Use a heavy duty utility knife to separate the shingles into thirds by cutting them at each tab.
How many tabs should you use on a roof.
However most people prefer the cutout lines to be aligned so they make straight vertical lines.
How to cap an asphalt shingled roof.
Each tab is 12 inches.
Standard roofing tools like a hammer and roofing nails are all you typically need to cap a roof.
The rationale behind the number is that in most cases four nails are the right number of nails to do a quality job.
To do this you need to note that one tab will be equal to 1 foot.
If the existing shingles are standard 3 tab shingles you can get this measurement by taking note of the number of tabs along the eaves and ridges then determine the length in feet.
Generally regular shingles are cut straight through the tab.
They are designed to be installed with a 5 inch reveal.
Some roofers install shingles so the cutout lines describe a slight angle as you look from the bottom to the top of the roof.
Three tab shingles are usually 36 inches long.
This can be done from the ground by taking the measurement of the length of the house and adding the length of the overhangs to it.
If you are using three tab shingles however you can cut shingles to make your own.
Standard roof installation requires four nails per shingle.
To use this method you will need to measure the length of the eaves on each of the roof planes.
Here s what a three tab shingle looks like.