How To Replace Shed Roof Plywood
Replacing the plywood or OSB roof sheathing on your roof will require you to remove most, if not all, of your roofing material and underlay. However, if you are already removing much of your roofing material for replacement, then changing out the plywood is not much more trouble.
If you have a leak, and youve noticed it, then chances are it has seeped onto and into your roof sheathing. A leak that causes visible stains to the undersides of your sheathing visible from within the shed will need to be replaced.
When replacing the plywood, be sure to remove all the old nails or screws. If you are replacing plywood, then do a thorough visual inspection of the rafters as well. Plywood replacement is also a great time to sister or replace your shed rafters.
When installing the new plywood, be sure youve chosen the same thickness of sheathing if you are only repairing one section of plywood. Also, take into consideration your new roofing material, if necessary. Wood shingle roofing requires entirely different sheathing than other types of roofing.
Assembling Your Roof’s Substrate
Warning: Avoid climbing onto the roof until the plywood has been completely secured from the bottom.
Get Help With Your Roof Repair Today
If you still have questions about how to shingle a shed roof, American Roofing Company can help. As the leading roofers in the Salt Lake area since 1954, American Roofing can help with any roofing repair or replacement services you may need. We have experience with asphalt shingles, single-ply membrane roofs, and everything in between. Contact us today to learn more about our shed roofing services.
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Use Urethane Roof Cement
This cement is one of the important upkeep/building materials youll need. Start off by applying an even layer of cement around the hole in your roof.
Utilise the cement according to specifications, otherwise, itll not hold, and your effort will be vain. Consult the directions provided by the cement manufacturer
Top tip: Use a trowel to get the job easier.
Roof Shingles For Shed Roofs
Shingles are also a great option for shed roofs as they offer an inexpensive, good-looking finish. With many colours and textures to choose from, both bitumen shingles and wood cedar shingles can finish your shed roof to a high-quality standard. Felt shingles will fit any shed roof with a pitch of 15º or more and they dont require any maintenance. The same applies to cedar shingles, suited to a 14º to 90º pitch, however, they give an authentic wood finish that would compliment a traditional-looking shed.
Installing a shingle shed roof is very simple and requires little DIY know-how. Wooden cedar shingles require about 1kg of 31mm x 1.8mm silicone bronze annular ring nails for 6 bundles of shingles. Bitumen shingles require galvanised nails with a minimum 10mm head to secure them. They must be long enough that 20mm of the nail penetrates the shed surface. For example, these galvanised nails will work. Take a look at the video above to see how to install roofing shingles on a shed.
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Price To Replace A Shed Roof By Pitch
Just like houses, sheds can have roofs of many shapes and pitches. The pitch of your roof is its slope or how fast it rises for every 12 it moves horizontally. Like homes, most roofs fall into an average pitch range of 4/12 to 7/12, but they can be lower, higher, or flat. The steeper the pitch, the more expensive it is to work on, so sheds with gambrel roofs and salt boxes with very steep pitches have higher costs per square foot to roof than sheds with conventional pitches.
Some styles of low-slope and flat roofs can use different materials for roofing than conventional or steep-pitched roofs. For this reason, these roofs may have different costs. Below are the average costs per square foot to replace the roof on a shed, using the most common materials for each type.
| Pitch |
|---|
| $5 – $25 |
Repairing A Shed Roof Leak Or Shed Floor
If you have a well-crafted shed, you should be able to count on it to provide storage for decades to come. If youre handy with a hammer and down for a DIY project, you may be tempted to attempt to take on your sheds repairs. Depending on whats wrong with your shed, that can be a great idea or a big mistake.
At Glick Woodworks, were the Amish shed builder that custom crafts standout structures and helps homeowners stay informed. In this blog, were exploring two of the biggest shed issues we see: repairing a shed roof leak and repairing a shed floor. Well break down what causes these problems, what you need to do to fix them, and if its better to simply invest in a new shed.
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Inspect The Sheathing And Underlayment
After taking the shingle off, check underneath for any further damage. Youll want to make sure theres no leak next to a roof vent or vent. If so, inspect the flashing around the opening.
