Shingle Repair Ontario | Cracked & Missing Shingle Replacement

Professional Shingle Repair Services Across Ontario

A few missing shingles might not seem like much. Until the next rainstorm. Or the freeze-thaw cycle that follows.

Damaged shingles are the most common roofing problem Ontario homeowners face. They're also one of the most affordable to fix when you catch them early. Professional shingle repair means replacing individual damaged shingles or small sections instead of your whole roof. You extend your roof's life by years and spend a fraction of what replacement would cost.

Our network connects you with experienced contractors across Ontario who fix shingles fast. They match your existing roof. They protect your home from water damage. And they do it right the first time.

Heres what happens when you ignore damaged shingles. That single missing shingle exposes your underlayment to UV rays and water. In Ontario's brutal freeze-thaw climate, water gets in there and freezes. Then thaws. Then freezes again. One winter season can turn a $200 repair into a $10,000 disaster.

Shingle repair costs in 2025 range from $150-$500 for minor work. Water damage from neglected shingles? Try $5,000 to $20,000 or more.

When done correctly, quality repairs last 10 to 15 years. That matches the remaining life of your existing roof. The difference is in the technique, the materials, and the contractor who knows how shingles work with your whole roofing system.

Common Types of Shingle Damage

Knowing what you're looking at helps you catch problems early. Here are the six types of shingle damage Ontario homeowners deal with most often.

Missing Shingles

This one's obvious. You look up and see gaps where shingles used to be.

Ontario windstorms lift and rip off poorly sealed or aging shingles. Sometimes the problem is bad installation from the start. Not enough nails, weak adhesive, or sealant strips that gave out over time. Ice dams can lift shingles at your roof edges too. And yes, people walking on your roof can kick them loose.

This is an emergency situation. Those exposed areas let water in right away, so get this fixed within days if you can.

Cracked or Split Shingles

You'll see fractures running through the shingle tabs. These compromise your waterproofing even if the shingle is still attached.

Ontario's wild temperature swings do most of the damage here. Your shingles expand in summer heat and contract in winter cold, over and over until they crack. After 15 or 20 years, they get brittle and lose flexibility. Hail hits them. People walk on them when they're cold and brittle. Tree branches fall on them.

You've got some time here, but not forever. Those cracks will expand and start letting water through, so address this within weeks to months.

Curling Shingles

Instead of lying flat, the edges lift or cup upward. You get two types of curling. Edge curling means the shingle edges turn up, which is common on aging roofs. Cupping means the center dips down while the edges turn up, forming a cup shape.

Poor ventilation is often the culprit because it causes repeated wetting and drying cycles. Age plays a role too as shingles lose flexibility and adhesion. Sometimes you get a rare manufacturing defect. Or someone over-drove the nails during installation and weakened the bond.

Curled shingles catch wind like little sails and eventually blow off. Deal with this within a few months before you're looking at missing shingles instead.

Granule Loss

Check your gutters. If you're seeing piles of granules washing down, that's your shingles losing their protective layer and exposing the asphalt underneath.

Some granule loss is normal in the first year after installation. A light accumulation in gutters? Fine. But bald spots on your shingles? Heavy granule piles? Bare black asphalt showing through? That's a problem.

Aging loosens granules as the asphalt deteriorates. Hail knocks them off. Walking on the roof dislodges them. Sometimes it's defective manufacturing with poor granule adhesion, which should be a warranty claim.

The trouble is exposed asphalt deteriorates fast under UV rays. You can repair individual shingles if it's just a few spots, but widespread granule loss means you're looking at replacement territory.

Lifted or Loose Shingles

These are shingles that haven't blown off yet but are partway there. They're partially detached and flapping in the wind.

On new installations, sometimes the adhesive seal hasn't activated yet. On older roofs, the seal degrades with age. Wind uplift starts separating them. Ice dams lift the edges.

The lift will get worse with every windstorm. Those shingles will blow off eventually, so fix this before the next big wind event hits.

Punctures and Tears

Holes or tears in the shingle surface from something hitting or penetrating it. Tree branches fall. HVAC techs walk on your roof without care. Someone installs a satellite dish and punches through. Raccoons or squirrels claw at things. Severe hail tears right through.

This is a direct water entry point. Slap a temporary patch on it immediately and get proper repair as soon as possible.

Shingle Repair vs Full Replacement: Making the Decision

The question every homeowner asks. Do I patch it or replace the whole thing?

The answer depends on how much is damaged, how old your roof is, and what the repair would cost compared to starting fresh. Heres how to think it through.

When Repair Makes Sense

Go with repair when you're dealing with localized damage on less than 10 or 15 percent of your roof. If your roof is under 15 years old and was built to last 25 years or more, repair it. When a single storm hit one specific area and the rest looks good, that's a repair job. Same if you can find matching shingles and your budget doesn't allow for full replacement right now.

The key is that your roof structure needs to be sound. No deck problems, no ventilation issues, and the remaining shingles are in decent shape.

When Replacement Makes More Sense

Replace when damage covers 25 percent or more of your roof surface. If your roof is already 20 years old and near the end of its expected life, don't throw money at repairs. When you've got multiple problems happening at once like missing shingles, curling, granule loss, and leaks, that's your roof telling you it's done.

