How to Remove Roof Moss

with general contractor Tom Silva, This Old House television

Shopping List

Supplies You Will Need

1. Zinc strips

2. Roofing nails, for attaching zinc strips to roof

3. Tri-polymer sealant, used to cover nail heads and seal down shingles

4. Plastic tarps, used to protect nearby vegetation from bleach solution

5. Chlorine bleach, mixed with water to kill existing mold, moss and lichen

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Tools List
Tools You Will Need
- Margin trowel
- Hammer
- Caulking gun
- Ladder
- Garden Sprayer
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In this video, This Old House general contractor Tom Silva explains how to remove roof moss.

Steps:

1 Slide a margin trowel under shingles to unstick them from the ones below.
2 Slide sacrificial zinc strip underneath the loosened shingles.

3 Secure the strip with roofing nails.
4 Apply a dab of sealant to every nail head and run a bead of sealant under each shingle.
5 Continue installing zinc strips across length of roof, end to end, leaving a 1/8 in. space between the strips.
6 To kill existing moss and lichen, make a cleaning solution of equal parts bleach and water.
7 Protect nearby shrubs and lawn with plastic tarps.
8 Spray the cleaning solution onto the shingles using a garden sprayer.
See products and services from this episode.