Can You Put a Second Layer of Shingles on Your Roof?

Hey Macomb and Oakland County homeowners, Bill Jr. here from Four Seasons Kanga Roof!

If you own a home built anywhere from 20 to 80 years ago, there is a good chance you are starting to look at your roof and wonder how much longer it has left. Naturally, when looking at a roof replacement, homeowners often ask us a very logical question:

“Can I just save a little money on tear-off costs and put a second layer of shingles right over the old ones?”

It is a great question. In the spirit of our They Ask, You Answer philosophy, I am going to give it to you straight.

The short answer is: Yes, but we do not believe it is the right thing to do. Therefore Four Seasons Kanga Roof will not do it.

I know that might sound blunt, but one of our core values is We Care. Caring means we don’t let you make a bad investment just because it looks cheaper on a piece of paper today. In the long run, the ROI on a “roof-over” just doesn’t make sense.

Here is exactly why putting a second layer of shingles on your home is a recipe for disaster.

1. You Miss the Opportunity to Correct the Ventilation

Your roof is not just a bunch of shingles; it is an entire breathing system. When you tear off the old roof, it gives our in-house trained crews the chance to inspect the wooden decking underneath and fix critical ventilation issues.

When you just nail a second layer of shingles over the old ones, you are locking in whatever poor ventilation problems you currently have. Worse, you are adding an extra layer of insulation where you don’t want it, trapping immense heat in your attic and roof deck. Scientific research shows that roof surface temperatures on asphalt shingles can reach up to 82°C (180°F), and exposure to extreme high temperatures causes roofing materials to become highly brittle and prone to failure (Brown et al., 2015). If your roof cannot breathe, that trapped heat literally bakes your new shingles from the inside out.

2. It Dramatically Decreases the Projected Life of the Roof

A new architectural shingle roof should give you decades of reliable protection. But when you lay new asphalt shingles over old, uneven, and curled shingles, they cannot seal properly.

Without a flat surface, the new shingles will catch the wind, allowing water to blow underneath. Furthermore, the trapped heat we mentioned above will cause the new materials to deteriorate at an accelerated rate. You might save a fraction of the cost on the front end by skipping the tear-off, but you could cut the lifespan of your new roof in half. That is terrible ROI for your primary residence.

3. It Greatly Limits Options for Real Warranty Protections

We offer a 100% Satisfaction Money Back Guarantee on our residential services, and we stand by our Remarkable Service with the BBB Torch Award for Ethics on our mantle. We can offer these ironclad guarantees because we do the job right the first time.

Major shingle manufacturers generally do not offer full warranty protections on second-layer roofs. Why? Because they know the failure rate is drastically higher. If a storm hits and your roof fails, you will likely find that your manufacturer warranty is voided simply because the shingles were not installed on a clean, prepared roof deck. You lose your safety net entirely.

The Bottom Line: Straightforward Pricing and Real ROI

At Four Seasons Kanga Roof, We Do What It Takes to protect your home. We use a straightforward, “menu-style” pricing guide so you know exactly what a full, proper roof replacement costs—with zero hidden fees. Through our Apples to Apples Guarantee, we ensure you are getting the absolute best price for a fully guaranteed, top-tier roofing system.

Sure, We Have Fun while we work, but we take the safety of your family and the integrity of your home very seriously. Skipping the tear-off to add a second layer of shingles is a shortcut, and we don’t do shortcuts. We do it right.

If you want a roofing team that respects you enough to give you the honest truth and long-term quality, hop on over to www.kanga-roof.com and book your consultation today.

Let’s get it done right! And as always, we hope you have a Kanga-Rific day!

Bill Burkhardt, Jr. VP & Owner, Four Seasons Kanga Roof

References

Brown, T. M., Pogorzelski, W. H., & Giammanco, I. M. (2015). Evaluating hail damage using property insurance claims data. Weather, Climate, and Society, 7(3), 197–210. https://doi.org/10.1175/wcas-d-15-0011.1