Small summer house felt roofing

[Miles]

Hi.

I recently bought a small summer house and put it up. The felt was a basic (5 year guarantee) felt and it isn’t very good and it is leaking a little already

I have bought a higher spec of felt (15year guarantee) and am going to use that. It would be a lot easier for us to put the better felt in top of the original felt but is this advisable or do people think we should removed the original felt first?

Any advice greatly appreciated
Thanks

Miles

 

[Retired]

Hi,

You could go over the first layer of felt giving double protection and this would be the easy solution; however whilst attaching the new felt it's highly likely you could hit a now hidden nail or two and this would lead to unwanted punctures in the new felt; just my thoughts but it's entirely your choice. Good luck.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

[Doghouse Riley]

Hi and welcome.

Personally, I'd remove the old felt. Then check there are no nails protruding from the woodwork.
The felt supplied with store bought sheds, tends to be of the cheapest quality.

I re-felted our shed earlier this year. With the old felt I'd used an adhesive. It had been on there for about twenty years and that replaced felt that had been on for another 20 years! I originally built it to house our eight year-old daughter's increasing collection of guinea pigs and rabbits. She's 51 now, long left home but we still call it "The rabbit shed" It housed garden tools.

It took quite a bit of time to remove old felt, nails and adhesive. I'd used half-inch roofing ply so it easly took my 12st claambering around up there.

I used a polymer "non-tear" felt. The best way to secure the edges is to overlap then and fix them on the underside of the roof with a hand tacking gun.
The fact that I'd re-felted it, when I thought it was time, rather than when it became necessary, means, that the shed is still in excellent condition and has never leaked.

This will probably "see me out."

 

[Silentrunning]

Ok guys - what do you mean by “felt”? Here in the colonies felt is a soft fabric. That certainly can’t be what you are putting on your roof.

 

[Retired]

Hi,

Felt is indeed a soft fabric Doug but it's also called felt when used as an overlay or underlay in roofing in the UK it being a totally different material.

https://www.jjroofingsupplies.co.uk/blog/brief-guide-roofing-felt-underlay/

Kind regards, Colin.

 

[Silentrunning]

Thanks Colin. Very interesting. It is amazing how different our two countries tackle problems. Putting the wood trim on the outside of the felt would result in a very short lifespan in most U.S. climates. Also, I am somewhat confused at having exposed nailheads.

Having lived through 2 hurricanes while living in Florida I am not a fan of tile roofs. They produce lethal rockets when they let go and become airborne. It is most enlightening to see how people in different countries meet the challenges of the environment.

 

[Doghouse Riley]

They haven't got heads as in conventional nails. They are called "Roofing felt nails."

They are hammered through the felt into the wood of the roof and form a waterproof seal. They are also galvanised so they don't rust.