New Roof Shingles Buckling

If you have a newly installed roof and the shingles are buckling take a good look at the shingles to see if they appear to be porous or holding water.

New roof shingles buckling.

The wetness gets absorbed by the felt underlayment causing the felt to wrinkle. However newer shingles that are made in a poor quality way may also take in water and hold it which can cause buckling as well. But the moisture evaporates as the materials reach equilibrium with the the surrounding air and the shingles settle back down flat. Hard to tell from one photo but if the buckling followed the pattern of joints in the roof sheathing it can be caused by installing shingles over sheathing before it has had time to reach moisture equilibrium with the homesite environment.

In new construction it is best to let the roof sheathing acclimate to local conditions before installing the roofing although this is not always practical. Buckling shingles can sometimes be traced back to mistakes made during roof installation even though the buckling may not show up for a year or two after you get a new roof. Another cause of buckling can be wetting of the felt paper which will expand if it gets wet. This sheathing is generally made from plywood or a similar material.

This then telegraphs to the shingles above. You also may have curling shingles where the center of the shingle looks concave and the edges turn up. Buckling shingles are a sign of a major problem with your roof. Buckling shingles look like something is underneath the shingles pushing them upward.

It doesn t matter how old or new your roof is buckling shingles indicate it needs a professional inspection right away. If the felt paper is rained on it s best to let it dry out before installing shingles. Asphalt shingles sometimes buckle slightly and in an irregular pattern due to moisture in a the materials of a new roofing system.