All About Roofing Tools

Hammers are essential tools in any roofing job, and selecting one with lightweight yet sturdy construction is key to its success. Additionally, having one equipped with a claw could come in handy for quickly extracting old shingles from roofs.

An automatic staple gun will enable you to tack underlayment much quicker than using hand tackers, with its extra-long magazine saving valuable time on reloading time. For maximum efficiency, look for one equipped with this feature.

Hammer

Roofers using roofing hammers can cut, place and nail shingles quickly with one tool. These tools come equipped with magnetized faces that pick up any stray nails as well as gauges to help ensure they’re placed with proper exposure.

Contrasting with general carpentry hammers that feature claws designed for carpentry, roofing hammers feature double claws capable of ripping and prying. Furthermore, this tool features a magnetic head to hold nails securely for quicker nailing.

These hammers typically come equipped with handles made of steel, fiberglass or wood. Hammers with steel handles tend to be heavier than their counterparts with fiberglass or wooden handles.

Stapler

Staples make for an effective fastening method on felt roofing as they will not tear the material like hammer tacks and their plastic cap design provides superior hold than nails.

A stapler may come in different sizes and designs, but all share common components. These include springs, stampings and pins which come together into two halves: lower half (base/hanger/driver-ram spring/clearing spring) and upper half (magazine subassembly/anvil/metal head).

An anvil either slides or bends the staple ends inward for permanent stapling or outward for temporary pinning.

Pry Bar

Pry bars can be useful roofing tools because of the leverage they can provide. There is a wide variety of sizes and shapes available so it is essential that one fits with your task at hand.

To use a pry bar effectively, insert its flat end into a crevice between two objects. Gently tapping will help wedge it into place so it can serve as a pivot point and act as a fulcrum.

Some pry bars come equipped with features such as nail pullers or other features on one end to make the tool easier for users. This can make its use simpler.

Tape Measure

A tape measure is an indispensable tool in roofing jobs and other remodeling projects, from framing houses to building partition walls and partitioning off rooms.

Most tape measures feature slightly curved metal blades coiled up inside a housing. These devices typically include a thumb lock to prevent the tape from retracting when pressing it against surfaces or objects to take measurements.

A tape measure’s hook is designed to wiggle slightly on its blade, not as an error but in order to account for its thickness and ensure accurate measurements. While some might view this movement as undesirable, this fact actually helps ensure accurate readings from measurements taken with this tape measure.

Air Knife

An air knife is a tool designed to cut through roofing materials such as asphalt shingles. To operate it effectively, a compressed air compressor must be in use; its use helps speed up roof installations significantly.

Adjustable nozzles direct a large volume of pressurized air. Air discharge rates typically fall within 15 PSI.

Air knives are widely utilized in manufacturing to dry products after they have been washed or cleaned, helping prevent corrosion and spoilage while also playing an integral role in drying can lids and bases, thus helping prevent stress corrosion and enable accurate coding and labeling processes.

Folding Rule

Folding rules remain a great measuring instrument, especially for angles on structures that would otherwise be difficult to measure with just tape measures alone.

These units feature hinged segments that pivot together for easy use and fit easily in the palm of your hand, providing an efficient tool. Ideal for both American and metric measurements, these models come in different lengths for precise results.

Look for a rule with strong hinges that extend effortlessly without wearing out, legible markings from a distance, moisture resistance and weatherproof properties, and is resistant to moisture damage and weatherproofing.

Trowel

A trowel is a hand tool with a flat metal blade, usually flat or slightly concave in shape, that is used for digging, applying, smoothing, or moving small quantities of viscous or particulate material.

There are various kinds of trowels, from the classic triangular-shaped flat metal blade of a masonry trowel to brick trowels designed specifically to point mortar joints. Tuck pointing trowels feature long thin blades designed specifically for packing between bricks.

Bitumen trowel mastic is an ideal waterproofing material for construction projects as it is resistant to extreme weather conditions and boasts superior adhesion properties, helping prevent water damage and leaks.