How To Lay Plywood On A Roof

Keep these tips in mind when roofing in hurricane areas.

How to lay plywood on a roof.

The most common scenario is a home that has rafters set approximately 16 inches apart. The connection between the roof sheathing and the structure is a vulnerable point that is known to fail during a hurricane. For vaulted or cathedral roof construction provide a free ventilation path from eaves to ridge between all rafters. Install baffles providing a minimum of 1 inch of clear space between framing and or under roof decking at eaves to ensure that ceiling or roof insulation does not block ventilation paths.

Once the roof rafters are perfectly aligned it is now time to prepare for the plywood sheeting. Using these steps you will be able to save big on sheathing your roof. Run a string line over the roof trusses and then either plane the high parts or add packing to create that perfectly straight line. This video shows how some roofs fail under heavy winds in uplift situations.

Preparing your plywood sheets using a string line mark a line to guide the first row at the eaves. It is assumed here that you will be applying plywood particle board or wafer board sheathing. The answer depends mostly on how far apart the rafters are and the roof loads which vary based on the pitch of your roof. If you have chosen to use a rigid roofing metal wood shakes or shingles tile etc you can use 1 x 4 slats instead.

Align the long edge of the sheathing with the ends of the. On top of this underlayment goes a slip which protects the material from tearing as the metal roof expands and contracts with changing weather. To secure it measure it roll it out over the plywood cut it to the dimensions of the roof with a roofing or utility knife and finally hammer it securely to the plywood with 1 2 inch roofing nails.