Installing Underlayment: Get Ideas on How to Install Felt Paper
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There are many other facets of roofing that I could get into here, but it would branch out in many directions and make this how-to guide almost impossible to follow. So for special things that might come up, take a look at other topics in our roofing section and if you can´t find anything there, take a look at the forum.
It´s best if you have a helper for this. I´ve done some felting all by myself, but it´s not fun and goes much quicker with a helper. Lay the roll on the roof and flush the bottom edge with the drip edge of the roof. Roll out about 10 feet of felt and make sure the bottom is lined up straight with the drip edge, then put a button cap about half way up the felt and about 3 inches from the edge of the roof. Basically, get as close to the metal drip edge as you can, but try not to puncture it.
Now, roll the felt out all the way to the other end of the roof. I´m assuming here that we´re dealing with a standard Gable roof. I´ll be describing the other possibilities in more detail later on.
When you get to the other end, take hold of the roll and pull hard enough that the course is straight. If you have a large roof, the felt may sag a bit, and if your drip edge isn´t perfectly straight, the bottom may not look right. Just pull it fairly tight, without tearing it off the button cap, then roll it over the edge as though you were going to roll it down the side of the rake. Then pull it back up. This will create a crease in the felt and you can fold the paper on that crease and cut it. Then lay it back down and put 3 buttons in each end. One on the bottom corner, one in the middle, and another about 4 inches from the top.
Installing Felt
Roofing felt is laid starting at the bottom of the roof. You´ll basically be laying out a roll across the length of the roof and then when you lay the next course, you over lap the previous one. There are marks on the felt that you can use as a guide for new courses. DO NOT USE THESE LINES WHEN INSTALLING SHINGLES! There are other methods I´ll discuss for getting your shingles straight. The lines on the felt are only for helping you get each successive course fairly straight.It´s best if you have a helper for this. I´ve done some felting all by myself, but it´s not fun and goes much quicker with a helper. Lay the roll on the roof and flush the bottom edge with the drip edge of the roof. Roll out about 10 feet of felt and make sure the bottom is lined up straight with the drip edge, then put a button cap about half way up the felt and about 3 inches from the edge of the roof. Basically, get as close to the metal drip edge as you can, but try not to puncture it.
Now, roll the felt out all the way to the other end of the roof. I´m assuming here that we´re dealing with a standard Gable roof. I´ll be describing the other possibilities in more detail later on.
When you get to the other end, take hold of the roll and pull hard enough that the course is straight. If you have a large roof, the felt may sag a bit, and if your drip edge isn´t perfectly straight, the bottom may not look right. Just pull it fairly tight, without tearing it off the button cap, then roll it over the edge as though you were going to roll it down the side of the rake. Then pull it back up. This will create a crease in the felt and you can fold the paper on that crease and cut it. Then lay it back down and put 3 buttons in each end. One on the bottom corner, one in the middle, and another about 4 inches from the top.