Nailing Sheathing On Roofs

The requirement became effective on october 1 2007.

Nailing sheathing on roofs.

Check the nailing surface is level. We go in depth on how to install roof sheathing. Keep these tips in mind when roofing in hurricane areas. A structure s roof truss spacing can vary from every 12 to 24 inches.

Ventilate the roof according to current building codes. The critical fasteners occur at the gable framing member not necessarily at the edge of the sheathing. Method for maintaining a continuous load path at the roof ridge by nailing roof sheathing. Roof sheathing comes in grid marked 4 by 8 foot sheets and should be installed perpendicular to the frame.

During a hurricane the strength of the sheathing on the roof can greatly impact the homes ability to weather the storm. Roof sheathing and the gable truss. Properly fasten panels including fastening and spacing hints. 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. Use 10d to 16d common nails and drive them through the roof sheathing and into the framing see the photo. Can screws be used instead of nails for attaching wall sheathing to framing. Nailing accuracy is crucial along this member.

The typical thickness range for sheathing is 3 8 to 3 4 inch. Tighter nail spacing is recommended 4 inches on center maximum. Boards used for sheathing range from those with a 4 inch face to 48 inch long plywood sheets. Follow these five simple construction steps for roof sheathing and scroll down to see more details on each with installation hints and tips below.

Roe osborn a senior editor at jlc responds. Sheathing should be a minimum of 19 32 inch thick. It s true that screws have a highly effective withdrawal resistance which makes them excellent fasteners for tasks such as avoiding squeaks. Although the heads are broad roofing nails are short their shank diameters are small and their heads pop off easily.

Starting with how to place the first row of sheathing we cover fastening methods the use of h clips stagg. 8d ring shank nails should be used instead. There is a common misconception in the building industry that screws always outperform nails when attaching wood to wood. The number of nails needed for a roof varies on multiple factors such as board face width length and roof truss spacing.

The connection between the roof sheathing and the structure is a vulnerable point that is known to fail during a hurricane. Never attach roof sheathing with staples.