Replacing Roofing Felt

Roofs need regular maintenance, and from time to time you may inspect the roof only to find problems with your roofing felt. Sometimes these can be repaired, but in some cases you’ll need to replace the felt completely. Here is a quick guide to replacing the roofing felt if you’re doing it yourself.

Preparations

Firstly, once you have removed the roofing felt you should ensure that the boards underneath and in good condition. This is the perfect chance to check whether there are any boards rotting or in otherwise poor condition. If so then you should fit new boards and make sure that they are all coated with preservative.

Attaching the Felt

Once you have ensured that the materials below the felt are in a suitable condition you can begin attaching the felt. You should get suitable nails (galvanised nails with large heads) and nail them about every 6 inches along the wood. When nailing you should start at the centre and nail the felt to the surface in the direction of the roof’s edge.

For your second layer of felt you should allow for an overlap of around two inches. It is also a good idea to make use of bitumen mastic as a way of keeping the whole system waterproof. You should work on this layer by layer, painting the mastic onto the surface of the felt and then placing the next layer of felt flat on top. You should use something to smooth out the layers of felt and ensure there are no trapped pockets of air.

You should repeat the layering process, always using the bitumen mastic and smoothing out the surface. You may even find that walking over the layers will help it to bond together better – though be careful to check that the surface is sturdy enough to be walked over!

Once you have finished the last layer of felt then you should either apply mastic or a chipping compound to the whole surface. This should probably match in with the existing style of the house. You should also make sure to apply this is workable sections to ensure you are able to access them all from your ladder.

Using a layer of chipping on top of the surface will help to strengthen it further. When choosing the material for the job, try to choose one that will reflect the light rather than absorb it. This can be done with light colours, and will help to protect the roofing felt over time.

Conclusion

If you need more help in replacing your felt then there is a lot of information available. However, it may be hard to access some roofs or you may not feel confident doing it yourself. If this is the case then there are a number of contractors who should be able to help you out with the job at a reasonable cost. Simply have a search online or look in the Yellow Pages to find a local contractor who can advise you and help you out if necessary.