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Our home's previous owner was a DIYer and used the wrong length nails when installing shingles, which resulted in them jutting out from the wooden boards. We got the nails removed when we got the roof replaced by a certified roofing company some years ago, but the nail holes are still present and very noticeable. Photos here: https://ibb.co/0MkJBFD https://ibb.co/vQxjCDm

What're some good ways to address this? Can we install some kind of board over the area to cover them up? Can we "plug" it with some kind of paste and paint over?

(I'm not familiar with roofing terminology and not much of a DIYer either, so apologies if there's any incorrect terms in my post or if the solution is obvious)

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  • I assumed this was a unique case since I didn't see any obvious duplicates here, but after a better Google search, it looks like nails poking through the overhang is a common complaint and the nail length is required by code etc, so maybe our previous owner did fine after all :) in any case, open to suggestions on how to plug or cover up these holes.
    – user188427
    Commented May 14 at 22:14
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    Nails holes are usually not important, but in your case, they being quite visible, wood filler and paint should cover them up. By paint you probably want to do the whole space, not just the fixed holes. New paint usually stands out as much as the nail holes.
    – crip659
    Commented May 14 at 22:22
  • I'm curious how the new roofer avoided the nail penetrations. But anyway, I'm assuming your beef is that the holes are unsightly. You could use some wood filler, sand smooth, and repaint the panels. An alternative could be to nail/screw some plastic panels to the rafters, e.g. "white corrugated twinwall plastic sheet." They are inexpensive, and probably less work than filling holes, sanding, and painting.
    – Huesmann
    Commented May 15 at 15:16
  • @Huesmann - I was really wondering that too. Staples? I wouldn't want that. Maybe he just used them where the decking overlapped the house.
    – DMoore
    Commented May 15 at 17:04

2 Answers 2

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Cover them up with a soffit. It will probably be way cheaper to do that then to fill in the holes, sand and paint. And some of those holes would be rather time consuming. This isn't drywall were you can slap mud on it and sand it. Wood filler does not cover as nice nor does it sand as easy.

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Once wood has this much damage, especially on a ceiling, your only real option is to cover it, especially if you want it white. You could patch if you were wanted to pant it a dark color and use a matte paint- but it will take a ton of work and will never look great.

You can cover it with pvc beadboard panneling, its not expensive and super easy to install and it would look great

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