How To Trim Roof Shingles

The edge of a roof in professional vernacular is called the rake edge.

How to trim roof shingles. I installed a roof on a small shed total roof size 7 x 11 using asphalt shingles. Draw a blue chalk line at this line. How to trim them up to the drip strip and maintain a nice even and smooth cut. Handyman ian eltringham recommends leaving a 1 2 inch overlap between the edge of the roof and the shingle.

Repeat this basic pattern alternating shingles across the roof working toward the right side using the chalk line to keep the shingles straight horizontally. So your next course of shingles should cover the nails by 1 inch vertically. Follow the guideline you created to keep the shingles straight. The rake edge is the extreme edge of the roof on either side.

Lay the starter row of metal shingles at the drip edge and affix to the roof with metal roofing nails. Butt a full shingle up against the cut shingle and nail into place. Looking for tips on best technique and tools to use to trim the shingles on the edge where they re overhanging the eave. Metal roofing is also available in the form of shingles.

Use 4 nails per shingle and 6 nails on the prevailing windward sides of the roof as wind resistance nailing. Cut your last shingle on each row to size repeating all the way to the ridge. Much faster safer and easier way to trim cut asphalt shingles than the traditional method of using a blade and straight edge. For the kind of shingles you purchase there may be a special starter row of shingles or a roll of strip material that you cut to the length of your roof.

Continue adding panels until the roof is covered. How to cut shingles off the edge of a roof in a straight line. Alternatively you can use a starting row of full sized shingles by turning them with the tabs pointing upward. You may need to cut panels to fit angles using a circular saw with a metal saw blade.