Nail pops are usually caused by changes in humidity and temperature. When these fluctuations occur, wood that nails have been driven into can swell and contract over time, pushing up against their heads, eventually leading to their popping off altogether.
Over time, this leads to sheathing rot and roof leaks, potentially endangering the structural integrity of your home.
Fixing Nail Pops
As soon as a nail pops in your roof, it’s essential that it be repaired immediately – otherwise leaks could result and cause irreparable damage to both its structure and interior.
Roof nail pops occur when nails in your roof sheathing become loose over time, typically as a result of poor ventilation or roofing being installed while wet sheathing remains wet, which causes wood swelling that pushes out nails over time.
Nail pops may occur if the nails used to secure the shingles are too short; short nails won’t fully penetrate the sheathing and create an effective seal, leading to leakage. Therefore, always choose roofing nails such as ring shank nails which grip securely around your sheathing – and use professional roofing repair service providers who specialize in fixing these types of problems by lifting off shingles, extracting nails from underneath, hammering in new ring shank nails if a roof nail pop occurs.
Repairing Nail Pops on Interior Walls
Over time, nail pops can lead to roof leakage by lifting up shingles and exposing sheathing to water, potentially leading to sheathing rot and other issues. They are particularly hazardous during wind driven rainy weather.
First, locate nail pops in your walls or ceiling. They appear as small circles about the size of a nail head protruding from the walls or ceiling and often cluster together in one area of the wall. Once found, use your fingers to tap it to locate framing (a hollow sound means there is none behind it) then secure these with screws several inches above and below each nail pop.
Nail pops are an indicator that the wood framing in your home may no longer be doing its job and must be replaced; you should seek professional assistance immediately for assistance with this matter.
Repairing Nail Pops on Exterior Walls
If you notice dimples that appear like nail pops, simply hammering back in will not do. Nail pops are an indication that the drywall wasn’t held tightly against its wood framing, potentially leading to future water leakage issues.
Nail pops are common as wood fibers lose their grip over time on the smooth shank of drywall nails, leading them to eventually pop out again when hammered back in. Re-hammering will only serve to reappear them eventually only for them to pop back out again due to weak wood.
Fixing nail pops involves inserting a drywall screw above and below each popped nail until they meet with their counterpart stud behind it, before covering up this new point of attachment with spackle. If there are several nail pops in one room, however, replacing the existing drywall may be necessary to maintain its long-term integrity; professional services should be sought to do this work.
Repairing Nail Pops on Roofs
Roof nail pops can be a serious nuisance, compromising shingle security when their nail holders become loose. Nail pops can result from damage to sheathing shear walls or poor roofing installation and improper nailing techniques.
Sheathing is made of wood, which expands and contracts daily due to humidity changes. This movement causes standard shingle nails to penetrate sheathing before eventually coming loose again.
Over time, nail shank rings may wear away or rust away, leaving the nail smooth and easily liftable upwards. This causes it to pop out from its position under a shingle roof and allows rainwater to enter through an opening in its base.
Professional roofers will carefully lift your shingle to inspect its condition and repair any damages, installing new ring shank nails into its sheathing and using roof sealant to reseal the sealant around its perimeter.