Felt Layover

How do you guys feel about laying new felt over the existing felt it seems like the majority still do this? Better to tear off the existing before laying the new???

If I left it on I wouldn't be able to fulfill my contract clause which states:

"inspect roofdeck and renail as may be required to make good for new roofing"

Well the way i see it, when your ripp'n and you don't rip the paper and everthing is smooth sure i think going over old felt is not a problem. You can see if everthing looks fine, there were times that i didn't even bother putting new felt down cause the felt looked that good.

We never reuse felt, but if your doing a house w/ great decking then I can see how you might reuse it. My dad is dead set against it. We do a lot of jobs which need decking repair though. Many houses were built w/o H clips on the plywood or using 3/8" decking. We deck staple every plank roof we do (and my foot a few weeks ago)

We did a ~13 year old house yesterday that proved a good reason to visually check the decking every time. It had 5/8" cdx w/ clips but one installer was using deck nails and the other was using deck staples. Neither of them were paying attention because there were spots on every sheet that weren't hit. I can't believe the decking was only popped up in a couple of spots.

wolf Said: Bouncey decking!!A proper re-roof (keyword re)is not a roof over,What good is holy felt anyway.If the roof is vented properly the only issue would be the weight of the old felt,like that matters,but you Floridians are a bunch of felts strippers arentcha?I dont like working for free either!!!!!

I think you are of the opinion that the felt should be stripped.

Why?

Bouncey decking!!A proper re-roof (keyword re)is not a roof over,What good is holy felt anyway.If the roof is vented properly the only issue would be the weight of the old felt,like that matters,but you Floridians are a bunch of felts strippers arentcha?I dont like working for free either!!!!!

I always left the felt on if it was in good shape. Like Jim said A "Good" roofer can tell if the sheathing is sound or not.

jimAKAblue Said: I prefer that our installers leave the old felt. On low slope applications, isnt two layers preferable to one? Often, the felt is in good enough condition to protect the roof in the case of a sudden downpour. Here in TX, sometimes storms appear suddenly and rain on our parades.

The downside is that you cant visibly see the substrate but most carpenters know by the sound of the tapping if the decking needs nailing or is to damaged to hold a nail.

Blasphemy to tell that little truth here, out loud Jim! :laugh:

I prefer that our installers leave the old felt. On low slope applications, isn't two layers preferable to one? Often, the felt is in good enough condition to protect the roof in the case of a sudden downpour. Here in TX, sometimes storms appear suddenly and rain on our parades.

The downside is that you can't visibly see the substrate but most carpenters know by the sound of the tapping if the decking needs nailing or is to damaged to hold a nail.

Deep down in Florida where the sun shines damn near every day when time wasn't like it is today you could go over it The answer. If you are doing the roof with a roofing permit and are tearing the roof off. The code is to nail the wood with ring shank nails. Take it off start over with SA or a quality underlayment. B) :) :) B) Deep Down In Florida Where The Sun Shines Damn Near Every Day