Roof Sheathing For Slate

Goboard structural sheathing is an ultra lightweight yet durable waterproof alterna tive to heavy sheathing products.

Roof sheathing for slate.

Colors and shadow lines on the sample board and in the photos should only be used as a guideline and not for your final color selection. The proper sheathing is single plank boards which can be 3 4th to 1 inch thick. Option 4 tongue in groove lumber kiln dried is suitable as a roof decking on slate roofs. Century old sheathing boards can become pretty hard so if copper nails bend or deform use stainless steel roofing nails instead.

Typically 1 4 or 1 6 boards of wood are installed with a 3 5 maximum space between each board directly over the roof rafters or in a cold roof system over the plywood deck. Tarred or other waterproofed paper should be used under slate where the same is laid on sheathing boards. The sheathing also called decking is the wood to which the slate is attached. Felt paper isn t absolutely necessary for the roof to function.

Ideally the wood will last 150 years or long enough to support an average initial slate roof and replacement slate. Slate roofs require about the same founda tion as shingles. Generally the wood will last more than a century to support the slate roof. Different categories of wood will work except laminate woods plywood and particleboard.

Also known as decking it is the wood in which the slate is attached to. Cover the sheathing no matter how green with one layer of 30 lb. Option 5 slating lath or 1x2 to 1x4 strips of wood spaced for nailing the slate made of at least 3 4 inch thick solid wood. Roof decking or sheathing for slate roofing must be adequate to support the loads involved but not less than nominal 1 inch lumber or 5 8 inch plywood sheathing.

Three quarter inch thick planed softwood spruce fir pine boards will last a century or more under slate. The better the foundation the better will be the roof. Roofing felt paper overlapped about three inches at the top edges and nailed to the roof with 1 galvanized roofing nails egis ok here see below. When replacing sections of slate or slatelike materials alternate slate courses with strips of 30 lb.

Plywood is a bit more expensive than osb but is usually stronger. Roof sheathing may also be constructed of plywood. This will insure a roof per fectly tight against fine snow. Final color selections should be made using full size shingles.

Plywood may be used instead of osb in cases where the roof covering is especially heavy like in the case of slate clay or concrete tiles.