Good tips here, especially the heat gun suggestion—definitely a lifesaver on those cloudy, chilly days. Have you tried storing the shingles indoors overnight before installation? I know indoor warming was mentioned earlier, but I've found that just bringing them inside the night before can help a lot. They won't get as brittle, and you'll have fewer issues with cracking or tearing.
Also, what's your nailing technique like? If you're having trouble with cracking, sometimes it's not just pressure but also nail placement. Are you nailing closer to the edges or more towards the center line of the shingle? I've noticed that if I stay a little further from the edges—especially in colder weather—it reduces cracking significantly.
One more thing to consider: Are you using hand nails or a pneumatic nailer? Pneumatic nailers can be great, but they can also drive nails too deep if you're not careful, especially with colder shingles. If that's the case, adjusting the pressure down a bit might help. I learned that one the hard way after splitting a few shingles myself...
Anyway, sounds like you're on the right track. Installing hip and ridge shingles can be finicky, especially in colder climates, but once you get a good rhythm down, it gets easier. Keep at it, you'll get there.
Bringing shingles indoors overnight definitely helps—I second that. Had a crew doing a roof last winter, and we learned pretty quickly that cold shingles are a nightmare. Also, good call on the nail placement. I used to nail too close to the edges and cracked more shingles than I'd like to admit... Adjusting the pneumatic nailer pressure made a huge difference too. Sounds like you're figuring it out though, just takes some trial and error. Hang in there, you'll nail it soon enough.
Interesting points about warming shingles indoors—I get the logic behind it, but honestly, I'm not totally convinced it's always worth the hassle. I mean, lugging bundles of shingles inside every night and then back out again in the morning sounds like a lot of extra work, especially if you're doing this solo or with limited help. Plus, wouldn't the constant temperature swings potentially affect the shingles' durability or flexibility over time?
When I tackled my own roof last fall (first-time homeowner here, so take this with a grain of salt), I found that just timing the installation for warmer parts of the day helped a lot. Instead of bringing shingles indoors, I stacked them in direct sunlight for an hour or two before starting. It wasn't perfect, but it definitely made them easier to handle without the back-and-forth hassle.
Also, about nail placement—totally agree that adjusting pneumatic nailer pressure helps, but I found that manually checking the depth setting on the nailer itself was even more critical. At first, I relied too heavily on pressure adjustments alone and still ended up cracking shingles occasionally. Once I dialed in the depth setting carefully—testing on scrap shingles first—it made a noticeable difference. Maybe that's obvious to experienced roofers, but as a newbie, it took me a while to figure out.
One other thing I noticed: hip and ridge shingles seem to crack more easily if they're bent too sharply or quickly. I started gently pre-bending them by hand before installation, just enough to ease them into shape without forcing. It slowed me down a bit, but I cracked fewer shingles overall.
Anyway, roofing definitely has a learning curve... I'm still figuring things out myself. Curious if anyone else has tried different methods for warming shingles or has thoughts on indoor vs outdoor storage overnight.
Yeah, I totally get your hesitation about hauling shingles in and out every day—sounds exhausting, honestly. When I did mine last spring, I just left them stacked outside overnight but covered them with a tarp to keep moisture off. Seemed to work fine. Also, good call on gently pre-bending the hip and ridge shingles...wish I'd thought of that earlier, would've saved me a few cracked ones for sure. Did you find any particular brand easier to handle?
Yeah, leaving shingles outside under a tarp overnight usually works fine...as long as you're careful about moisture buildup underneath. I've seen cases where condensation formed under the tarp and ended up soaking the bottom layers—something to watch out for. Totally agree on pre-bending, though; saves a ton of headaches later. Personally, I've found CertainTeed's hip and ridge shingles pretty forgiving—they seem less brittle than some others I've handled. Might be worth checking them out.
