Roof Sheathing Should Be Installed

Never attach roof sheathing with staples.

Roof sheathing should be installed.

Local roof repair contractors inspect the sheathing during maintenance repairs and especially during roof replacement. Sheathing should be a minimum of 19 32 inch thick. There should be at least 3 8 inch of space between the fastener and the panel edge. Tongue and groove installations require thicker material at least 1 1 2 inches thick as they don t often require insulation and often double as the ceiling.

In this case to keep the panel s strength axis perpendicular to the hip trusses the panels on the hip roof portion must be installed with their long dimension oriented up and down the slope. For plywood composite or osb boards installed on rafters it should be at least 5 8ths of an inch thick. Slide the sheet one rafter width over the end of the roof so the edge is centered on the next rafter offset one rafter spacing from the first piece of installed sheathing from the row below. In areas where the wind speed is greater than 130 mph nails for attaching the roof sheathing to intermediate supports should be spaced 6 inches on center for at least the first 48 inches from the ridges eaves and gable end walls.

Then its condition is inspected. Roof sheathing comes in grid marked 4 by 8 foot sheets and should be installed perpendicular to the frame. This can be done with a straight piece of lumber 6 feet to 10 feet long or a long carpenter s level. If the top chords of trusses or rafters are warped or bowed install blocking to straighten.

This can cause a problem because while the hip trusses maintain their normal spacing e g. Trusses or rafters should be shimmed as necessary to provide a level nailing surface. Sheathing is installed perpendicular to roof trusses.