Roof Sheathing Should Be Installed Parallel To The Rafters

It is common for framing supports such as roof trusses to be spaced 24 inches on center.

Roof sheathing should be installed parallel to the rafters.

To stabilize the rafters support the roofing material and hold the entire roof together roof sheathing is installed. Roof sheathing should be installed to the rafters. Slide the sheet one rafter width over the end of the roof so the edge is centered on the next rafter offset one rafter spacing from the first piece of installed sheathing from the row below. We could in theory credit a plywood panel installed perpendicular to the rafters with the higher shear force in that one direction but we would be forced to accept the basic code value in the opposite direction.

Roof sheathing is another matter since roofs experience forces applied both parallel and perpendicular to the long direction of the plywood. Having said that it is very important that the sheathing be installed with the strength axis perpendicular to the trusses rafters. The typical thickness range for sheathing is 3 8 to 3 4 inch. Osb is lightweight relatively inexpensive and strong enough to resist bending or breaking should.

8d ring shank nails should be used instead. The strength axis is usually the long direction of the panel but the grade stamp will indicate it. In the u s roof sheathing is almost always composed of wood usually osb oriented strand board or plywood. Roof sheathing comes in grid marked 4 by 8 foot sheets and should be installed perpendicular to the frame.

The last course at the top may need to be rip cut if the roof is not in 4 foot increments. Begin applying the sheets from the bottom of the roof the eaves and work your way up to the ridge. The skeleton of a roof is formed with rafters or trusses generally spaced 16 inches or 24 inches apart from the center of one rafter to the center of the next. Common roof sheathing materials include several types which are chosen depending on the budget and weather conditions of the area.

It is important here that the sheathing at the eave line be exactly perpendicular to the rafters so that the sheets will meet at the centers of the rafters. De lamination of the roof sheathing may cause. Roof sheathing or decking is one of those elements. A roof system consists of several elements working together to protect the home.

Never attach roof sheathing with staples.