allowance for overlap on all edges. Lift the edges of the existing felt, and secure the new piece to the roof deck with roofing nails or tacks.
Apply a layer of roofing cement to the underside of the existing felt edges, pressing them down over the new patch to create a watertight seam. Loose edges of felt that have lifted can be re-secured to prevent further peeling. This is done by applying a thin line of roofing cement underneath the lifted edge and pressing it down, or by driving galvanized roofing nails through the felt and covering the nail heads with a small dab of roofing cement.