Shed roof - how to re-cover?

waterwatereverywhere

Hi,

The apex of our wooden shed roof is coming apart so the roof covering has been damaged. Other than that the shed is still fairly sound.

We're proposing to bolt the apex together from the inside and then re-cover the roof but have never done this before so please can anyone offer any advice on our questions below?

We have an old roll of the covering (think it is roof felt - kind of like grainy sandpapery stuff?!) which has been in the shed for ages. Hoping that would be okay to use.

Can we just roll this out on top of the existing covering and then just nail it in place? Or should/must we remove the existing covering? Does it need to be glued in any way or anything else done? If we cut it into wide strips, should the pieces overlap as we put them up and if so by how much?

Thanks very much.

alanobrien

The short answer is yes you can. Just make sure it overlaps by a few inches.
If you bond it in place, so much the better as this will stop high winds lifting it.
Dont forget to use slap head nails, i.e. ones with a large head diameter and not to long so they dont go into the inside of the shed roof.

tanith

We did this when ours was leaking a little.. we lifted the wooden batons that were nailed on top of the felt first then lay the new felt in the opposite direction of the already laid felt ie from front to back instead of side to side , that way we overlapped all the joins and couple of splits with the new felt fixed it with the proper nails under the edges of the roof and then replaced the battons on top to hold it down firmly.. its been fine now for the last couple of years..

bryanb

Don't forget to roll the new felt out on the ground and leave it a few hours before you use it, preferably in the sun. It makes it easier to work and helps prevent it ruckling up later.
I find if you bond it you have problems removing it in a few years.
Where you overlap make sure the highest part ovelaps the lower, prevents rainwater running under.

buglawton

It is the wind that can sneak in and catch and lift even apparently tight felt. Last time I did this job I used some spray glue on the roof before I nailed the felt down to try to prevent it happening again.

ormus

always start at the eaves and work upwards to the apex.
3 layers is the proper way. but 2 will do it.
first layer should be nailed and next layer/s should be bonded.

cajef

ormus wrote: »

3 layers is the proper way.

3 layers on a shed one nailed and 2 bonded :eek:

What is it a bomb shelter?:rotfl:

waterwatereverywhere

Thanks everyone - plenty I hadn't thought about there, no excuse now... except will probably wait until it's a bit drier and warmer before tackling...

waterwatereverywhere

Hi again

Well the roll has been relaxing on the patio today ready for tomorrow's grand recovering...couldn't quite summon the enthusiasm for it today!

Just a quick question - what glue would be best to use to bond it to the existing covering and should this be applied all over or just dotted here and there pls?

Many thx.

keith969

waterwatereverywhere wrote: »

Just a quick question - what glue would be best to use to bond it to the existing covering and should this be applied all over or just dotted here and there pls?

You want bituminous mastic (not sure if that's the correct word for it!), a black tar like stuff that you paint on. Having said that overlapping by about 4 inches and regular nailing through the underlying felt into the wood is better.

NeverInDebt

bituminous mastic is the sticky treacle type stuff you get in a tin to fill holes with a trowel, bituminous paint is stuff you paint on for cast iron gutters etc