Alright, let me tell you about my time wrestling with that old roof using one of those tear-off shovels. The shingles were looking pretty sad, curled up and losing granules everywhere. Knew it was time.
Getting Set Up
First thing, I had to actually get the shovel. Went down to the hardware store, looked at a few. Picked one that felt sturdy, had a good long handle for leverage, and those little teeth on the end. Seemed like it would bite into the shingles right.
Got back home, climbed up on that roof. Safety first, you know? Had my harness on, good boots. Dumped the new shingles at one end, cleared a space to start working. Grabbed that tear-off shovel. Felt a bit heavy, but solid.
The Real Work Begins
Okay, so I jammed the edge of the shovel under the first course of shingles near the peak. Gave it a good shove. Man, those first few shingles were stubborn. Felt like they were glued down with cement. Had to wiggle it, push hard, then give it a strong pull upwards. Pop! The nails ripped out and a chunk of shingles came loose.
It wasn’t like a smooth slicing motion, more like brute force prying. You get a rhythm going though:
- Shove the shovel under the layer.
- Push forward a bit to loosen things.
- Yank up and back, using your legs and back (carefully!).
- Slide the loosened stuff down towards the edge or a tarp.
That shovel definitely helped. Those teeth really did grab onto the nail heads sometimes, which made pulling them out a bit easier than just prying wood. Way better than trying with a regular spade shovel, which would just bend, or a small pry bar, which takes forever.
Some spots were tougher. Around vents or flashing, you had to be more careful, maybe use a smaller tool first. And hitting a section where maybe water had leaked? The wood underneath was soft, and the shingles just sort of disintegrated instead of popping off clean. That was messy.
It’s hard work, no doubt about it. Swinging that thing, bending over, lifting heavy chunks of old roofing. My arms and back were definitely feeling it by the end of the first day. But seeing that roof deck getting cleared, section by section, felt pretty good.
Wrapping It Up
Took a couple of days, working steady. That tear-off shovel was the main tool for the stripping part. It did exactly what it was supposed to: get under the shingles and nails and rip ’em up. It wasn’t magic, still required a lot of elbow grease, but I wouldn’t want to do that job without one. Cleaning the deck after was another story, sweeping up all the little bits and stray nails the shovel missed. But for the main tear-off? Yeah, that tool earned its keep.
