Cover a roof with roofing felt and shingles


Bituminous membranes and shingles are a popular roof covering for garden sheds, patio roofs, canopies and much more in our latitudes. Although roofing with roofing felt and bitumen shingles is a classic home improvement, it is a work for savvy home craftsmen. Afterwards, you will receive detailed instructions for laying roofing felt and shingles.

Lay the roofing felt and shingles together

For a long time, only roofing felt was considered a suitable covering material for garden sheds. But the literally pitch-black color rarely fits well in a green and colorful garden picture. But in the meantime roof shingles made of bitumen are available in an excellent quality and appealing look. But you still can not do without roofing felt. The bituminous membranes are needed as a substrate for the roof shingles made of bitumen.

Pay attention to the angle of inclination of roofs when selecting a shingle

The bitumen roof shingles themselves have a wide variety of different shapes. But also important is the roof pitch angle. Depending on the form, the bitumen shingles may be suitable or not suitable for different roof pitches.

  • Beaver, triangular: Roof pitch equal to or greater than 25 degrees
  • Beaver, triangular: equal or greater than 20 degrees
  • Rectangle, trapezoidal: equal or greater than 20 degrees
  • Rectangle, trapezoidal: equal to or greater than 15 degrees

Release for the given tilt angle is important

Make sure during the purchase that the shingles are approved for the roof pitch given to you. Otherwise, the underlying roof could soon be leaking and also begin to rot.

Step-by-step instructions for laying roofing felt and shingles

  • Roofing felt (bituminous membrane) as Vordeckbahn
  • roof shingles
  • bitumen adhesive
  • possibly end plates for wall and chimney closure
  • Roofing pens, galvanized
  • possibly Traufleisten
  • with the use of beaver shingles possibly rectangular shingles
  • for the gable
  • hammer
  • Metal profile for cutting
  • Cutter knife with hook blade
  • possibly spatula and brush for bituminous glue
  • possibly silicone syringe for adhesive cartridges

1. Preparatory work

The roof must be absolutely clean and dry. Then the bitumen membranes are designed as Vordeckbahnen. To attach, use as few nails as possible.

Up to a flat roof pitch of 21 degrees you have to lay the bituminous membranes twice. Therefore, overlap them with a 100 cm wide roofing felt lengthwise at least 50 cm. This creates a uniform surface. At the ends, make an overlap of at least 30 cm.

At the eaves and on the verge you can survive the roofing felt about 5 to 8 cm. At the verge, fasten the eaves strips at the side, at the eaves they attach under the Vordeckbahn.

2. Lay the shingles

The first row of shingles

Cut the shingles lengthwise at the level of the incisions. Close the first row of shingles with about 10 mm overhang to the verge and eaves and nail them firmly. The positions for the Dachpappstiften lie left and right behind the incision ends of the Schindelzungen.

The second row of shingles

On the second row of shingles, cut off half a shingled tongue lengthwise across all shingle fences. To prevent the second row of shingles from abutting with the first row on impact.

In addition, cut off a half tongue across, ie parallel to the incision of the tongues. Lay the shingle like the first row like that. However, so that the half-cut tongues end directly at the incision ends of the underlying shingles.

From the third row of shingles

From the third row of shingles, take one more half tongue each. So half a tongue less with each row. This ensures that the shingles seal well but are still well ventilated. Now work the same way to the last row of shingles in front of the gable.

3. Cover the gable

Some instructions recommend using the previously used shingles for First. Laying rectangular shingles, does that. But if you lay triangular or beaver shingles, the individual tongues may not be wide enough. That is why you always use rectangular shingles for the gable.

Now cut the individual shingles completely through the incisions to get a full set of shingles. Then cut the shingles slightly inwards behind the tongues so that the shape in front of the tongues looks like an outwardly tapered trapeze.

Start on the left and right outside, with the tip of the tongue always pointing outwards. For the last gable shingle in the middle use only the rectangular tongue.

4. Roof connections and fireplaces

On roof connections and chimneys, insert the angled end plates. Glue them to the back, then glue the shingles on the front. Place a row of shingles for each row of shingles.

5. Laying the shingles in throats

In throats place the shingles about 30 cm above the throat. In the up-facing corner, fasten the shingle with a nail. Proceed according to the same principle for each additional track and overlap one track each from the left and then from the right.

