Roof nail pops should be addressed as soon as they appear; otherwise they could lead to severe damage and leaks within your home.
Nail pops occur when nails that secure roof shingles come loose from their wood roof sheathing (plywood, OSB, or wood plank). This may be caused by daily changes in humidity and temperature that cause wood to swell and shrink over time.
1. Check the Nails
Nail pops may seem like minor inconveniences at first, but they could actually indicate serious foundation issues within your home if they keep popping up everywhere. This is especially true if they keep reappearing more frequently.
Nail pops are typically caused by wood sheathing that expands and contracts due to daily and seasonal fluctuations in temperature, leading the nails holding down shingles to be forced up through the sheathing, creating an opening for wind-driven rain to reach it and penetrate your home through as leakage.
If you notice a nail pop on the ceiling that appears like a dimple, use your putty knife to clear away any paint or drywall mud covering the head of the nail or screw. Once exposed, use a nail punch to create a small hole through which to set it. After it has been set securely in its hole, use spackling or joint compound to fill in and smooth over the area before adding texture repair materials.
2. Check the Shingles
Roof nail pops can be an indicator of structural problems in a home and should never be ignored. They often occur as the result of improper fastening methods during roof installation or due to too-short nails being installed.
Home heating/cooling cycles cause our sheathing to expand and contract over time, potentially forcing nails through its surface. Over time this can result in nail penetration.
Nail pops can also occur due to improperly driven nails with a nail gun or underdriven nails, leading to raised or even detached roof shingles. This may lead to nail pops.
Loose shingles can dislodge and lift standard roofing materials, allowing water infiltration through cracks to cause mold growth that poses potential health threats to family members or pets. While cracks in walls require patching with joint compound or putty knife applications to close gaps and holes, nail pops may only need repair with simple putty knife applications such as joint compound applied over holes with putty knives before being sanded and painted over with another coat; caulking alone won’t do – eventually worn down over time leading to further issues than before.
3. Check the Foundation
Nail pops are small blemishes caused by nails pushing through paint or plaster layers and pushing against them, often as a result of an unevenly settled foundation. While these pops may seem minor at first glance, they could be an indicator of larger issues brewing beneath the surface.
Foundation shifts may be caused by soil expansion and contraction, poor drainage or other issues; when this occurs, walls become jostled and nails protrude through them, jostling walls even further and jostling nails through walls as a result of jostle.
Unattended roof nail pops can quickly wear holes through shingles and lead to leaks in a roof system, creating expensive leaks in its entirety. To mitigate this damage and save yourself further expense down the line, it is wise to contact professional roofing experts as early identification of root causes is key for effective foundation repair solutions and saving further structural damage down the line. Nail pops are telltale signs that foundation shifting has occurred – taking action early will keep your home safe for years ahead!
4. Repair the Shingles
Nail pops left unchecked can allow rainwater to seep under raised shingles, leading to sheathing rot or water leakage. Strong winds may even catch these nails and blow the raised shingle completely off your roof!
Fixing nail pops is relatively straightforward; however, immediate action must be taken! First and foremost, it is crucial that we ascertain why our nails are popping. If there is an underlying issue which needs addressing immediately then simply caulking over holes won’t suffice – only an effective fix will do.
To repair a nail pop, safely climb on the roof (securing both ladder and boots with traction) and pry up shingle before hammering in a new nail about one inch from its original spot – choosing an area where wood tightness bites in tightly is recommended by professional roofers – then hammer in one or more new nails close enough that they bite tightly into wood to prevent further nail pops; roofing professionals can offer additional guidance for choosing such locations. This will solve your current issue while protecting both home, investment and family safety.