Roofing felt repair

[ss]

History: a larger shed with some rotting wood I cut down to an 8x5 shed, I used the old roofing felt knowing it would not last more than a couple of years, 3 years later it has sprung a leak! No surprise. Anyhow at this time of the year the last thing I want to do is refelt it as i would rather wait til spring and a bit warmer. I cant see any obvious tears and suspect maybe where I have hammered in the felt roof nails. To tide it over til spring I have a tin of bitumen paint, is this likely to seal it to get me over the winter? The leak is within a 6 inch x 5 foot strip.

[Capitol]

Yes, if you have found the entry point. Where the water comes out is not necessarily near where it goes in!

[ss]

I know it is within that strip so would just paint the strip, when I get a dry day.

[John Rumm]

If the existing is well fixed, then just treat it as an underlay, and torch on a decent rubberised top cap sheet (or better still a 2mm base coat, and a 4mm top coat).

With a big blow torch its quick & easy, warm enough even this time of year, and effective. Lasts for years. (shed that size will only take 15 mins to do)

[ss]

I agree John about the fix but not the `warm enough` for me, medicinal and physical I need to be careful of hence the quick fix. I`ll spend a few quid come the warmer weather and do it properly. Out of interest can it be done with a heat gun, as in the type for stripping paint?

[meow2222]

Its likely - wood tends to move between seasons. Felt is very bodgeable if you dont need it to last.

NT

[harryagain]

You can get paint on stuff for roof repairs that you can use in the wet.

[Thomas Prufer]

Possibly.

I'd get a tin of "felt leak sealant quick bodge paste" or whatever it's properly called. It's a sealant paste that can be trowelled on wet felt. Goes on easier if the tin is gently warmed first.

The bitumen paint many also work, but the chance of having to do it twice would put me off. (You'll probably spend more time getting the bitumen off your fingers, the carpet where the shoes tracked it in, and the sink where the mix of swarfega and bitumen dripped that in actually repairing the felt.)

Thomas Prufer

[John Rumm]

Probably not - you could probably do a small patch with a heat gun, but you need a big flame to get a strip the whole width of the roll melted all at once (plus to warm the roof deck for a better bond). Its also the F off big blow torch that makes it a warmer job in the cold ;-)

This guy gives a reasonable example:

I tend to favour standing the other side of the roll and kicking it forward rather than reversing and pulling it. (there are pros and cons to both methods - kicking forward you are more likely to set fire to your laces, but less likely to walk backwards off a roof!)

[meow2222]

:) Wear junk clothes, paper on car seats etc

NT