How To Clean Slate Roof Shingles

Sunlight and warm weather will ensure the cleaning solution dries too fast to be of any use.

How to clean slate roof shingles.

Spray the cleaner on a section of roof and let it sit for about 15 minutes. Start at the lower portion of the roof moving up as you clean each lower section. Use heavy rubber gloves to scoop up material in areas you can safely reach. The more applications and sitting time the better.

Slide the replacement shingle into place. Hook the nails and pull them out. A vinyl leaf rake can clean harder to reach spots. Punch a hole into shingle from the back.

Asphalt shingles are easy to install last anywhere from 10 to 50 years depending on the type and are less expensive than other roofing materials such as slate tile and metal. When cleaning a slate roof don t use chemicals like ammonia or chlorine bleach. You want to keep it wet once you ve begun. Before applying the cleaner spray the roof with water to cool it down.

Step 1 choose a cool and overcast day. Step 2 replacing the shingles. Use the sprayer to saturate a strip 3 feet high x 10 feet wide. The trick to doing this successfully is applying the solution with a garden type sprayer and letting it sit and reapply and reapply and reapply.

Then spray the cleaner onto the shingles photo 1. The goal when cleaning a slate roof is to soften and loosen the undesirable buildup. Limit cleaning to removing organic debris and delaminated slate flakes from valleys snow guards gutters and the area behind the chimney. Cleaning roofs is slippery work.

Buildup of moss and debris on slate roofs hold moisture in the slates that can split them during winter. In addition choose a day with little wind so that when you spray the solution it stays on your roof 1 x research sourcestep 2 perform maintenance on your roof. Regular roof cleaning is critical for your roof as slate is easy to cleave and water absorbent. If a slate shingle needs to be replaced use the slate ripper a 2 foot piece of cast steel that includes a blade and a hook for the removal of slate nails and broken shingles.

That way you always stand on dry surface and reduce the chance of slipping. Such harsh chemicals are incompatible with the copper components of your slate roof. That ll prevent the cleaner from drying out too quickly. No pressure washers please.

They re likely to damage the shingles just be sure to wet your foundation plantings first and rinse everything in clean water when you re done. Wait about 20 minutes then rinse.