Shingles should cover the flashing around the vent, top and sides. The bottom of the vent flashing should be visible and above the row of shingles beneath it.
Repairing A Shed Roof Leak
How to Repair Shed Roof Felt?
Torn, damaged shed felt, when left alone, can allow water ingress, which will not only damage your shed but also anything left inside. Fortunately, patching up these tears can be done quickly and easily with only a few tools. Youll need: A hammer, tape measure, screwdriver, utility knife, tacks, ladder and of course some new roofing felt suitable for your shed roof.
- The first step is to remove your shed finials and fascia boards. These will likely be either screwed or nailed on and should be simple to remove using a hammer or screwdriver. Put these boards to the side and keep them safe. If the boards are suffering from rot, you can also take this opportunity to source replacements.
- Next untack and remove the damaged felt. The nails holding the felt in place should be easily pried off with a flat-headed screwdriver, though you should be extra careful when doing so to avoid further rips and tears.
- Measure the length of your shed roof and cut the new felt to an appropriate size. When cutting ensure that you allow a two-inch overlap on all sides, when your new piece of felt is prepared, compare it to your roof to make sure it is the correct size and adjust, as necessary.
- Smooth out and nail down the new piece of felt. Nails should be placed at 6 inch intervals.
- Re-affix your fascia boards and finials and the job is done. If you are using new timber, remember to treat it first with preservative to increase its lifespan.
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How To Replace Your Shed Roof
Feb 14, 2022 | Rubber Roofing, Shed roofing |
Replacing the shed roof is the perfect DIY project. Using an EPDM shed roof kit means you dont have to worry about ordering the correct quantities. All you need to know is the size of your shed to order your kit. Everything you need is inside membrane, adhesive and sealant.
Tears Rips And Other Penetrations
Fixing roofing felt is not difficult, but you want to purchase the right product for the job. If you have a hole, then using a product like this will get the job done.
If you have rips or a tear, a product like this works pretty well. Youll still need to use the roof patch compound with the fabric, but this will cover most holes or rips.
In the event of high wind or some other catastrophic event, you can replace an entire row or the whole roof if necessary. Remember, you chose roofing felt because it is cost-effective, so any replacement isnt going to break your wallet.
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Where Can I Purchase Shed Roof Materials
If this post have inspired you to give your own shed roof an upgrade, take a look at our high-quality range of brilliantly affordable shed roofing materials to get your project started.
If you have any further questions or queries, please dont hesitate to get in touch with our friendly customer service team who will be more than happy to help. Just give them a call on 01295 565565, email at or leave a message in our handy live chat.
Roof Sheathing Or Plywood Repair
Whether youve used typical OSB roof sheathing or plywood, you dont want either to be exposed to moisture. A hole in your roofing material, or a leak at the edge of a roof vent, will damage sheathing beneath, but not always to the point of replacement.
Both sheathing and plywood can withstand some moisture penetration before needing replacement. Removing outer roofing material and underlayment from above will allow you to see the extent of the damage. If the OSB or plywood is soft, then it has to go.
Also, if there is noticeable sagging to your roof, particularly between the rafters, then your sheathing is compromised time to replace no inspection necessary.
If you have to replace a section of plywood, then youll have to remove all the material on that piece. For most sheds, this usually means removing some or most of the roof. Depending on your roofing material, it might just be easier to take off the entire roof and replace it. However, I believe in keeping costs to a minimum, so I try to avoid that at all costs!
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How To Replace Roofing Felt
One of the cheaper options, high quality polyester felt can still provide long lasting protection thanks to its internal reinforcement. The first step of course, is to remove the old layer of felt. More often than not, this will be lower quality felt which has either been nailed down, glued, or hot bonded.
First things first, all trims such as finials and bargeboards should be removed carefully and placed to one side, ideally keeping as many of the fixings as you can intact for later use. If your shed has a nailed on felt roof, these nails can be levered up using a pry bar or claw hammer. The felt can then be lifted off. Hot bonded roofs take a little more effort to strip off, but its simple enough to peel away the material using a flat spade. Once your shed roof has been stripped, the final step is to check the surface for any remaining nails, which should also be removed if found.
