Nailing Sheathing On Roofs

During a hurricane the strength of the sheathing on the roof can greatly impact the homes ability to weather the storm.

Nailing sheathing on roofs.

The critical fasteners occur at the gable framing member not necessarily at the edge of the sheathing. Use 10d to 16d common nails and drive them through the roof sheathing and into the framing see the photo. It s true that screws have a highly effective withdrawal resistance which makes them excellent fasteners for tasks such as avoiding squeaks. 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. The requirement became effective on october 1 2007. 8d ring shank nails should be used instead. We go in depth on how to install roof sheathing.

Follow these five simple construction steps for roof sheathing and scroll down to see more details on each with installation hints and tips below. Sheathing should be a minimum of 19 32 inch thick. Method for maintaining a continuous load path at the roof ridge by nailing roof sheathing. Never attach roof sheathing with staples.

Check the nailing surface is level. Nailing accuracy is crucial along this member. 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. Properly fasten panels including fastening and spacing hints.

Ventilate the roof according to current building codes. Although the heads are broad roofing nails are short their shank diameters are small and their heads pop off easily. They attach to the roof with nails but don t use roofing nails. This video shows how some roofs fail under heavy winds in uplift situations.

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. Keep these tips in mind when roofing in hurricane areas. Roe osborn a senior editor at jlc responds.

Boards used for sheathing range from those with a 4 inch face to 48 inch long plywood sheets. Tighter nail spacing is recommended 4 inches on center maximum. Starting with how to place the first row of sheathing we cover fastening methods the use of h clips stagg. Roof sheathing comes in grid marked 4 by 8 foot sheets and should be installed perpendicular to the frame.

Roof jacks provide safe platforms on sloped roofs. The number of nails needed for a roof varies on multiple factors such as board face width length and roof truss spacing.