How to Replace Asphalt Ridge Caps

Place a ladder next to the house and climb on the roof. Use a claw hammer to pull the nails out of the old asphalt ridge cap shingles that remain on the roof. Remove all of the old ridge cap shingles.

Position a new asphalt ridge cap shingle on one end of the ridge with its center on the ridge center at the highest point. Bend each side of the ridge cap over each side of the shingle. Nail a 3-inch roofing nail about 5½ inches from the exposed end of the cap on each side. Place another nail about 1 inch from the bottom edge of the cap.

Lift up the left and right bottom edges of the cap shingle. Apply roofing cement under each edge with a trowel and press each edge down onto the roof.

Place a second ridge cap shingle on top of the first one with an overlap of 5 inches. This is the same spacing as the shingles on your roof. Nail it in place as you nailed the first one. Apply roofing compound on the bottom of the overlapping edges as on the first ridge cap shingle.

Repeat this process, adding additional roof cap shingles until you reach the opposite end of the ridge line.

Cut any excess off the last roof cap shingle with a utility knife so it is the same length as the shingles underneath it. Glue the bottom of the last roof cap shingle onto the shingles underneath with roofing cement.