# Plastic cap nails for shingled



## doco2279 (May 19, 2017)

Good morning. This maybe a dumb question, but can you hand nail shingles with plastic cap nails? Are there any advantages or disadvantages? 

Thanks


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## jlhaslip (Dec 31, 2009)

Big disadvantage would be the additional cost to purchase the cap nails and not being able to use a gun to nail. (faster)


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## craig11152 (Jun 20, 2015)

When I was last active in the business (8 years ago) that would have been a code violation and an installation/warranty violation in my area.


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## doco2279 (May 19, 2017)

I had planned on hand nailing them anyhow. It is a porch roof, so it shouldn't take that long. I've already got the nails, so I'm not out anything money-wise. I just wasn't sure if the nails (caps) would prevent the shingles from sealing to each other properly. I wasn't thinking about it when I put the first two courses on, it was getting late and that is what I had on the roof with me, so I put the first two courses on last night with cap nails before the mosquitos started driving me crazy. So, now I don't know if I should tear up the shingles I put down and replace with the correct nail, or just keep on trucking.


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## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

+1

No reason to, they will stand up, might not be the right length, and just aren't needed here.


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## BIG Johnson (Apr 9, 2017)

I would think the cap nails would prevent the adhesive from making full contact with the shingle underneath. Don't do it.


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## carpdad (Oct 11, 2010)

For front porch I would tear off or remove the nails with caps and reuse the shingles. Bumps will show up later.


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## NotyeruncleBob (Mar 9, 2017)

Roofing is the one product that has full instructions on every pack! Just follow the instructions and quit trying to reinvent the wheel.


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## Yodaman (Mar 9, 2015)

Carefully pull them and use a roofing nail.
For starters, the plastic cap will not seal on the granular surface of a shingle. So any water in the area would likely run under the cap and directly to the nail head were it may or may not leak. If the caps come off from expansion contraction the reaming nail head is way too small to hold a shingle. The nail size itself is also much smaller than a roofing nail, about 1/2 the size if were guessing.

Sorry bad idea,
thankfully only 2 courses.


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