How to Finish a Roof Cap with 3 Tab Roofing

Cut each three-tab shingle into three pieces at the marked tab lines with the roofing knife. Trim the top corners of the black section of each piece with an angled cut. Angled corners will join together more neatly on the ridge.

Snap a chalk line on one side of the ridge, six inches down and parallel to the peak of the roof. This line is the guide line for shingle placement.

Align the edge of the first shingle with the chalk line. Lay it over the ridge. The black tar paper of the angled end should be pointing toward the center of the ridge. Hammer four 1-1/4-inch roofing nails one inch from the four edges of the granulated piece of the shingle. Caulk the heads of the two nails at the roof edge with the caulking gun. Apply a generous bead of caulk under the edge of the starter shingle to prevent wind from entering.

Align the next shingle with the chalk line. Lay the second shingle over the first shingle one inch below the black tar line, covering one inch of the granulated area of the first shingle. This should leave a five-inch reveal on the granulated area of the shingle. Hammer one roofing nail into each of the two corners of the leading edge of the granulated portion of shingle. These two nails will secure the tar-papered end of the previously installed shingle to the roof.

Repeat step 4 to continue installing shingles along the ridge line until you reach the center of the ridge. Stop shingling from this direction when you reach the center.

Go to the end of the ridge and resume shingling from the opposite end to meet in the center at the point where you had stopped in step 5. Align the edge of the first shingle with the chalk line. Lay it over the ridge. The black tar paper of the angled end should be pointing toward the center of the ridge. Hammer four 1-1/4-inch roofing nails one inch from the four edges of the granulated piece of the shingle. Caulk the heads of the two nails at the roof edge with the caulking gun. Apply a generous bead of caulk under the edge of the starter shingle to prevent wind from entering.

Align the next shingle with the chalk line. Lay the second shingle over the first shingle one inch below the black tar line, covering one inch of the granulated area of the first shingle. This should leave a five-inch reveal on the granulated area of the shingle. Hammer one roofing nail into each of the two corners of the leading edge of the granulated portion of shingle. These two nails will secure the tar-papered end of the previously installed shingle to the roof.

Repeat step 7 to install ridge cap shingles along the ridge line until you reach the center of the ridge cap. Lay the final shingle to complete the ridge cap. Caulk the nail heads.