Cold Weather Roofing
❄️ Can You Install Shingles in the Cold?
Winter weather doesn’t always mean your roofing project has to hit the brakes, but it does mean you need to be careful.
When temperatures drop, asphalt shingles become brittle and lose their flexibility. If handled incorrectly, they can crack or fail to seal properly, leaving your home vulnerable to leaks.
What You Need to Know:
The “Magic Number”: Most manufacturers have a specific temperature threshold (usually around 40°F) where standard installation becomes risky.
The Sealant Issue: Shingles rely on solar heat to activate their adhesive strips. In freezing temps, they may require “manual sealing” to prevent wind blow-offs.
Precision Matters: Cold-weather installs require specialized handling and adjusted pressure on nail guns to avoid shattering the shingle mat.
Don’t Guess with Your Roof
Installing shingles at the wrong temperature can void your warranty and lead to expensive repairs down the road. Our team knows exactly when it’s safe to hammer and when it’s better to wait for a warmer window.
Wondering if your roof can be fixed this week? Give us a call today! We’ll give you the specifics on current temperature limits and help you decide on the safest timeline for your home.
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What Homeowners Need to Know | Cold Weather Roofing
When the temperature drops, we often get asked: “Is it too cold to install my new roof?” It’s a great question. While roofing doesn’t strictly stop in the winter, there is a critical limit at which installing shingles becomes a gamble rather than a solid investment. At Marva Roofing, we believe in transparency, and we want you to understand the science behind cold-weather roofing.
The Science of Shingle Brittleness
Asphalt shingles are designed to be flexible and durable, but they are thermal-sensitive. When temperatures dip toward freezing, the asphalt modifiers in the shingles begin to stiffen. In extreme cold, shingles become brittle—almost like a sheet of glass.
If a contractor attempts to nail down a “frozen” shingle, the pressure from the nail gun can actually crack or shatter the shingle mat around the fastener. This creates a “blow-through,” where the nail no longer holds the shingle securely. You might not see the damage from the ground, but a single winter storm could easily peel those compromised shingles right off your roof.
The “Thermal Sealing” Challenge
Standard asphalt shingles feature a strip of factory-applied adhesive called sealant. Under normal conditions, the heat from the sun activates this adhesive, “bonding” the shingles together to create a watertight, wind-resistant shield.
In low temperatures, the sun isn’t strong enough to trigger this bond. If shingles are installed in the dead of winter without specific precautions, they may remain unsealed for months. This leaves your home highly susceptible to “shingle blow-off” during high winds. To combat this, professional crews must often use a method called manual sealing, applying specialized roofing cement to every single shingle—a tedious but necessary process that requires an expert hand.