If this would be your third or fourth repair in five years, stop. You're throwing good money after bad. Can't find matching shingles? Replacement might be your only option unless you want a patchwork roof. Planning to sell soon? A new roof adds value while a patched one raises red flags.

And if the repair cost is creeping up to 30 or 40 percent of what replacement would cost, just replace it. You'll get a whole new roof for not much more money.

The Rule of 30-30

Here's a simple framework that helps. If your roof is over 30 percent through its expected lifespan AND needs repairs to more than 30 percent of its surface, lean toward replacement.

Example: You've got a 15-year-old roof that was built to last 25 years. That's 60 percent through its lifespan. Damage covers 40 percent of the surface. Replace it.

Different example: Your roof is 8 years old, which is 32 percent through its 25-year lifespan. Damage is only 15 percent of the surface. Repair it.

What About Insurance Claims

Insurance companies typically cover repairs for localized storm damage under $5,000. They'll cover replacement when damage exceeds 25 to 30 percent of your roof or when the total loss justifies it after your deductible. They depreciate claims based on your roof's age, so you get pro-rated coverage. And if they can't match your shingles, they might approve full replacement since a patchwork roof doesn't make sense.

One important thing. Get a professional assessment before you file a claim. Multiple claims will increase your premiums, so make sure you actually need to file.

How Professional Shingle Repair Works

Quality repairs follow a systematic process. Skip a step and you get leaks or failures down the road. Here's how pros do it right.

Damage Assessment

First, your contractor inspects all the damaged areas to figure out what caused the problem. Wind, hail, age, installation issues, whatever. They check for secondary damage in the underlayment and flashing because surface damage often hides deeper problems. They look for additional issues you might not have noticed and document everything with photos.

Shingle Matching

This step makes or breaks your repair aesthetically. Your contractor needs to determine the brand and model of your existing shingles. They account for fading since your old shingles have been weathering for years and new ones will look different at first. They check if replacement shingles are even available. For roofs over 10 years old, your color or style might be discontinued.

If they can't find an exact match, they find the closest alternative. Sometimes they'll check with you to see if you kept leftover shingles in your garage from the original installation. Smart move if you did.

Matching challenges are real. Fading makes new shingles stand out, though they'll blend over time with weather exposure. Slight color variations exist between manufacturing batches. The good news is architectural shingles are way easier to match than 3-tab because of their varied texture and pattern.

Shingle Removal

If the damaged shingle is still partially attached, your contractor carefully lifts the surrounding shingles without damaging them. They use a flat bar to extract the nails from the damaged shingle, slide it out, and inspect the underlayment underneath for damage. Then they clean up all the debris to prepare for the new shingle.

Underlayment Repair

This is the step inexperienced contractors skip. If your underlayment is torn or damaged, they need to fix it. They apply roofing cement to tears and install a patch of synthetic underlayment if the damage is extensive. This creates a waterproof base for your new shingle. Skip this and you've still got a leak waiting to happen.

New Shingle Installation

Now comes the actual repair. The contractor slides the new shingle into position under the upper course. They align it properly to match the exposure and offset pattern of your existing shingles. They nail it down securely with a minimum of four to six nails per shingle, right in the nail line where they belong.

Then they lift the surrounding shingles and apply roofing cement to seal the edges. They press down to activate the adhesive strips. And they carefully re-nail any shingles they had to lift, making sure everything is secure.

Quality Check

Before they leave, they verify the shingles lie flat. They check the alignment and offset pattern. They make sure all nails are sealed or covered so you don't have exposed fasteners creating leak points. They test the surrounding shingles for security. And they clean up all the debris and nails from your property.

Common Mistakes That Cause Failures

Bad contractors cut corners and you pay for it later. Not enough nails means your shingles blow off again in the next windstorm. Exposed nails create new leak points. Over-driven nails puncture through the shingle and compromise it. Skipping underlayment repair means water infiltration continues. Poor adhesive application means shingles don't seal properly. And damaging surrounding shingles while working just creates new problems you have to fix.

Shingle Repair Costs in Ontario (2025)

What you pay depends on how much damage you have, how hard it is to get to, and whether you need it done right now or can wait a few days.

What Affects the Price

More shingles means higher material and labor costs. Steeper roofs require more safety equipment and time, which costs more. Multi-story homes are more expensive than bungalows. If your roof is hard to access, that adds to the cost too.

Architectural shingles cost more than basic 3-tab. Hard-to-find shingles that need special ordering push the price up. If your underlayment needs repair, add $50 to $200. Same-day or weekend emergency service adds $100 to $300. And winter repairs can run 15 to 25 percent more because shingles are brittle and harder to work with in cold weather.

When Repairs Dont Make Sense

Sometimes repair is the obvious choice. Sometimes it's not. Here are two examples.

Example 1: Repair is smart

You've got a 10-year-old roof with 15 years left in it. Last week's storm ripped off five shingles. Repair costs $350. Full replacement would cost $12,000. Repair it and save $11,650.