Fitting a brand new shed roof felt should take most DIYers a few hours. When measuring and cutting this felt for your roof youll want to add and extra 50-75mm at both the front and back ends to allow for an overhang which can be nailed into the verge. Similarly, when fitting the felt at the eaves you should leave an overhang long enough that it goes past the timber, so that rainwater will not run down the sheds walls.
Removing An Old Roof Vs Roofing Over
It is common to roof over existing roof materials on a shed rather than a full replacement. If you have a flat or low-slope roof or are using asphalt shingles, it is very common to put one layer of material over another. It is also common when installing metal roofing to cover the existing roof rather than removing it first. Most roofs can support two layers of material, and while some states restrict roof overs on homes, sheds can sometimes be exempt, allowing three layers of material in some cases.
However, you need to remove the old roofing when installing a heavier material like tiles and slate. You should also remove the old roofing if you already have two or more layers because this can compromise the roof decks integrity. When you roof over, you risk missing some issues on the roof deck that may be hidden by the existing material. Sometimes, a roof that has been roofed over or has multiple layers may not last as long as a roof that has been fully replaced. While roofing over can save money, you may need to replace the roof again in a shorter time, increasing costs.
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How To Reroof A Shed
Related Articles
Just like those on your house, the shingles on your shed have a limited lifespan. Wind, sun, rain and snow often take their toll on shingles. Once the shingles are old, cracked, dried or curling, it’s time to replace them. Replacing the shingles on the shed’s roof is the best way to protect the wood sheeting underneath them, prevent potential leaks, and protect the valuable tools and equipment that are stored in the shed. Fortunately, reroofing a shed is a project that can be done by most homeowners.
How To Replace A Flat Shed Roof
If youve got a garden shed with a flat roof, you should consider covering it with an EPDM membrane. Unlike roofing felt, which is prone to any number of issues, EPDM is installed in a single easy-to-fit sheet that will last decades with minimal maintenance. Cut to size and fitted to the shed roof, verge and eaves using a water-based adhesive, this flat roofing material, while not sharing the stylish qualities of tiles or shingles, offers unmatched reliability.
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What Safety Equipment Do I Need To Replace A Shed Roof
There is no particular safety equipment needed for a replacement roofing job, however, there are some health and safety steps you can take to ensure the job is completed as safely as possible.
- Always be aware of children when completing this type of work and never allow children to play with your building tools.
- Always use your ladders on stable ground and get someone to help steady the ladder for you if necessary.
How To Replace Bitumen Roofing Sheets
Like plastic roof tiles, bitumen roofing sheets are fairly straightforward to replace. First remove the fixings, then the sheet itself, and affix your new roofing sheet in its place. You may need to cut the sheet to size yourself, which you should do using a handsaw that has been lubricated.
As with roofing felt, bitumen sheets should overhang at both the verges and the eaves, at most around 70mm over the eaves. It should overlap with the other sheets on the roof deck and be secured to verge with fittings at approximately 100mm centres if replacing the first sheet at the front of the roof or the last sheet at the back.
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Even The Best Shed Roofs Take A Beating
As we say in this post, even the best sheds face a lot throughout their lives whether theyre taking a battering from wind and rain, or whether theyre being used as target practice during a game of football in the garden. With this in mind, you may need to repair your shed roof. But dont worry as long as the roof isnt completely rotten, youre unlikely to need a full-scale shed roof replacement. Whether you want to replace damaged shingles, you want to replace a small shed roof felt patch, or youre looking into refelting an entire roof we aim to give you all the help and advice you need.
It’s Simpler Than You Think
Shed roof repair jobs can get a bit messy. They can be hard to trace and see where the problem is and where the water is getting in.
So we did some homework and found how the professionals did it.
Needless to say they make it look easy, but the information they gave us, was very helpful.
We hope that it helps you too.
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Replace Each Damaged Shingle
The trick here is to avoid damaging the shingles around the spot where the damaged shingle was. Use your pry bar to lift the bottom row of nails in the shingle above and pull out the nails. Lay each new shingle and press down hard across the surface. Reinsert each nail through the readymade holes in the shingle above and use the hammer to push each nail into place.