New roof shingles: Remove thin plastic strips on back of shingles before nailing down?

[Joe]

Putting on new shingles - IKO brand, Chateau type, single (1) tab, architectural or "designer" style, 100% asphalt (not fiberglass).

On the back of each shingle is 3 strips (running the full length of the shingle) near the top, the bottom, and the center. The strips are some sort of shiny black tar, about 1" wide (but not very thick). Two of these strips are solid, and one is intermittent (like a dashed line

- - -).

The two solid strips are covered by what seems like a very thin, transparent release strip made of plastic. This strip resembles "saran wrap" except it's more "crinkly" when you peel it off and handle it.

These black tar strips seem to function as a way to bond or seal the shingles together once they're nailed down and have been heated by the sun. The release strip would function to prevent the shingles from bonding to each other while bundled.

What I don't understand is that roofers don't seem to peel the release strips off the shingles before they nail them down (I admit that it seems to take as much time to pick away and peel these release strips off the shingles as it does to nail the shingles down).

So, if the purpose of the black tar strips is to help the layers stick to each other, then how can the tar strips function if the release strips are NOT removed from each shingle?

The instructions, diagrams, and warnings printed on the wrappers of the shingles say nothing about the black tar strip or the membrane strip that covers them.

Should I peel these strips off before the roofers nail them down?

[Travis Jordan]

Joe, Joe, Joe... you gotta learn how to use Google for these kinds of questions.

[Cal]

"Joe" wrote

Yes, if you want to void the warranty and piss the roofers off.

[Cliff Hartle]

The strips are there to make sure the shingles don't seal to one and other in the bundle.

The stripes underneath the shingle line up with the strips of tar on the top of the shingle in the bundle. The tar on top of the shingle is what is to bond to the bottom of the row above it.

On allot of shingles "DO NOT REMOVE" is printed on the strip. For some reason they don't want the bottom of the shingle sticking to the tar paper.

[Nehmo Sergheyev]

- Cliff Hartle -

- Nehmo - It wouldn't hurt anything if a shingle stuck to the underlayment . It's already nailed or stapled to it. The "DO NOT..." is just a simple way of saying "It's not necessary to and you wouldn't accomplish anything if you did..."

[Tom]

Nehmo wrote:>It wouldn't hurt anything if a shingle stuck to the underlayment . It's

Good answer! Tom Work at your leisure!

[thunder]

Not exactly true. That plastic strip also happens to be the nail line, at least in three tabs. Some manufacturers think it provides a little extra nail holding capability.

[Nehmo Sergheyev]

- Nehmo -

- thunder -

- Nehmo - The plastic strip is flimsy, and it's on the bottom of the shingle.

[Joe]

I honestly didn't think I'd be able to find an answer that way.

The 5'th result (of your google search link) is this:

"Cal" wrote

Note that the above IKO link says this about these release strips:

---------------------- Q: Do I need to peel the release tape off the shingles?

A: The plastic release film on the back of IKO shingles does not need to be removed.

The sole purpose of this tape is to prevent the shingles from sticking together in the package. Once the shingles have been removed from the package and are applied in the correct orientation on the roof, the release tape serves no purpose whatsoever. The shingle sealant, which bonds the shingles together, is located elsewhere on the shingle and will seal succeeding courses of the shingles together on the roof when warmed by the heat of the sun, soon after application.

------------------------

Would it void the warranty? I think not.

Would it piss the roofers off? (to make them peel the strips off?) Probably. Nothing stopping me from doing it while the shingles are sitting on the roof waiting for the roofers.

But getting back to the IKO answer above - it doesn't explain what these strips are covering up.

Their logic is that the tape is there to keep the shingles from sticking to each other. Which means that what-ever is UNDER the tape is sticky and shouldn't come into contact with other shingles while bundled. So why put this stuff on the shingles in the first place?

[John Willis]

On 22 Nov 2004 04:51:28 -0800, [e-mail] (Joe) scribbled this interesting note:

Those strips are there not to cover up anything that is underneath them, but if you look carefully, they are positioned such that when the shingles are in their packaging the strips are over the factory applied sealant and they keep that from sticking the shingles together.

To repeat what others have said, it is not necessary to remove those strips. If you feel compelled, I suppose it will do no harm, but then again you will gain nothing by doing so. I suppose everyone needs a hobby, which is what you will have if you insist on removing them!:~)

-- John Willis (Remove the Primes before e-mailing me)

[willshak]

On 11/22/2004 9:10 AM US(ET), John Willis took fingers to keys, and typed the following:

Yeah, open all the packages and remove all the release strips before the roofers get there. They will appreciate not having to carry 80 lb. packaged goods up the ladder. :-)

[Lee Bray]

Hi John

After reading all of this I am still confused. The shingles that I just finished installing on my shop roof had those strips also. But we did strip them off as I understood it would make the shingles adhere better. Between the substance on top and bottom of the shingles I would think make the shingle adhere better to the roof surface. If not needed why would the manufacture it that way as they could save money by not even putting the substance on it at all. The substance appears to be the same top and bottom of the shingle. I would imagine most roofers would not waste their time stripping the stuff off as it would consume too much time.

