To get the best performance from your IKO roof, and to ensure your roof system is installed in compliance with one of the requirements for the high wind resistance limited warranty protection, start your roof installation with one of IKO’s premium roof starters. Installed below the first row of shingles, and along roof rake edges, roof starters literally get your roof started in the right direction.
You’ve done a great job prepping the roof deck and protecting the valleys with flashing. Now we’re ready to start thinking about field shingles. To make sure the new roof will perform its best, we recommend installing IKO PROFORMAX integrated roofing accessories along with the IKO shingles. Being that the perimeter is one of the most vulnerable areas of the roof. Roof starters are a vital component of this multi-layered system. No matter which IKO shingle has been chosen, the starter course must begin at the eave edge of the roof. We recommend the IKO Leading Edge Plus starter strip.
IKO Leading Edge Plus is factory pre-cut to size and perforated lengthwise so you can easily separate into two shingles. Just fold the strip flat at the perforation to get two separate strips or shingles. Take one of the separated shingles and remove about 20″. Install the shingle on the lower left corner of the roof deck. Granule side up, with the factory installed sealant adjacent to the eaves. The shingle should overhang the rake edge and eaves by ¼” – ¾”. Fasten the roof starter shingle to the roof deck with nails located 3″ to 4″ from the eve edge and 1″ from each end. Take the second piece of the shingle starter strip that you just cut and rotate it so it aligns vertically up the rake edge with its factory installed sealant
adjacent to the outer edge of the roof. The idea is to lay it so it takes the shape of a capital “L”. This shingle should butt against the top edge of the eave starter strip and overhang the rake edge by ¼” – ¾”. Fasten the starter shingle to the roof deck with fasteners located 3” to 4” from the rake edge and 1” in from each end. Repeat these steps to the right lower corner of the roof deck. Apply full-length IKO Leading Edge Plus shingles to the remaining eave and rake edges of the roof deck. Install the shingles granular side up with the factory applied sealant adjacent to the outer roof edge.
For all shingles except Armourshake, be sure to lay the first course of field shingles flush
with the edges of the fastened Leading Edge Plus. That way, the sealant will adhere to the first course of field shingles and help keep them from lifting up in high winds. For detailed installation instructions, watch the video we’ve created specifically for your chosen shingle style.
If you have selected IKO’s ArmourshakeTM shingles for your roof, you will need to use IKO Armour Starter. Used in conjunction with our standard Leading Edge PlusTM starter, Armour Starter provides extra thickness and protection between the shingle tabs of the first course of Armourshake, ensuring a beautiful roof appearance from bottom to top.
Regardless of the shingle used on your roof, you will need some type of starter shingle. Leading Edge Plus is the ideal product to use. Its efficient use of material provides two pieces from every shingle strip, easily separated along a factory-perforated line. IKO’s own high-strength thermally activated sealant is on every strip, helping ensure wind resistance at that critical first course of shingles.
IKO EdgeSeal roof starter is highly recommended to help prevent wind uplift and blow-off in the critical areas where shingles are most vulnerable – the roof perimeter along the eaves and rakes.
Peel the no-stick release film and stick down the IKO EdgeSeal to bond the drip-edge, ice and water membrane and first course of shingles to create a unified barrier against Mother Nature. IKO EdgeSeal comes in 67 foot rolls, to go down easy and fast!
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IKO strives to accurately reproduce the screen images of the shingle swatches and house photos shown. However, due to manufacturing variances, the limitations of your monitor resolution and the variation in natural exterior lighting, actual colors may vary from the images you see. To ensure complete satisfaction you should make final color selections from several full size shingles and view a sample of the product installed on a home. Please refer to our Legal Notices for U.S.A. or our Legal Notices for Canada.
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