How To Lay Plywood On A Roof

The most common scenario is a home that has rafters set approximately 16 inches apart.

How to lay plywood on a roof.

Once the roof rafters are perfectly aligned it is now time to prepare for the plywood sheeting. 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. During a hurricane the strength of the sheathing on the roof can greatly impact the homes ability to weather the storm.

Preparing your plywood sheets using a string line mark a line to guide the first row at the eaves. The answer depends mostly on how far apart the rafters are and the roof loads which vary based on the pitch of your roof. Like most other things there is no one right answer for the plywood thickness of your roof. Align the long edge of the sheathing with the ends of the.

Position the first piece of plywood or oriented strand board sheathing on the bottom edge of the rafter tails at one end of the roof. 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. This video shows how some roofs fail under heavy winds in uplift situations. Run a string line over the roof trusses and then either plane the high parts or add packing to create that perfectly straight line.

Keep these tips in mind when roofing in hurricane areas. It is assumed here that you will be applying plywood particle board or wafer board sheathing. Using these steps you will be able to save big on sheathing your roof.