You may have already built a storage shed using the correct plans, but no shed design is complete without a properly felted roof!
Roofing felt is a tar paper made of fibreglass or polyester that has been impregnated with tar or asphalt. These could be bought in roll form and is used to waterproof the roofs and to prevent moisture from creeping in. These are usually placed under the shingles and could be installed using roofing nails, adhesives, or staples.
The first thing I do is I always measure the roof area as this will make it easier for me to calculate how much material is needed. One roll should cover about 400 sq ft, however there are others which are sold smaller than this. When measuring the area, always add in extra inches for the necessary overlapping where two or more rolls need to join.
Before placing the felt roof material, clean the roof well. Make sure there is no debris or dried leaves stuck on it, that there are no protruding nails or any other materials which could cause damage to the roof felt.
After the cleaning, make sure that the area is dry. It is not good to place the roof felt material on a wet or moist surface for this could cause warping or buckling, in some cases, there would be rotting and rusting. I always change the rotten or rusting material for the roof decking. Some say that a simple cleaning and anti rust would do, I don’t trust that.
Never begin placing the roof felt from the top, always start from the bottom and go up. When building shed roofs always begin at the hip and allow about a foot or more of the felt to hang over that hip. Roll the rest of the material along the edge of the roof. Leave enough material to overhand the eave about half or a three fourths inches to allow water to drip and not get the decking under the material to get wet.
Hold the material in place by tacking the end from where you begin rolling it. Allow the rest to remain unrolled. Then pull the material tight from the opposite end, do not pull too tight as this may rip it. Make sure that it is tight and flat on the surface of the roof. You can staple or nail the material with felting staples and nails. These should be placed a foot apart and centered at the edge. Make room for staples on the overlaps. Flush the nails so it does not penetrate all the way through or you may end up with leaks.
On the opposite end of the roof, cut the felt and roll in the opposite direction, again leave four inches to overlap the bottom layer. I always use the guidelines on the material to make sure that I do this right. The ridge of the roof should have an overlap of about a foot, again mimic this on the other side.
Once everything is done, I make sure that all the nail heads are covered with tar or roofing mastic for this will provide more water proofing.
For A more in depth guide on building a shed I suggest “My Shed Plans” By Ryan Henderson:
Written by patch
Topics: Building a shed