BTW I am not a roofer either but try to learn from the newsgroups so this is just my personal opinion not one of an experienced roofer. I figure it could not hurt so I removed all of the tape prior to installation.

Lee

John Willis wrote:

[willshak]

On 11/22/2004 9:23 AM US(ET), Lee Bray took fingers to keys, and typed the following:

All the manufacturers say that it is not necessary because the adhesive used will stick through the strips (perhaps after being baked in the sun). The only reason for the strips is to prevent the shingles from sticking to each other while packaged. I suppose that if you left the package out in the sun for a long period, they could stick to each other in the package, but, not being a roofer, I have no knowledge or proof of this.

[Harry K]

Have a cite for that? How would it add any holding capability as the holding capability is in the wood deck, not the shingle. That thin strip will also not add anything to keep the nail from pulling through the shingle.

Harry K

[Robert Allison]

Let me give this a try. The strip is there to prevent the asphalt sealant on the shingle underneath this shingle to NOT adhere to it while in the bundle. The strip has nothing under it. It is a shield against the sealant on the other shingles.

[Nehmo Sergheyev]

- Joe -

- Nehmo - Picture the shingle correctly oriented with the granular surface up. What's UNDER the tape on the bottom of the shingle is the next shingle. While in a package, the tape is above the adhesive spots of the next shingle. While installed on the roof, the tape is above a part of the next shingle where there is no adhesive because each shingle is offset from the next shingle. Thus, the tape serves a function while the shingle is in a package, but serves no function after the shingle is installed.

The *other* adhesive on the bottom of a shingle that holds the tape on only does that.

[John Willis]

On Mon, 22 Nov 2004 09:46:09 -0500, willshak scribbled this interesting note:

No it doesn't. After tearing off thousands upon thousands of roofs in the North Texas area, with the extreme summer heat we can get here, I've never seen any shingle with these plastic strips (some manufacturers still use paper strips. In point of fact, earlier shingles all used paper in this area as opposed to plastic) that has sealed through the plastic. Not one.

The plastic strips are ONLY there to prevent the shingles from sticking together while packaged. There is no other reason for them and they serve no other purpose whatsoever. Removing them is only something you need to do if you feel compelled to do so or are in search of a hobby!:~)

The adhesive that seals the shingles together is positioned, on every shingle I've ever seen that had sealant on it, such that it adheres to the lower portion of the shingle above or below it. Some manufacturers place the sealant on the middle portion of the front of the shingle, some position it on the lower portion of the back of the shingle. Those little troublesome pieces of plastic only serve to keep the shingles from adhering to each other while still packaged up. To be crystal clear, these plastic strips serve no other purpose and the adhesive under them serves no other purpose than to keep the strips in place. None. At all.

-- John Willis (Remove the Primes before e-mailing me)

[Lee Bray]

Hi Robert

I don't know what kind of shingles you are using but the plastic strip covers the same blobs of sealant that is on the other side of the shingle here in Florida. I can understand it is a preventative for sure as here in Florida the heat would bond them together but if you take the strip off there is the same bonding agent under the tape or at least the ones I bought!

Lee

Robert Allis>Let me give this a try. The strip is there to prevent the asphalt

[John Willis]

On Mon, 22 Nov 2004 02:24:55 -0500, thunder scribbled this interesting note:

One reason to nail where the manufacturer says is so you are nailing not only through the shingle you are currently working with, but also through the top of the shingle below it-think of it as a kind of double protection. Another reason is that if wind does get under a shingle, you want the nails as low as you can get them and still have them water proof since the more surface area the wind can grab the more likely it is to remove a shingle for you.

The plastic strips serve no other purpose than the keep the shingles from sticking together while packaged up. No other reason at all. None. I've never seen any statement from any shingle manufacturer we've worked with in over twenty five years of working with roofing materials that says otherwise.

Of course I could be mistaken, just sharing what I've seen while on the job, while reading web sites, what I've seen in warranty statements, etc.

-- John Willis (Remove the Primes before e-mailing me)

[Grandpa Koca]

And why wouldn't there be? I mean from a manufacturing standpoint, why stock two different types of adhesives when only one will do? The important part of the adhesive is on the top of the shingle, in the package stack, even if there was no adhesive on the bottom, they would stick together due to heat a pressure. One way is to put paper between each shingle, but that's too wasteful nowadays. The plastic strip needs to be held in place on the bottom of the shingle, so they just use the same adhesive to hold it there.