Example 2: Replacement makes more sense

Your roof is 22 years old and near the end of its life. Storm damage hit multiple areas covering about 30 percent of the surface. Repair would cost $4,500. Full replacement costs $13,000. For only $8,500 more, you get a brand new roof with a fresh warranty. Replace it.

DIY vs Professional Shingle Repair

Shingle repair is one of those jobs that looks doable. And sometimes it is. But it comes with real risks most homeowners don't think about until they're on the roof.

When DIY Might Make Sense

If you need to replace one to three shingles in an easily accessible spot on a single-story home with a gentle pitch, DIY could work. You need dry weather with moderate temperatures. You need to be comfortable working on a roof safely. And you need to find matching shingles you can actually buy.

That's a lot of conditions. Most repairs don't meet all of them.

Why Professional Repair Is Usually Smarter

Falls from roofs cause 30 percent of construction deaths. That's not a scare tactic. It's a fact. Pros have safety equipment, proper training, and insurance. You don't.

They also spot underlying problems you'll miss. That torn underlayment, the damaged flashing, the ventilation issue causing moisture problems. A pro does in one hour what takes you four hours of struggling and uncertainty. They give you a workmanship warranty. They carry liability insurance so you're not personally liable if someone gets hurt.

Contractors have better access to discontinued shingles because they work with suppliers regularly. They own the right tools and equipment. Safety harnesses, proper extension ladders, specialized pry bars and nail guns.

The Risks You're Taking

Personal injury tops the list. Falls, cuts, heat exhaustion on hot days. Then there's property damage from screwing up the repair and damaging surrounding shingles or the underlayment. Your repair might not even work and the leaks continue or get worse.

Improper repairs can void your manufacturer's warranty. Some insurance companies won't cover damage from DIY roof work. You think you're saving money but you're actually adding risk.

DIY Cost Reality

Most homeowners underestimate what DIY actually costs. Shingles come in minimum quantities, so you'll spend $25 to $75 even for a few shingles. Roofing nails, cement, and underlayment patches add $20 to $40. If you don't own the proper tools, that's another $50 to $150. And you'll invest two to six hours of your time.

Total DIY cost runs $95 to $265 plus significant time and risk. Professional cost is $200 to $400 with a warranty. The difference is $100 to $150 for peace of mind and a job done right.

Preventing Shingle Damage

The best repair is the one you never have to make. Heres how to keep your shingles in good shape.

Regular Inspections

Walk around your house twice a year, spring and fall, and look up at your roof from the ground. Check for damage after any severe weather. Get a professional inspection every two or three years. Early detection catches problems when repairs are still cheap.

Proper Attic Ventilation

Good ventilation reduces heat and moisture attacking your shingles from below. This prevents premature aging and curling. It can extend your shingle lifespan by five to ten years. The recommended ratio is 1:300, which means one square foot of ventilation for every 300 square feet of attic space.

Tree Management

Trim any branches hanging over your roof. Keep a minimum six to ten feet of clearance. This prevents physical damage when branches fall during storms. It reduces debris accumulation on your roof. And it decreases moss and algae growth because there's less shade keeping things damp.

Gutter Maintenance

Clean your gutters in spring and fall. Clogged gutters cause water to back up under your shingles. They also contribute to ice dam formation in winter. Keeping them clear protects your lower shingle courses from water damage.

Limit Roof Access

Don't walk on your roof unless you absolutely have to. If you need regular access for equipment or satellite dishes, use walkway pads to distribute weight. Never walk on shingles when they're cold and brittle. And when you hire contractors for any work, make sure they use proper precautions to avoid damaging your shingles.

Address Problems Fast

Fix missing shingles right away. Deal with small issues before they spread and multiply. Don't wait until you have active leaks dripping into your house. A small repair now prevents massive damage later.

When Shingle Repair Is Urgent

Some situations can't wait. Here's when you need to act fast.

Emergency Situations

If water is entering your home during rain, that's an emergency. Same with 10 or more consecutive missing shingles creating a large exposed area. Significant storm damage from recent severe weather needs immediate attention. And if the forecast predicts a major storm within days, get existing damage fixed before it hits.

Watch for rapid deterioration too. If your problem is getting visibly worse week to week, don't wait around hoping it stabilizes.

Timeframes by Severity

Fix within 48 hours: Missing shingles that expose your underlayment, active leaks during rain, and large tears or punctures. These let water in right now.

Fix within one to two weeks: Cracked shingles that aren't leaking yet, lifted shingles that haven't blown off, and a few missing shingles on your weather-facing side. These will become emergencies soon.

Fix within one to three months: Curling shingles, moderate granule loss, and minor lifting or looseness. These are deteriorating but you have some time to schedule repairs properly.

Temporary Emergency Measures

If you can't get a contractor out immediately, here's what to do. Secure a tarp over the damaged area as a temporary cover. Apply roofing cement liberally to cracks and exposed areas. Set up buckets and tarps inside to catch water if it's already leaking. And take photos of all the damage for insurance purposes if you need to file a claim.

These are temporary fixes only. They buy you time. Schedule proper repair as soon as possible because temporary measures fail, usually when you least expect it.

Frequently Asked Questions