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Glam Journal

What nails do you use for shingles?

Author

James Austin

Updated on April 05, 2026

What nails do you use for shingles?

What Type of Nails Should be Used with Shingles? For best performance, you should use ring roofing nails that are made of hot‐dipped galvanized steel. You should use 12-gauge or thicker. The length of nail you use depends on the thickness of the sheathing and shingles you use.

How are shingles fastened?

Some shingle manufacturers specify that their shingles be fastened with nails. Nails should be corrosion-resistant, wide-head roofing nails of the proper length. Corrosion-resistant nails can be made of galvanized steel, copper, aluminum or stainless steel.

Can I use plastic cap nails for shingles?

For starters, the plastic cap will not seal on the granular surface of a shingle. So any water in the area would likely run under the cap and directly to the nail head were it may or may not leak. They hold up better against rust, and they can also be used for asphalt shingles.

Can you use staples to fasten roof shingles?

When staples are installed accordingly, they can be able to stand against fast winds rising to as high as 60 miles per hour. However, sometimes the staples might tend to be quite feeble against ferocious winds hence necessitating a further upgrade. This entails fastening them with the use of nails to render them more secure.

What kind of nail is used for roofing shingles?

A ring shank nail is also called an annular roofing nail or corrugated roofing nail. As its many names suggest, this type of nail has rings along the shank. They aren’t connected, as they are with screws. Still, these rings give the nail extra staying power, or grip, in the shingles and sheathing.

What can I use to glue asphalt shingles to my roof?

Sometimes edges and corners of individual shingles will curl up. This repair is very simple—all it requires is gluing the shingle back to the roof. Buy materials. At any hardware or home improvement store, you’ll be able to pick up roofing sealant or cement. Roofing cement comes in a caulking tube, ready for application, or in a tub.

What’s the best way to lay shingles on a roof?

Bring the ridge edges together with a ridge-capping layer. You can either use special shingles called ridge shingles or cut a number of regular shingles into 3 tabbed, equal pieces and bend each so they fit snugly on the roof peak and nail them into place. You’ll need longer nails for this part, as you’re driving through more layers of shingles.

What’s the best way to replace shingles on a roof?

Using your hammer, pry up the nails. Remove the metal flashing. You can keep any flashing that is in good shape, but we recommend replacing it all with new flashing. Sweep the roof deck clean, removing any nails and debris left behind.

What kind of nails do you use to nail roofing shingles?

Underdriven nails can be appropriately tapped in with a hammer. Crooked or overdriven nails need to be removed, and the holes need to be filled in with asphalt roofing cement. A new nail must be driven in a nearby spot to secure the shingle. If this can’t be done, the entire shingle should be replaced.

When staples are installed accordingly, they can be able to stand against fast winds rising to as high as 60 miles per hour. However, sometimes the staples might tend to be quite feeble against ferocious winds hence necessitating a further upgrade. This entails fastening them with the use of nails to render them more secure.

Sometimes edges and corners of individual shingles will curl up. This repair is very simple—all it requires is gluing the shingle back to the roof. Buy materials. At any hardware or home improvement store, you’ll be able to pick up roofing sealant or cement. Roofing cement comes in a caulking tube, ready for application, or in a tub.