Nail pops are telltale signs of structural issues within your home. They could indicate either an uplifted truss or foundation settlement issue.
Though it might be tempting, nail pops should only ever be addressed by an experienced professional. Driving the nail back into its hole will only result in future pops.
1. Remove the Popped Nail
Nail pops are an all too common roof issue and one way to prevent them is to ensure your deck remains stable. If an unattended nail pop occurs, water could seep under it and cause sheathing rot which leads to water spots appearing on your ceiling and pools in your attic.
Every asphalt roof consists of individual shingles secured to its sheathing with nails. For optimal performance, roofing contractors ideally use long ring shank nails featuring grip rings around their shank and flat nail heads in order to prevent water penetration.
Over time, shifting temperatures cause sheathing to expand and contract at different rates, gradually loosening nails until they pop out of place. Sheathing may also sustain damage that leaves soft spots where no nail can hold anymore – these nail pops may just seem cosmetically distasteful but often signal structural problems that need professional intervention to correct. Therefore, it’s wise to have any popped nails repaired immediately for best results.
2. Removing the Damaged Shingle
Nail pops can be both unattractive and costly to repair. When one pops, it raises the shingle, exposing sheathing to water penetration that seeps under and penetrates under, potentially entering your home through ceiling leakage or creating sheathing rot that must be professionally repaired at great expense.
Roof nail pops occur as a result of fluctuating temperature and humidity conditions that cause wood sheathing to expand and contract, eventually leading to nail loss of grip and pushing upward.
Avoid nail pops by quickly responding when they appear. A professional roofer can assess any potential underlying issues on your roof and provide effective, long-term solutions. This might involve replacing damaged shingles and driving new nails about one inch higher up for future nail pop prevention or using roof sealant to reseal areas and protect sheathing from moisture damage.
3. Repairing the Damaged Shingle
Roof installation projects often result in nail pops for several reasons. Sometimes too short nails cannot properly anchor shingles to wood sheathing and other times roofing installers use either crooked nails or smooth shank nails that fail to penetrate sufficiently into the sheathing, creating potential leak points and nail pops.
Your roof and sheathing experience a daily cycle of heating and cooling temperatures that cause wood fibers to expand and contract, pushing nails upward through shingles at different rates. Over time this may result in nails being forced up through your shingle with forceful forceful pushback.
Assuming you catch a nail pop early enough, fixing it should be straightforward. First, carefully use a pry bar to lift up the tabs of shingles above the damaged one and expose its nails; remove damaged shingle; replace with new one; apply roof sealant underneath each bead of roof shingle; press them down firmly with brick; repeat process 24 hours later for complete drying of sealant.
4. Reinstalling the Shingle
Fluctuations in temperature and humidity levels can result in nail pops. If left unattended, strong winds could catch and dislodge any raised shingles from their roof completely, leading to additional damage and costly repairs.
Nail pops can occur as the result of improper roof installation or using insecure nails during roofing projects. Short nails with smooth shanks may fail to secure sheathing properly while longer ring shank nails should always be used to ensure a secure roof structure.
Nail pops can become entry points for rainwater into your home, leading it to seep in under your shingle and through its nail head holes causing sheathing rot and water leakage – oftentimes undetected until manifesting as spots or pools on ceiling or attic floors. By taking proactive steps such as fixing nail pops quickly and installing replacement shingles correctly you can reduce future problems and stay dry!