Keeping a SOUND ROOF

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Roof-edge damage, the most common source of roof leaks, is easy to spot and fix. Wood trim should be replaced where split or crushed. You can often hammer out dings in aluminum trim; if torn, cut out damaged area and replace it. Also, if water barrier is torn, apply a new layer (it is sticky on the bottom and goes right on when you remove the protective paper). If the plywood sheathing is crushed or split along the edge, you can tack wood shingles over the damaged area to support the sticky barrier, a fresh layer of roofing felt and new shingles.

If the sheathing is punctured, you really should getup on the roof, remove shingles, cut out damage between rafters and apply a plywood or board patch. Replace water barrier, felt and shingles. To fit replacement shingles into the sound roofing around the damaged area, pry up sun-cemented tabs of adjoining undamaged shingles. Without splitting the shingle, bend tabs up so you can get in under them. Cut out as much of the old, damaged under-shingle from under the tabs as possible. Trim new shingles so ends will slide in under adjoining tabs and mate with edges of existing shingle. If any area of sheathing is left uncovered by a shingle, fill the space with roofing cement and slide in a section of flashing. Place nails to fasten new shingle under tabs of adjoining over-shingles. Dab nail heads with roofing cement. Weight upbent tabs with a brick if they don't want to lie back down flat right away.

Slate and metal roofs are so slippery, I use what some roofers call a "chicken ladder" - two wooden ladders pinned together at their top narrow ends, and draped in an upside-down "V" over the roof peak so you can get up either side. Designed originally to combat flue fires, they work equally well for getting a chicken like myself to repair roof damage and to repaint old chimneys. Corrugated metal and fiberglass roofs are fastened with rubber-washer-fitted nails to horizontal 2 x 4 nailers running across rafters. A leak can be cured with a dab of roofing cement.

Ridge caps often get blown off and are frequent leak culprits. A replacement length of cap can be nailed over the damaged sections (use plenty of cement over nails). Do not cover the vent openings, which permit air that enters at the eaves to rise through the roof insulation, keeping it from water logging and losing effectiveness.

Elegant standing-seam metal roof panels are attached with clips or by soldering; repairing them is also best left to the pros.

Slates are hung on a pair of nails or pegs set into nailers across beams or into proper full-sheathing. You can patch most cracks with aluminum flashing; snip 1" - long pointed tabs into each edge and bend them down. Use wood shingles to raise adjoining slates, then slide the flashing in; the tabs will snag and hold it in place. To replace a slate, you need a ripper, a long blade with nail-cutting hooks at the end. You'll have to cut or remove nails, clear out old broken slate and insert a new one. It may take a lot of fishing with the slate ripper to get out all the chips of old slate that are lodged up under the over-slates. Slide new slate up between the two pairs of existing sound slates that meet over and under the new one. Remove wooden shim-wedges and tap around as needed to settle slates back in place.

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