pnw roofing

Can a new roof be put on in winter?

Conditions for Replacing Your Roof in Winter

There are three major elements in replacing a roof. Each element needs to fall within the right parameters for winter roofing:

  • Tools’ performance
  • Shingle product and human ability
  • Safety and morale

Tool Performance in Cold Weather

Some of the tools in the arsenal of a roofing crew won’t be affected by the cold. However, some of the most important tools will be – like air compressors and nail guns. The air in use by your compressor, which drives the nail gun, is affected by humidity.

Basically, that humidity will turn into water and freeze in below-freezing weather in the airlines. This can reduce the airflow in the line and affect the installation because nails have to be flush with the single when they are driven in.

While some roofing materials can be installed any time of the year, some roofing materials can’t. Rubber roofs shouldn’t be installed in cold temperatures because the adhesives used to seal them won’t work when it’s cold. Asphalt shingles can be installed in cold weather, but it isn’t advisable to do so.
 
Yes, asphalt shingles can still be installed successfully in cold weather, providing a few important changes are made to the usual practices. If the temperature dips below freezing, frost, ice and snow become a serious safety factor on the roof.
Roof replacement during the winter is the best time.

Of course, new shingles need to undergo thermal sealing, which can take several days and even weeks in temperatures of 40 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. Another positive point is that roofing material prices will be cheaper in the winter months.
 
Roofing in cold weather can cause the sealant to not “activate” quickly which allows the shingles to be blown off easier in high winds. Now, if they are installed on cold weather, it doesn’t mean that she sealant is ruined and will never seal, it just means that they will begin to seal when the temperatures rise.
 
Shingle strips have an integrated layer that seals automatically when the temperature is warm enough. During summers, you can expect the shingles to settle within a week of installation. According to roofing experts, a shingle will seal quickly when the temperature remains between 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit.