Use a chisel to split the defective shingle, then pull out the sections. Slide a flat bar up and flatten the nails with a few hammer blows.
Trim a replacement shingle to fit by allowing a 1/4-inch space on each side. Tap it into place with a hammer. Stop when the butt is about 1/4 inch shy of being flush. Nail it just below the butt of the shingle above with two nails driven at a 45° angle. To hide the nail heads, put a wood block against the replacement’s butt, and tap it in place.
You can also use a hacksaw blade or a special tool called a shingle ripper to cut off the defective shingle’s nail heads. A shingle ripper is a flat bar with a hook-shaped blade designed to cut nails under shingles. Look for this tool at a wholesale roofing supply yard instead of your local hardware store. Slide the ripper under a shingle, and hook the blade around a nail. Then, with sharp, downward hammer blows against its handle, slice off the nail.

Tools and materials
- hammer
- flat Bar
- chisel
- pliers
- flush-cutting hacksaw
- utility knife (to trim shingles to fit)
- narrow gauge galvanized nails (4-6d)
- replacement shingles

If you have to replace an asphalt shingle please see the tips from How to replace an asphalt shingle.

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