Nails, Caulk and Cement: Ask Each Roofer Whose Line They Sit On

A roof bid lists the big items clearly: tear-off, underlayment, shingles, ridge cap, and the crew. The small materials often sit in a single line or in no line at all. Nails, caulk and roofing cement are inexpensive by the box, but a crew that runs short in the middle of the day has to stop, and a bid that treats them as free can hide a second supply run or a charge added later. This page is about where each roofer places those small items, so you can compare the totals on the same footing.

Roofer comparison

Start by reading each bid for the words nails, fasteners, caulk, sealant, cement and cap nails. Some proposals name them. Others say "all materials" and leave it there. Neither is wrong on its face, but a phrase like that needs a definition before you can compare it with a bid that lists each item. Ask each roofer to say whether the nails are included in the shingle line, the install labor line, or a separate consumables line, and whether the quantity is stated.

Keys Roofing installs Atlas and Malarkey shingles only, so the shingle line on a Keys proposal names one of those two product families. The nails, caulk and cement are a separate question from the shingle itself, and they should be named in the proposal the same way. If a roofer's bid names the shingle brand and product line but says nothing about the fastener type or the sealant, ask for those details before you decide.

Look for three things in each bid. The first is the fastener type, whether it is a ring-shank nail or a smooth nail, and its length. The second is the sealant used at the pipe boots, the step flashing, and the valleys, since those are the places where caulk does real work. The third is the roofing cement, which crews use for spot repairs under exposed edges and at some flashing details. Each of these changes how the roof performs over time, and each adds a small amount that accumulates across a whole job.

Once you have those three answers, put them in a column next to the other roofers' answers. You are looking for gaps. A bid that names the nail and the sealant and says nothing about the cement is not necessarily worse than a bid that names all three, but you should know exactly which one you are comparing.

What it costs

The small materials are rarely the expensive part of a roof. A box of nails and a few tubes of caulk cost little next to the shingles, the underlayment, or the labor. The cost question is really about where the line sits. If the roofer folds the nails and caulk into the labor rate, you pay for them as part of the day. If the roofer lists them as a separate line, you can see the quantity and the unit cost. If the roofer says they are included in the materials total without a count, you cannot check whether the job assumed enough.

This matters most when a job runs longer than planned. A crew that starts with a set number of boxes and a set number of tubes can run short partway through the second slope. Ask each roofer what happens if the crew uses more than the bid assumed. Some bids state a rate for the extra product. Others say nothing, which usually means the question gets settled later, at the moment the crew needs the product. Get the answer in writing before you sign, because a quote that is silent on a small line can still move the final bill.

Also check whether the bid counts the fasteners for the ridge cap and the starter course separately from the field shingles. Those areas use their own nail counts, and a bid that counts only the field can come up short at the edges. A short count is an easy correction on paper, but on the day it is a real cost, and a second trip for a box of nails is a charge that often lands outside the roof price.

When you compare totals, do not subtract or add anything yet. First confirm that each total includes the same small items. If one bid includes fasteners and sealant and the other does not, the totals are not for the same roof, and the lower number is not automatically the better deal.

What to ask

Ask each roofer these questions in writing, so the answers can be compared side by side.

• Which nail type will be used on the field, the starter course, and the ridge cap, and what is the length?
• Does the bid list fasteners as their own line, inside the shingle line, or inside the labor line?
• What sealant is used at pipe boots, step flashing and valleys, and is it listed by product name?
• Is roofing cement included, and for which details?
• If the crew runs short of nails or caulk during the job, what is the rate, and who approves the purchase?
• Who buys the consumables, and do they arrive with the first delivery or on later runs?

Ask for the answers in the same order for each bid. A roofer who can answer all six in a single email is giving you the information you need. A roofer who answers one or two and says the rest will be handled on the day is telling you the bid is not yet complete.

If a roofer says the small items are standard and not worth listing, ask them to put the standard in writing. A standard the roofer can name is easy to compare. A standard that exists only in conversation is not part of the bid, and a homeowner comparing two proposals cannot check it against the other one.

Keys Roofing can be reached at (314) 220-2333. Call the office and ask these questions before you choose a date, so the consumables question is settled on paper before the crew arrives. A written answer on a small line costs nothing to request, and it is one of the simpler lines to compare across bids.