Felt roof damage repair
Felt has been used in roofing for over 100 years and was initially bought in to provide a protective barrier to people’s homes prior to the completion of the main roof covering. In areas where weather, wind and rain was expected to be severe, it could also be used as a secondary layer giving extra protection to roofs and to help keep water out. Although the felt itself is water-proof, there is the possibility of moisture building up under the covering where you don’t allow adequate ventilation to enable moisture to escape. The dampness which appears can be severe enough to cause drips onto the floor below, which further brings moisture and relative dampness into a building.
In the last 30 years new materials have been introduced to replace traditional felt, and which allow moisture to ventilate through the material. Water is kept out from above, but allowed to escape from beneath. This however has been counteracted somewhat by the widespread introduction of attic insulation. This has the side-effect of keeping heat out of the attic which increases condensation, lowering the temperature and increasing moisture.
Roofing felt repairs
You may be surprised to know that repairing damaged roofing felt is not actually essential in all cases – in particular where the felt has been added as an additional layer of protection to an otherwise perfectly sturdy and waterproof roof. Damaged roofing felt however does increase the likelihood of moisture ingress in tears and cracks to the surface, and invariably this means degradation of the roof overall is inevitable.
The good news is that tears and cracks to roofing felt can be patch repaired, which is a low cost way of making your roof last a little longer. You can do this DIY using products from your local Sheffield hardware store, but you may find that a local Sheffield based roofer can do a better job without you incurring huge bills.
You should also consider – why have the cracks and tears appeared in the first place? Living in Sheffield we are blessed with some very special weather – sometimes quite hot and sunny in summer – often very cold, wet and windy in winter. This all takes its toll on felt and causes it to become perished and brittle. That is why tears begin to occur and so a patch repair may just be the beginning. If the felt has degraded and become brittle and cracked, then it will start to deteriorate quickly and patching can become a never-ending process. Sometimes it is better for your wallet and your sanity to just accept the fact that the entire covering need replacing.
If you have a flat felt roof and you want us to check its condition, then we are happy to do so. We offer free quotes and friendly advice.