Putting On Tar Paper For Roofing

Professional landscape fabric sometimes called weed barrier stops the weeds while allowing water to pass through.

Putting on tar paper for roofing.

How to install roofing tar paper step 1. Unroll the paper on the roof and cut it to the correct length with a utility knife. Tar paper will prevent weeds from growing by blocking any sunlight from reaching them. Measure your roof s surface in square feet and purchase enough tar paper to cover the entire surface twice.

Unroll paper if you will be attaching the building paper with cap nails use a chalkline to mark the sheathing with the locations of studs. Lay the next strip. Sometimes called roofing felt underlayment roofing tar paper or roll roofing this is a layer of protection installed between the roof deck and the roofing shingles. Working with a helper unroll the paper so it is about 2 inches below the sill plate and pull it taut.

Staple it to the plywood with a staple gun placing the staples at 6 to 8 inch intervals along the edges and in the middle of the paper. Tar paper has been time tested as a weather barrier. This video contains the. Lay the first strip of tar paper side to side with its bottom.

Some roofers prefer to attach felt underlayment with 1 inch roofing nails or special nails with plastic washers but most codes allow staples which are easier to drive. Start at the bottom of the roofline and work up so any water that gets through the roofing material will shed down the tar paper and will not go under it. If your rolls of tar paper aren t long enough to cover the length of the roof use more than one strip to make a. Lay the first course of tar paper lengthwise on the roof so one edge is covering the drip edge nailed to the roof.

Normally used on roofs tar paper makes a great barrier for the exterior walls of your housing building or shed. If you have a steep roof use a roof harness to help keep you from getting hurt if you lose your footing on the. As you work the paper can be tacked down in the center so it won t blow away. Since it is designed to be a water barrier for roofing it will also tend to cause water to pool not the best quality in a landscaping fabric.

The roofing felt should be applied in layers that overlap. Check that it is level and aligned and drive staples or cap nails. Tar paper keeps the wood beneath it dry.