Tips & Tricks

The roofing felt does not necessarily have to be covered with rolled chippings. The crushed stone is used on bituminous membranes, which are laid visibly, ie exposed to UV radiation, in order to be better protected against it.

Shingles made of bitumen are available in many different colors that give your ideas free rein.

Of course you will also find articles in the house journal on the topic of "roof construction". For example, also [build a pitched roof yourself], which you can then also lay with roofing felt and shingles.

Cover a roof with roofing felt and shingles

FAQ - 💬

❓ Can you put shingles over felt?

👉 Getting started – Prepare the surface Shingles can be laid over existing roofing felt, but the surface must be both flat and in good condition to avoid imperfections in your finished roof.

❓ Can you shingle over an existing roof?

👉 Roofing over an existing roof is also called reroofing or an overlay. It is the process where roofers install a new roof over your existing one, i.e. add a new layer of shingles, which means that the old roof will not be removed/teared off.

❓ What can you put over a felt roof?

👉 However, for surfaces such as felt, overboarding and adding an EPDM rubber roof is ideal for adding protection to it and further insulating your roof.

❓ What material do you use to cover a roof?

👉 Asphalt composite shingles are the most popular roofing material in North America. Made from a fiberglass base topped with asphalt and mineral granules or cellulose covered with asphalt, these three-tab shingles are an all-around good choice for most home roofing needs.

❓ Can you overlay a felt roof?

👉 This can be applied directly over existing felt roof making it a convenient and cost effective way to enhance a felt roof without the need for more major building works. We offer excellent flat roof overlay systems with the following materials: PVC (single ply membrane) EPDM (rubber roofing)

❓ Is it OK to leave Old felt on roof?

👉 Leaving the old felt on does not make the roof work or last any different. Sometimes theres no reason to remove the old felt. You can tell the decking is bad when you walk on the roof deck during tear off. If the felt is laying flat leave it on.

❓ Can I put new roof felt over old?

👉 If re:felting over existing felt then the total area in question should be primed first to allow the new felt to adhere to the old as this is the only way to be sure the two felts bond together.

❓ Is it cheaper to roof over existing shingles?

👉 It's more affordable. Simply adding another layer of shingles doesn't require as much labor as it would take to remove them first. Therefore, labor costs are much lower for overlay roofs.

❓ Can you board over felt roof?

👉 Yes it is common practice to overboard a felt roof system and then apply fibreglass to the new boards.

❓ What is the cheapest roof covering?

👉 asphalt shinglesIf you're on a tight budget, asphalt shingles are going to be the most cost-effective roofing material for your upcoming roof replacement. While asphalt is the cheapest roofing material, there are 3 different types of asphalt shingles that vary in price and affect how much you'll spend on your roof replacement.

❓ What is the cheapest roof style?

👉 The cheapest roof design is a roof with just hips, which are the sloping part, while the gable is the triangular bit on the end of the roof. A lot of subdivisions require a roof with hips and gables (rather than just a hip roof) so that is the most common form of roof construction.

❓ Is roofing felt necessary for shingles?

👉 Roofing felt may be necessary for use with your shingles to meet a Class A fire rating. When shingles are evaluated for their fire ratings, it is done on a small test deck with the roofing felt underlayment in place – without this underlayment, the shingles alone may not meet the Class A fire requirements.

❓ How do you felt a roof?

👉 In order to felt a roof, you’ll need to know exactly how much material is required for the project. For a flat roof, this requires simply measuring the length and width. But if there’s a slope to your roof, this needs to be factored in. To determine the roof area of one side of a slope, simply multiply the length of your roof by the slope height.

❓ What is a capping sheet for a felted roof?

👉 Once both sides of the roof have been felted, a capping sheet is required. This is a piece of felt that sits over the ridge of the roof. The capping sheet needs to be placed across the top of the roof, ensuring that there is a 7.5cm overlap over the felt on each side of the roof.

❓ Should I choose self-adhesive roofing felt or torch-on felt?

👉 There are many factors that can influence your decision, including whether you’re installing the roof yourself and the size of the project. While torch-on felt is one of the quickest and most reliable flat roof installations, self-adhesive roofing felt is easier to apply yourself – you’ll find advantages and disadvantages to each roofing felt.


Video Board: How to Felt a Shed Roof - Fit long life Roofing Felt