How to felt a pent shed roof

When purchasing a house or buying a shed for your garden you may find that there are different types. One of the most noticeable differences in these sheds is the roof, with apex roofs and pent shed roofs being amongst the most common designs. If the roof requires felting, whether when you are building it or restoring it, then there are a few differences in how you would undertake this task depending on the type of roof.

What is a pent shed roof?

A pent shed has a roof that has a single slop that gently inclines and means the highest point of the roof is the length of one side. Conversely, an apex roof looks more like a common house roof with two slanted sides with the highest point being where they meet.

Why is felt needed?

If you have a garden shed, felt is an absolute necessity. Roofing felt protects the shed from water damage and ensure the longevity of the structure. Most sheds tend to be made out of wood which over time can deteriorate from water damage, however, felt is made from either a wood composite paper or asphalt-infused synthetic and therefore they can repel water. This has the added benefit of making the roof smoother and more accepting of shingles.

What should I do before felting the pent shed roof?

Before starting the project, you should make sure you have all the tools necessary. The last thing you want is to start the process and then find that you are missing essential tools or material. Primarily, you will need a hammer, step ladders, a spirit level, a sharp craft knife, the roofing felt, and specific roofing felt adhesive. These are all common products and therefore they shouldn’t be stressful to find.

If you are replacing pre-existing felt, then you will need to be careful to remove this first. Using some thick gloves, preferably safety ones as well as goggles you can begin removing nails with the hammer. The gloves and goggles are needed as there will be a lot of debris and nails once you begin removing the felt. If a nail breaks when you are pulling it you needn’t worry, you can simply hammer it into the roof. This will ensure it doesn’t affect the new felt by damaging it. Then check the roof to make sure there is no water damage or deterioration. It is also worth considering whether you want to add a new coat to the roof, or if it’s a wooden shed, the wood preserver.

Applying the felt

Roll the felt out and then using the measurements you have attentively measured for the roof, start cutting it. You must show good attention to detail when measuring the felt as this could cause major problems should the felt be too short for the pent roof.

Begin at the lower part of the roof and using the nails attach the felt to the board of the roof. Put the felt over the roof and then hammer in the nails at the highest edge of the roof. You will then need to apply the strong roof felt adhesive. To do this simply, place it across the top edge of the felt (this needs to be around 55mm wide). Then stick the second piece of felt you have cut on top and nail them into place. Repeat this process as you move along the shed to the far side.

Finally, nail the felt at the edge of the roof and its sides. If there are any small overhanging parts of felt then these can be removed with your craft knife. Barge boards can then be fixed as these will hide the untidy edges. Three bargeboards are required as the lower edge of the roof needs to allow the water to run off easily.

What’s next?

If you are planning on building, restoring, or buying a shed you need to add roofing felt to protect it. Should this shed be a pent roof shed then you can feel confident that by following our instructions you will be able to undertake this task. However, should you receive instructions when you get the felt please follow these and if you have any questions make sure you contact a professional. If you need any guidance regarding products, feel free to contact the BC Profiles support team and they will be happy to help.