Protruding Roofing Nails

Roofing contractors have told me electro galvanized nails that stick out past the sheathing edge can attract water which can prevent the wood deck from absorbing the moisture and rotting.

Protruding roofing nails.

All nails must be corrosion resistant. Or there is spray foam insulation to consider if that works with your other insulation and vapor barrier situation. 3 use the grip rite 11 x 1 1 4 in. 3 degree electro galvanized steel roofing nails 5 lb pack for applying roofing asphalt shingles insulation board and felt to wood substrates.

One inch roofing nail the other way to determine if the proper nails were used is to look in the attic. If you have a friend in the attic ask him to direct you to a sturdy spot where the nail can bite into the wood. We just had a new asphalt shingle roof put on and were concerned because hundreds of the roofing nails used to nail down the shingles are protruding through the overhangs of the eaves. Our contractor said b c our decking was so thin 3 8 the 1 1 4 nails protruded but its ok b c if he used 3 4 shorter nails it would risk.

Protruding nails can actually be a good thing. If the roof has 1 2 sheathing you should be able to see the nails sticking through in to the attic. Of the cutting methods the cut off wheel sounds the best to me. Proper nail visible in attic.

If you use your attic for storage and need protection buy an insulating foam and have it sprayed against the walls. Hammer a new nail into the roof about 1 inch above the hole from the previous nail. A roofing nail should have a minimum nominal shank diameter of 12 gauge 2 67 mm and a minimum head diameter of 9 5 mm. Roofing nail should have a barbed shank until the head which eliminates nail pops blow offs and roof leaks.

A large nail head and heavier shank gauge provide greater holding power. The photo below shows proper 1 1 4 nails sticking through the roof sheathing on the attic side. Unless you live in your attic the protruding nail heads shouldn t be a problem.