I must admit i ve seen many builders that do not seal the nail heads.
How to seal roof nails.
Apply a glob of roofing cement to the spatula or putty knife.
Alternatively or in addition you can drive a new nail nearby for a fresh stronger hold into decking.
I would suggest to remove the nail and put a urethane sealer which can be found at any home store to seal the hole from underneath.
Repeat these steps for each of the exposed nail heads.
However they can cause leaks particularly if you have an asphalt shingle roof.
Some roof leaks are tough to locate.
I heard an opposing opinion recently.
They are electro galvanized to help resist rust and corrosion.
The claim was that nails have to pass through a minimum of two layers of shingles.
The nails might have popped.
Remember to seal over the nail heads.
If your ceiling has a plastic vapor barrier between the drywall and the attic insulation push the insulation aside and look for flow stains on the plastic often water runs to openings in the vapor barrier such as at ceiling light fixtures.
I ve always considered it necessary to caulk any exposed nail heads on a shingle roof there shouldn t be many.
The shingles are asphalt backed and this asphalt forms an adequate seal around the nail.
Fill small nail holes with silicone caulk or roof cement.
Wipe the glob of roofing cement over the nail head.
Roofing nails sticking up called nail pops might look like an unimportant issue.
These grip rite roofing nails are for installing asphalt these grip rite roofing nails are for installing asphalt roofing shingles.
Don t worry if the glob looks a bit thick.
For loose nails that have yet to push through shingles you can lift up the shingle and hammer the rising nails back down.
Make sure the roofing cement extends to each side of the nail head covering it completely.
Sometimes the water shows up at a ceiling spot distant from the leak.
They can also be used to apply insulation board and felt to wood substrates.