Nailing Sheathing On Roofs

Properly fasten panels including fastening and spacing hints.

Nailing sheathing on roofs.

Roof sheathing and the gable truss. When you replace a roof on a home that was built before the implementation of the statewide florida building code on march 1 2002 the nailing of the roof sheathing decking must be brought up to current standards for hurricane resistance as part of the installation of the new roof. We go in depth on how to install roof sheathing. They attach to the roof with nails but don t use roofing nails.

Use 10d to 16d common nails and drive them through the roof sheathing and into the framing see the photo. Roe osborn a senior editor at jlc responds. Ventilate the roof according to current building codes. Can screws be used instead of nails for attaching wall sheathing to framing.

Roof sheathing comes in grid marked 4 by 8 foot sheets and should be installed perpendicular to the frame. The typical thickness range for sheathing is 3 8 to 3 4 inch. Roof jacks provide safe platforms on sloped roofs. The problem exists because nail sizes and spacing used to attach the sheathing to the roof s structural members rafters or trusses do not provide enough strength to keep the sheathing on.

During a hurricane the strength of the sheathing on the roof can greatly impact the homes ability to weather the storm. Check the nailing surface is level. The requirement became effective on october 1 2007. Although the heads are broad roofing nails are short their shank diameters are small and their heads pop off easily.

The critical fasteners occur at the gable framing member not necessarily at the edge of the sheathing. Nailing accuracy is crucial along this member. It s true that screws have a highly effective withdrawal resistance which makes them excellent fasteners for tasks such as avoiding squeaks. Never attach roof sheathing with staples.

Starting with how to place the first row of sheathing we cover fastening methods the use of h clips stagg. Sheathing should be a minimum of 19 32 inch thick. A structure s roof truss spacing can vary from every 12 to 24 inches. There is a common misconception in the building industry that screws always outperform nails when attaching wood to wood.

Follow these five simple construction steps for roof sheathing and scroll down to see more details on each with installation hints and tips below. The connection between the roof sheathing and the structure is a vulnerable point that is known to fail during a hurricane. Boards used for sheathing range from those with a 4 inch face to 48 inch long plywood sheets. Method for maintaining a continuous load path at the roof ridge by nailing roof sheathing.

8d ring shank nails should be used instead. Keep these tips in mind when roofing in hurricane areas.