In some ways, it can sound a bit pretentious, “We install roofs the old fashioned way, with hammers and elbow grease, none of this newfangled nail gunawhosits!”, but there are solid, practical reasons for hand nailing all our roofs that have nothing to do with being “old-fashioned” or nail-gun adverse. It has everything to do with quality and workmanship.
When you’ve been in business for as long as Atlanta Roofing Specialists have, you are constantly exposed to the newest and shiniest technologies, from roofing software to trucks and equipment, we are constantly upgrading and staying on top of the advances that allow us to install or repair any roof as fast as possible at the best price while maintaining the highest quality workmanship and service. At the same time, we don’t purchase new technologies just to have them or because it’s the thing to do. It must contribute something of significant value to the customer and company, both.
Nail guns have been around since 1950 and have improved significantly over the years, especially as technology has progressed. Nail guns make a lot of jobs much quicker and easier for the company and in many industries, it works just as well or better than a hammer. Nail guns have had a huge impact on the construction business by eliminating the labor costs associated with hand nailing every nail. This results in less costs for the contractor and lower costs for the homeowner.
Roofing, however, is the exception. Although nail gun technology has improved since their introduction 63 years ago, they still function basically the same and are subject to the laws of physics. The unfortunate fact is, even with progress in technology, nail guns still have the same flaws they did when they were introduced when it comes to roofing applications. Whether this is a flaw in the technology or the specific user (the tendency to just pull the trigger and rush through the job will result in problems) is up for debate but regardless of the reason, roofs installed using nail guns have problems 100% of the time caused by improperly driven nails.
Let’s repeat that for emphasis, in the 20 years Atlanta Roofing Specialists have been repairing roofs, 100% of the roofs that were applied by contractors using a nail gun have problems that result from nails. The same problem occurs, every single time, the nails simply aren’t consistent, some are driven much too deep, others not deep enough, some at awkward angles (causing damage), some missing altogether.
The problem is so bad, GAF, the largest roofing manufacturer in North America, recently issued a Technical Advisory Bulletin advising against the use of nail guns when installing roofs as they may void the warranty. As one of the major problems with nail guns is lack of consistency, GAF advises hand nailing to ensure the nails are flush to the surface of the roof.
It’s much better to simply take your time and do the job right. At Atlanta Roofing Specialists, we hand nail every single nail on your roof, it may take a little longer but having it done right the first time is worth the extra effort.
For more reasons on why Atlanta Roofing Hand Nail’s their roofs see Why We Hand Nail.